Has Drum Corps Lost Its Soul

[WOOHOO]

thanks for the gramitical comments.

Ignore the substance and focus on then minutia.

BTW, drun ccrops is dying. Look at the reducing numebrs of corps and shows per year.

It's really hard to be taken seriously when what you write barely resembles English. Just saying.

[ColDan]

No it doesn't make sense at all unless you're willing to make some quantum leap into generational generalization.

You suggest offense even as you lump all marchers of distinct generations into conveniently homogenized characterizations. The soul of drum corps lived in the golden years of yore because the deprived marchers of the past needed a bugle and drum tonic to pass into successful adulthood. Yet today's marcher needs no such help as he's been pampered and priviledged. Drum corps is a luxury he can afford rather than gauntlet to pass on the way to salvation.

It's a convenient model if your bent is against drum corps' modern iteration. But it ignores the obvious and necessary diversity that has always characterized drum corps. Not every marcher of yore was deprived or deviant. Even among the great average of the middle, many if not most came from good homes and good examples where a positive pattern was set despite the poor condition of the family bank account. And today, there are poor kids who march among the rich ones. There are kids from affluent suburbs and yet broken or dysfunctional homes. They need the discipline and respect of drum corps every bit as much as yesteryear's disadvantaged no matter how much money is in the checking account.

It's not just one, and it never was. Drum corps soul is born in the group, not the individuals. It's a product of experiences shared together not apart. Addresses and accounts don't determine the soul of this activity. They never did.

HH

So drum corp should abandon its history and become a luxury for the wealthy?

Parts of society are changeign and they too are losing their soul.

Remember marriage and family, beuing replace by single parents and quality time for the kids "who are not doing so well, despite their checkbooks.

Since you obviously were not there drum corps was not born inn the group, but in the individual, who mastered his skills and contributed to the group.

Those who buy into the group think mentality are too weak to stand up as an individaul

Are you one?

[ColDan]

It's really hard to be taken seriously when what you write barely resembles English. Just saying.

I speak 3 languges.

If you cant understanmd what is not written in the venue that you understand then maybe your should read more and write less

[glory]

So drum corp should abandon its history and become a luxury for the wealthy?

Parts of society are changeign and they too are losing their soul.

Remember marriage and family, beuing replace by single parents and quality time for the kids "who are not doing so well, despite their checkbooks.

Since you obviously were not there drum corps was not born inn the group, but in the individual, who mastered his skills and contributed to the group.

Those who buy into the group think mentality are too weak to stand up as an individaul

Are you one?

I was the victim of a personal attack and didn't even get to enjoy it. Man...

HH

[bawker]

I was the victim of a personal attack and didn't even get to enjoy it. Man...

HH

. . .my apologies.

[N.E. Brigand]

I speak 3 languges. If you cant understanmd what is not written in the venue that you understand then maybe your should read more and write less

Think of it this way: if you seem not to care enough to write clearly, your audience may not care enough to read your words. Everyone makes mistakes, but doesn't four typographical errors in a twenty-seven word post suggest that you don't mind if no one reads what you write?

That said, you did get many thoughtful responses in this thread. I wonder if you have a tendency to view the glass as half full: five pages of responses over three days, and you chose only to engage with a few negative reactions?

Now, to your recent comments, again with emphasis and a little editing added to help you see why some people may be having difficulty reading your posts:

you an't fix a problem unless you realize that there is one. many of the responses I received sdaid they know drum corps today (only) and like it. Therefore I provided some historical perspective. We have a palgue that is killing drum coprs and has been for some time. the Basic questions: where did we come from, why were drum coprs formed, what has changed, what change has been good, is it meeting the objectives, [and] what cnaabe done ton make it better. The latest trend is to make it more like a HS band to solve their problems [which] is more of putting a band-aid on cancer..

As to your question, yes I am workinfg with a group to start a drum coprs in my area. We have a color guard and hope to add a drujm line. Costs are tremendous.

Congratulations on making that effort, and best wishes.

Are drums more expensive, in adjusted dollars, than they were when you were first introduced to the activity?

Could those large costs --presumably much lower than those of DCI corps with the frivolous pit instrumentation and so on-- be offset by sponsorship from a local church or VFW post? Have you approached such organizations for help?

[mgarside83]

I personally don't think drum corps has lost its soul, but it has lost souls. I wish instead of focusing so much on making the activity more marketable and mainstream, we could focus on making it more accessible. I've taught a lot of good high school drumlines in school districts where many kids come from poverty, and there is simply no way for them to be able to march when dues are approaching $3,000. Lots of kids who wanted to march very badly, had no way of doing it. Some of them did go on to march in more affordable DCA corps, but even they are charging dues up to $1,000 now, and the cost is aggressively rising. Money should never be the reason for a talented player to not have the opportunity to be a Blue Devil, or a Cavalier, a Cadet, or a Phantom. I truly get heartbroken seeing many of the kids I have taught in high school realize that they will never be able to AFFORD to be a member of an elite group.

Several band parent organizations have worked with me and others to set up scholarships for a kid here and a kid there, I've donated and continue to donate as much money as I can afford. One top 12 DCI captionhead gave $1,200 for one of these kids to be able to march this past summer. There are hundreds, maybe thousands out there who will never be able to afford the activity. These kids have insane college costs to figure out, and it is impossible for most of them to be able to afford the experience. Even if they are very independent and motivated, by the time they are in a position to be able to raise those kind of funds, they are too old to participate anymore. I'm not suggesting we change the age out age either.

I do wish we could find ways to cut costs, make the activity at the higher level more accessible. With the costs that the activity has with it currently, it is not just excluding poverty level kids, we are excluding middle class kids from the sport. More and more I see drum corps becoming a rich kids' sport, and that, to me, is a shame.

Limit national touring to bring costs down, lower dues, more talent will participate. I want a national tour, but it doesn't have to last 8 weeks. Local touring for 5 weeks, then a 3 week tour to finals where the elite corps from all regions meet for the first time. That would be exciting.

Electronics make no sense to me. I mention this because it makes no sense for the activity in a fiscal manner. I do like to be able to hear the pit and enjoy the natural sound that a marimba was intended to sund like, but why are we using elctronics for voice clips, singing, sound bites? What does that have to do with drum corps? This also makes the activity more expensive for the corps, translating into higher dues.

Shorter distance touring, more shows, less overhead, lower dues, more participation which leads to more exposure.

Set up a mentoring system for people like me who would love to start a local corps but have no idea how to begin and carry the task out.

With an economy like it is, the middle and lower class are growing, while the upper class is shrinking. DCI keeps moving more and more toward an upper class activity. It is only natural that it would shrink.

I don't want drum corps to go back to the 70's model. On the field, I like the late 90's/early 2000's model the best, but that has come to pass as well. I would like to see the 2011 model which takes knowledge gained from past experience and includes new ideas to focus on making the activity more financially accessible for talent and fans and growing from there.

[Tom Brace]

I speak 3 languges.

If you cant understanmd what is not written in the venue that you understand then maybe your should read more and write less

You are all cute when you are bragging about three languages.

I am fluent in several myself..some spoken, some programmable.

More to your point. People disagree with your assertion and how you cling to absolutes. Some of the folks commenting think you are wrong.

I think drum corps is a zombie...both dead and undead...without a soul...wandering aimlessly around the planet feeding on people's brains.

So, that's what I think...and that you are cute with your absolutes and your 3 languages like you deserve a merit badge or something.

So, you = cute. Me? I follow the zombie drum corps. Brains.

[Jeff Ream]

I personally don't think drum corps has lost its soul, but it has lost souls. I wish instead of focusing so much on making the activity more marketable and mainstream, we could focus on making it more accessible. I've taught a lot of good high school drumlines in school districts where many kids come from poverty, and there is simply no way for them to be able to march when dues are approaching $3,000. Lots of kids who wanted to march very badly, had no way of doing it. Some of them did go on to march in more affordable DCA corps, but even they are charging dues up to $1,000 now, and the cost is aggressively rising. Money should never be the reason for a talented player to not have the opportunity to be a Blue Devil, or a Cavalier, a Cadet, or a Phantom. I truly get heartbroken seeing many of the kids I have taught in high school realize that they will never be able to AFFORD to be a member of an elite group.

Several band parent organizations have worked with me and others to set up scholarships for a kid here and a kid there, I've donated and continue to donate as much money as I can afford. One top 12 DCI captionhead gave $1,200 for one of these kids to be able to march this past summer. There are hundreds, maybe thousands out there who will never be able to afford the activity. These kids have insane college costs to figure out, and it is impossible for most of them to be able to afford the experience. Even if they are very independent and motivated, by the time they are in a position to be able to raise those kind of funds, they are too old to participate anymore. I'm not suggesting we change the age out age either.

I do wish we could find ways to cut costs, make the activity at the higher level more accessible. With the costs that the activity has with it currently, it is not just excluding poverty level kids, we are excluding middle class kids from the sport. More and more I see drum corps becoming a rich kids' sport, and that, to me, is a shame.

Limit national touring to bring costs down, lower dues, more talent will participate. I want a national tour, but it doesn't have to last 8 weeks. Local touring for 5 weeks, then a 3 week tour to finals where the elite corps from all regions meet for the first time. That would be exciting.

Electronics make no sense to me. I mention this because it makes no sense for the activity in a fiscal manner. I do like to be able to hear the pit and enjoy the natural sound that a marimba was intended to sund like, but why are we using elctronics for voice clips, singing, sound bites? What does that have to do with drum corps? This also makes the activity more expensive for the corps, translating into higher dues.

Shorter distance touring, more shows, less overhead, lower dues, more participation which leads to more exposure.

Set up a mentoring system for people like me who would love to start a local corps but have no idea how to begin and carry the task out.

With an economy like it is, the middle and lower class are growing, while the upper class is shrinking. DCI keeps moving more and more toward an upper class activity. It is only natural that it would shrink.

I don't want drum corps to go back to the 70's model. On the field, I like the late 90's/early 2000's model the best, but that has come to pass as well. I would like to see the 2011 model which takes knowledge gained from past experience and includes new ideas to focus on making the activity more financially accessible for talent and fans and growing from there.

this should be sent to every cirps director

[Tom Brace]

this should be sent to every cirps director

except none of the ideas are based in fact.

I know a corps who used electronics to save money and save storage/transportation space. No timpani saves tens of thousands of dollars.

There will be no regional touring available except in the Midwest. The East Coast tried it for at least 2 years in the 90s with the four remaining corps and a bunch of II/IIIs. Fans did not want to pay to see the same shows night after night 200 miles away.

There are not and have never been enough fan support for national touring. National touring really does not exist today. Most corps stay in their region for the first 2-3 weeks and then join in San Antonio. This year was an exception as the season was a week longer due to the calendar and both BD and SCV decided to go to the Midwest early in the season.

Drum corps has gotten more expensive because everything has gotten more expensive. Drum corps has little control over the economic upticks and downswings. They are affected as all of us are affected.

Drum corps just needs to get better at entertaining the fans. There's a sweet spot there and the guys meeting this fall and winter need to work harder than they ever have before..to find it.

That in short is what is needed. And needed now.

Are you at DCA, Jeff? I would imagine the attendance there has fallen a little bit too. Bad weather moving in tomorrow. Here's hoping it stays way east of the competition. DCA was knocking out over 7500 just 2-3 years back. Not getting those numbers any more either...so it's all relative.

The fan base is shrinking because of mortality over anything else. So, as us old geezers try to enjoy drum corps for the rest of our existence, the least I can ask is for it to entertain...,make the place light up...standing Os during the performances would be nice.