TomPeashey Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 35 rule is for corps proper... horns drums and color guard ... it does not specify how many of each... It is interesting to note that in the historical threads someone posted the rules for a contest in 1953 and there was a minimum number of people required even back then... (it was 25 in this 1953 contest) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 (edited) BigWs post got me thinking about change in the staff area. When Westshore re-started in 1974 it was a bunch of HS and college agers newbies and corps got mainly HS based instructors to teach us. Staff connected with us yungins and lot of kids stuck it out during a low time for the corps. Few years later we were more seasoned and picked up vets from other corps and started getting veteran instructors like John Flowers and Ray Eyler who knew the ropes with Drum Corps but a bit less "gentle" with people. Not a slam, the corps had moved to the point where we were getting better and needed the kick at times more than we needed to worry about having warm bodies to field a corps. But for some folks like me who had gotten us to the old staff it was an awakening. Any way staff kept getting re-cycled to fit the current needs which worked out in the long run. So people in staff and other areas moving on (or being removed) can be a good thing for a corps. So with everything else it's another change that we should keep an open mind about. Edited April 20, 2010 by JimF-3rdBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 So far so good. Thank you all for contributing. I have also thought on numerous occasions what you all have expressed. I believe that the first fundamental is a family oriented atmosphere. And I am not talking about mom and dad with the kids, I am talking about members from the past as well as the present. Those who have seen and experienced the different eras of drum corps. It is there that the future generations of the corps' can get a solid understanding about what they are participating in. All to common is where change occurs and it drives the older more experienced members away because they do not like the way it is going. And unfortunately for the newer members, they know little about where they are and who they are. I was fortunate to have been around past generations of Skyliners dating all the way back to the FOUNDING members of the Skyliners. I learned a lot from members of all the generations of Sky from the 40's and prior, all the way through the 90's and helping to continue that history until I enlisted into the Marines. Through them, I was able to share the history of my drum corps to those of my generation. And it is with that, I believe that it is necessary for as many of the Alumni of ALL drum corps to stay with their corps no matter the style change of the period. It will be more of help in ensuring the knowledge about their corps will be continued.Another is competition. No matter if it is competition corps or alumni corps, there is always going to be a level of competition. If not for score, for bragging rights. I firmly believe that the competition should be left on the field where it belongs. And the staff of the corps as well as other members need to keep themselves in check to help prevent any issues off the field. Yes we are playing for a championship. But we are at times too indulged by the thought of winning that we sometimes take it too far and it effects the corps in other aspects (more often than not in a negative way). One thing that could definitely help boost the corps in the eyes, hearts, and minds of others (not just fans but other corps as well) is to help out other corps. Example, for those who know drum corps history, Sky and Cabs have always had beef with one another. For one reason or another it was there. What if, Skyliners were walking in the parking lot and noticed that some Cabs members were having issue loading the truck. Those Skyliners went to help the Cabs by helping them load the truck. Then later down the road, some Skyliners were having some equipment issues and were in a bad way. The Cabs come by and notice that they could be of assistance. The Cabs help Sky. Reason for saying this is that yes according to the judges we are battling for a championship. But off the field, we are all the same under the uniform. We have pride in our corps but we also have pride in each other knowing what it means to do what we do. And this should be extended to each corps regardless of past events. One other thing I want to touch on is priority. Yes the role of competitive corps is to win. But there are various forms of success. I believe that a main reason that people are not flocking the way they used to to see drum corps shows is because they are not entertained anymore. And that is an issue. Yes people like to see competition and to see the best performance possible. I talked to fans of all ages and the older ones always said the same thing. "Drum corps in the past was overall better because each corps had their own individual style. Now, it feels like the same. No individuality. Just the same, almost stereotypical, 'modern drum corps'. A lot often comment how soon it will no longer be drum corps but more expensive marching bands. Once the fans see too much of the same thing, they stop going. Or if they see a corps who is very entertaining get bad scores time and time again, they stop going. The activity is too judge/score oriented. And trying to keep up with the "norm" is driving those who pay to see us away. I believe that we have the power to start a revolution in drum corps history. To help change the way the activity is going and to bring that spark back with a powerful burst. Too many corps sound the same anymore. Example I played a recording of 2006 Prelims for some of my friends down here in Birmingham, AL. These people had no prior knowledge of DCA or Drum corps in general. After listening to all the corps, they response was the same all around. "They all sounded the same." and "Boring at times". Then I played a recording of 70's drum corps for them. The response was the same all around. "This is really cool." and "I wish that they would play more stuff like this." And that is by listening alone. Imagine what it would be like if I had video recordings of back then and today to provide in an actual case study. The fans don't lie. And out of the fans comes our future members. Please continue to contribute your thoughts as to how we can make the activity better. Thanks for all the contributions. Please lets keep it going. there is no right or wrong programming choices, and sorry, but DCA 2006 had a wide variety of styles. drum corps has changed, and we have to accept that as we try to get new generations in. I love all eras of drum corps, but 70's style shows are not going to draw in younger bodies. Plus there are ways of creating shows that don't sound cookie cutter ( Cabs, Empire) that will still thrill fans and draw in bodies...look at them. I once said to a former Skyliner, they can still be NYNY, but it's all in the arrangment, and be accepted as current, yet thrilling. That to me would be the best thing for your design team to embrace...look at Madison for this coming summer....reaching to their roots, yet making it modern and still accessible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Matczak Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 I once said to a former Skyliner, they can still be NYNY, but it's all in the arrangment, and be accepted as current, yet thrilling. That to me would be the best thing for your design team to embrace...look at Madison for this coming summer....reaching to their roots, yet making it modern and still accessible Exactly what I was thinking,.................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 there is no right or wrong programming choices, and sorry, but DCA 2006 had a wide variety of styles.drum corps has changed, and we have to accept that as we try to get new generations in. I love all eras of drum corps, but 70's style shows are not going to draw in younger bodies. Plus there are ways of creating shows that don't sound cookie cutter ( Cabs, Empire) that will still thrill fans and draw in bodies...look at them. I once said to a former Skyliner, they can still be NYNY, but it's all in the arrangment, and be accepted as current, yet thrilling. That to me would be the best thing for your design team to embrace...look at Madison for this coming summer....reaching to their roots, yet making it modern and still accessible And to be brutally honest there already IS a corps doing the older style show, just they don't compete. Update the style but honoring the past would be good. What I saw in 2006 was a good example IMO... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigW Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 The shows that are relating best to most audiences combine modern arranging, etc., yet also have a hand on the pulse of the character and sense of the corps. Some corps seem to have deliberately strayed from that rule of thumb, and it's pretty much kept them from having a lot of real success in a lot of subtle and unsubtle ways. When Madison's been in touch with themselves over the past 10 years, they have the crowd behind them, they also seem to pry out a finals spot. When Spirit last had a show that was "in character", they made finals. "I am Spartacus"... modern show, but tapped into everyone's heart, and totally Phantom. There's a pattern there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Matczak Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 When Madison's been in touch with themselves over the past 10 years, they have the crowd behind them, they also seem to pry out a finals spot. true, but they didn't seem to have a problem selling Kashmir and Alanis a couple years back, the crowds seemed to eat up every morsel they laid out,........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyroo Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 35 rule is for corps proper... horns drums and color guard ... it does not specify how many of each...It is interesting to note that in the historical threads someone posted the rules for a contest in 1953 and there was a minimum number of people required even back then... (it was 25 in this 1953 contest) That may have been a rule for senior corps back there in '53, but I was in juniors at the time and know of no such requirement. I will say, however, that in the '53, '54, etc. era a common size for a corps was 27 horns, 9 drums, and a color guard of ten or twelve (what we would call today an honor guard). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melligene Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 That may have been a rule for senior corps back there in '53, but I was in juniors at the time and know of no such requirement. I will say, however, that in the '53, '54, etc. era a common size for a corps was 27 horns, 9 drums, and a color guard of ten or twelve (what we would call today an honor guard). ...... They had Juniors in 1953.......? Who knew........? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HBD Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 Don't forget the 35+ rule was created because of fan complaints to show sponsors regarding smaller corps. . . . . that is incorrect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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