I’ve finally seen the light

[Bob J]

All this talk about the pros and cons of synthesizers, how they will ruin Drum corps, or save drum corps has gotten me thinking. The arguments that synthesizers have been used in BOA with great success led me to do a little research, so I’ve been checking out Ronald Reagan and others on the internet, and WOW, very impressive (I mean that). It is possible to use these new tools in a tasteful way, and they really add another dimension to their shows.

That being said (and I know a lot of you are going to stop reading now) the other thing I noticed is the performances seemed a little, well, immature. They lacked the raw power, emotion and excitement that I usually associate with a drum corps performance. And the level of technical excellence while impressive, did not seem (to me) at the same level as a DCI finalist corps. Then the light bulb went on as I realized why.

THESE ARE KIDS!

They are only 13 to 18 years old! They aren’t as mature as the “kids” who march DCI, so they aren’t going to have the same level of maturity in their performance. We should not expect the same power, emotion and excitement from a group of kids this age, no matter how good their show design, their instruction is, or how much they practice. It’s like comparing apples to oranges (or minor league to major league).

Which brings me to my true revelation, how good would these bands be, if the kids were 18 to 21 years old, instead of 13 to 18? What if they didn’t have all the distractions of high school during their marching season? Just imagine how much better they would be!

THEY WOULD RIVAL DCI!

You can see where I am going with this. DCI has for a number of years now been incorporating changes into the rules that have changed the activity to be a little more like marching band. Grounding the pit. 3 valves. B-flat. Going out of bounds (that one actually freaked me out when I first saw it). Amplifying the pit. Amplified vocals. Electronic instruments. Even proposals to allow woodwinds. And why not? These are all things that add new musical colors and free up the designers of the shows, loosen constraints. This is an art form, and why should we limit ourselves?

BECAUSE VERY SOON IT WILL NO LONGER BE DRUM CORPS!

I (for one) LIKE the sounds of drums and bugles. (I really miss the sound of bugles in DCI.) Don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of types of music. Classical orchestra, Jazz bands, Rock bands, symphonic bands, marching bands (of all types). I’ve even played in all of these at one time or another, and would be very distressed if one genre or another disappeared. But if DCI keeps going down the path they are, that is exactly what will happen. This sub-genre of marching band we call drum corps will be gone, replaced by “marching music’s major league”, distinguishable from BOA only by the level of performance excellence, and the performers age. And the marching band people will be happy because they will have what they want, marching bands that perform at the level that up until now only drum corps has achieved.

And those of us who love drum corps will be sad.

There will still be DCA. They will still have bugles (some of them). They will still be exciting, emotional, powerful.

But they will never achieve the level of excellence of DCI. Here is why.

Marching music is a niche activity. Only a limited number of people have the time and resources to devote to an entire summer of rehearsing, travelling, and performing. Not to mention the limited number of fans of marching music (believe it or not, marching music will NEVER have a fan base the size of NASCAR, the NBA or even the NHL). So “marching music’s major league” and DCA will have to split the number of available members, split the number of available fans, it will be impossible for them both to thrive in today’s world, and eventually one of them will die. Since marching bands are often associated with educational institutions, my money is on them to still be around when it is all said and done.

Which is really sad, because I really like the sound of drums and bugles.

I still like drum corps today, even with all the changes since “back in my day”. I don’t care for some of the changes though, and I am really skeptical about the changes that are looming for next year (and beyond?). I will really be surprised if I think they make drum corps better. What they will do is bring the activity closer to BOA, and bring drum corps one step closer to its demise. Some people call it evolution. It looks a lot like extinction from where I sit.

There are probably very few people who lament the loss of the Dodo Bird. Perhaps if everyone knew how beautiful, magnificent, intelligent or tasty they really were, you might miss them (OK I’ll admit, they may not have been any of those things, but you get my point). I do miss the sound of bugles in DCI though.

[OldManDrumCorps]

There are probably very few people who lament the loss of the Dodo Bird. Perhaps if everyone knew how beautiful, magnificent, intelligent or tasty they really were, you might miss them (OK I’ll admit, they may not have been any of those things, but you get my point). I do miss the sound of bugles in DCI though.

Actually I think the history books say the dodo was none of those things.

I agree with that. I liked what DCI was, and BOA is fine too, but I also enjoyed the distinction between the two...not just the difference in the level of technical ability. That distinction is going away little by little. Over the past couple of years I have become a HUGE fan of DCA, if not for the simple fact that DCA is the kind of drum corps I fell in love with. I hope it stays that way a lot longer than DCI did, but who knows... For some people that is not enough. I am surprised at the number of people who look down on DCA, but it is my kind of drum corps.

Edited October 22, 2008 by Blue and Gold

[SynthLine09]

Which brings me to my true revelation, how good would these bands be, if the kids were 18 to 21 years old, instead of 13 to 18? What if they didn’t have all the distractions of high school during their marching season? Just imagine how much better they would be!

THEY WOULD RIVAL DCI!

I think many groups already do

[Perry S]

Actually I think the history books say the dodo was none of those things.

I'm agree with that. I liked what DCI was, and BOA is fine too, but I also enjoyed the distinction between the two...not just the difference in the level of technical ability. That distinction is going away little by little. Over the past couple of years I have become a HUGE fan of DCA, if not for the simple fact that DCA is the kind of drum corps I fell in love with. I hope it stays that way a lot longer than DCI did, but who knows... For some people that is not enough. I am surprised at the number of people who look down on DCA, but it is my kind of drum corps.

DCA does still carry the Torch. Thank GOD. And DCI is becoming MBI. IT IS AND THERE'S NO WAY AROUND IT.

[DCIHasBeen]

All this talk about the pros and cons of synthesizers, how they will ruin Drum corps, or save drum corps has gotten me thinking. The arguments that synthesizers have been used in BOA with great success led me to do a little research, so I’ve been checking out Ronald Reagan and others on the internet, and WOW, very impressive (I mean that). It is possible to use these new tools in a tasteful way, and they really add another dimension to their shows.

That being said (and I know a lot of you are going to stop reading now) the other thing I noticed is the performances seemed a little, well, immature. They lacked the raw power, emotion and excitement that I usually associate with a drum corps performance. And the level of technical excellence while impressive, did not seem (to me) at the same level as a DCI finalist corps. Then the light bulb went on as I realized why.

THESE ARE KIDS!

They are only 13 to 18 years old! They aren’t as mature as the “kids” who march DCI, so they aren’t going to have the same level of maturity in their performance. We should not expect the same power, emotion and excitement from a group of kids this age, no matter how good their show design, their instruction is, or how much they practice. It’s like comparing apples to oranges (or minor league to major league).

Which brings me to my true revelation, how good would these bands be, if the kids were 18 to 21 years old, instead of 13 to 18? What if they didn’t have all the distractions of high school during their marching season? Just imagine how much better they would be!

THEY WOULD RIVAL DCI!

You can see where I am going with this. DCI has for a number of years now been incorporating changes into the rules that have changed the activity to be a little more like marching band. Grounding the pit. 3 valves. B-flat. Going out of bounds (that one actually freaked me out when I first saw it). Amplifying the pit. Amplified vocals. Electronic instruments. Even proposals to allow woodwinds. And why not? These are all things that add new musical colors and free up the designers of the shows, loosen constraints. This is an art form, and why should we limit ourselves?

BECAUSE VERY SOON IT WILL NO LONGER BE DRUM CORPS!

I (for one) LIKE the sounds of drums and bugles. (I really miss the sound of bugles in DCI.) Don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of types of music. Classical orchestra, Jazz bands, Rock bands, symphonic bands, marching bands (of all types). I’ve even played in all of these at one time or another, and would be very distressed if one genre or another disappeared. But if DCI keeps going down the path they are, that is exactly what will happen. This sub-genre of marching band we call drum corps will be gone, replaced by “marching music’s major league”, distinguishable from BOA only by the level of performance excellence, and the performers age. And the marching band people will be happy because they will have what they want, marching bands that perform at the level that up until now only drum corps has achieved.

And those of us who love drum corps will be sad.

There will still be DCA. They will still have bugles (some of them). They will still be exciting, emotional, powerful.

But they will never achieve the level of excellence of DCI. Here is why.

Marching music is a niche activity. Only a limited number of people have the time and resources to devote to an entire summer of rehearsing, travelling, and performing. Not to mention the limited number of fans of marching music (believe it or not, marching music will NEVER have a fan base the size of NASCAR, the NBA or even the NHL). So “marching music’s major league” and DCA will have to split the number of available members, split the number of available fans, it will be impossible for them both to thrive in today’s world, and eventually one of them will die. Since marching bands are often associated with educational institutions, my money is on them to still be around when it is all said and done.

Which is really sad, because I really like the sound of drums and bugles.

I still like drum corps today, even with all the changes since “back in my day”. I don’t care for some of the changes though, and I am really skeptical about the changes that are looming for next year (and beyond?). I will really be surprised if I think they make drum corps better. What they will do is bring the activity closer to BOA, and bring drum corps one step closer to its demise. Some people call it evolution. It looks a lot like extinction from where I sit.

There are probably very few people who lament the loss of the Dodo Bird. Perhaps if everyone knew how beautiful, magnificent, intelligent or tasty they really were, you might miss them (OK I’ll admit, they may not have been any of those things, but you get my point). I do miss the sound of bugles in DCI though.

I'm convinced that, at this point, whatever is going to happen, it's going to happen.

That may sound fatalistic, but it's simply the truth ... Whatever direction DCI and the top corps directors feel is going to insure the continuance of the activity and their individual organizations is what's going to happen. It sounds like they decided, long ago, that the future was the marching band activity, and we are moving closer to it each year.

[Bob J]

I'm gonna keep bumping this thread until I hear form Mike D and Michael Boo...

[I.R. Baritone]

I think many groups already do

Yeah, they're called college bands. And when the kids realize that they can get the same amount of education and performance opportunities from college band AND a degree out of it, DCI will empty. Either that or they will do like Spirit has done and partner up with some major universities. Then they will just be folded into the music programs of those universities.

DCA will hang on, but they have to some hustleing to keep the membership coming in. We've depended on DCI to help us recruit. People come into the DCA ranks to train to go into DCI. Once they're done there, they come back to us. Without that influx of people, we may not be able to be as big as we were. Either that or we're going to explode with all kinds of new people who come to us simply because we're different. Maybe it might be somewhere in the middle? I don't know. Only time will tell.

[kickhaltsforlife]

Yeah, they're called college bands. And when the kids realize that they can get the same amount of education and performance opportunities from college band AND a degree out of it, DCI will empty. Either that or they will do like Spirit has done and partner up with some major universities. Then they will just be folded into the music programs of those universities.

DCA will hang on, but they have to some hustleing to keep the membership coming in. We've depended on DCI to help us recruit. People come into the DCA ranks to train to go into DCI. Once they're done there, they come back to us. Without that influx of people, we may not be able to be as big as we were. Either that or we're going to explode with all kinds of new people who come to us simply because we're different. Maybe it might be somewhere in the middle? I don't know. Only time will tell.

I am in a college band. And let me tell you, they are completely different experiences. We are a corps style marching band... and are one of the best at it in the country. I also march drum corps..... The experiences you get from touring with a DCI corps all summer is A LOT different than college marching band. The education i received benefits me a lot more than what anything i have learned in college band, and i consider my college band director to be excellent at what he does. College band is a great alternative for those who can not participate in DCI... but in can NEVER be considered a substitute. They are two different animals. If you personally have marched and done college band, i don't know how you can disagree.

Some college bands may have a higher excellence at what they are doing than some drum corps, but i have never heard of or seen any marching band compare to any show that i have seen win a DCI World Championship, or even match to anything in the top 12. If you know of a band, i want to know about that.

[weedyweidenthal]

Yeah, they're called college bands. And when the kids realize that they can get the same amount of education and performance opportunities from college band AND a degree out of it, DCI will empty. Either that or they will do like Spirit has done and partner up with some major universities. Then they will just be folded into the music programs of those universities.

People do not march drum corps just for educational purposes. I don't know of anybody that has decided to put themselves through all the hardships that come with marching in DCI just so they could get an education. I will be marching until I age out because I love the time I spend with my brothers and I love my corps. I can not imagine a summer without drum corps because I love to perform. The fact that it will help me be a better educator one day is a bonus and just one of the many positive things that drum corps produces. I like the bond that I create with the members, staff, and alumni. I like the sense of accomplishment that I feel as I step off the field after a show. I like seeing other parts of the country and being on a bus for hours trying to sleep so that I have energy for rehearsal the next day. Drum corps is so much more than an educational experience... It's a life changing experience that can not be replaced by a university marching band. I highly doubt that many people would say "I'm getting an education in college so I won't march in a corps."

Spirit is no longer "Spirit from JSU." In the Marching Southerners at JSU we have around 80 people that have marched in DCI and many more trying out this year. I doubt anyone of those 80 would say that they wouldn't march in DCI because we learn the same stuff in Southerners that they learned in DCI.

-Weedy

[JimF-LowBari]

Simply put.. used to be people would describe the differences between DC and MB and be able to use a lot more words than "experiences". If the word "experience" would come up at all....

Yeah, all change is good.....