WikkieTikkie Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 (edited) Hello! I was wondering,, I often read that doing drum corps is a life changing experience,, but what does it actually means? What makes it / what's so life changing about drum corps? Can anyone tell me his/her story or post some useful links? Thanks! WT Edited May 3, 2011 by WikkieTikkie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCIfan90 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 It's just something you have to do. It can't really be explained. "Drum corps: for those who know, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, no explanation is possible." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WikkieTikkie Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 It's just something you have to do. It can't really be explained. "Drum corps: for those who know, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, no explanation is possible." Well, then I'm in big trouble :p, i have to explain the 'mental experience' of drum corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Hello! I was wondering,, I often read that doing drum corps is a life changing experience,, but what does it actually means? What makes it / what's so life changing about drum corps? Can anyone tell me his/her story or post some useful links? Thanks! WT Here are some ways to think about it: As a young person in drum corps, you choose to move away from your comfort zone for 2.5 months - no place to call home other than a bus and dozens of gym floors, no family to bail you out of rough situations, and not a lot of free time to do whatever you please. Down time is rare, and your work your tail off for hours and hours every single day with up to 149 other people to perfect a show together. The work ethic you gain from that lifestyle never, ever leaves you; neither do the relationships you create by being a part of something this intense together. It's something like a rite of passage. Drum corps is a way to gain maturity, to learn to put something else above your own personal comfort, to discover what it means to truly work as a team for the long haul. Drum corps members know how to get things done - tenacity is a huge part of what you learn in this activity. I hope that I've offered some helpful ideas to get you started. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootofthechord Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 For me, drum corps was about pushing the boundaries of my true potential. Before drum corps, I was a stick-skinny 15-year-old clarinet player. I never could have imagined that I was physically or mentally capable of marching DCI until I actually did it. Since drum corps, I have been in a constant process of challenging my paradigm of "what is possible for me?" Had I never marched, I would not be the same person I am today. I would not have jumped from California to Texas for college or even dreamed of joining a fraternity, both of which are among the best decisions I've ever made. I never would have discovered the joy of low brass playing or begun to come out of my shell socially because I wouldn't have thought it possible. I also learned the value of not giving up - when I hit my own personal "wall", I could either give up or keep going at it. Through DCI, I learned how to keep fighting through it all, best known as "fake it until you make it". The power of a false smile is not to be understated. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BozzlyB Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Hello! I was wondering,, I often read that doing drum corps is a life changing experience,, but what does it actually means? What makes it / what's so life changing about drum corps? Can anyone tell me his/her story or post some useful links? Thanks! WT Write your own paper. Have you marched? If so then you know the answer to your own question. If not, no amount of text will really communicate "why". It's about family, adversity, challenge, growth, camaraderie, learning, excelling, failing, overcoming...etc...etc...etc...etc... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Write your own paper. Have you marched? If so then you know the answer to your own question. If not, no amount of text will really communicate "why". It's about family, adversity, challenge, growth, camaraderie, learning, excelling, failing, overcoming...etc...etc...etc...etc... I'm with Bozzly here. If your subject were, for instance, the strategic failure of the German command in the Eastern Front in WWII, would you just post a note asking: What were the strategic failures of the German command on the Eastern Front in WWII? I hope not. I hope you would conduct proper research, reading published materials and asking targeted interview questions. There is a bigger research question here. Suppose I had answered by saying I was a juvenile delinquent until I found drum corps. Suppose I said I was destined for maximum security prison until the Scouts miraculously found me in Madison and someone there took an interest in a kid with intelligence and musical talent but lacking in direction and discipline. Suppose I revealed my epiphany in camp, how my fight with a brother was the moment of truth. It was the crossroads where I could have gone either way. More violence and mayhem. Or more discipline. Suppose I revealed the difference intially was one individual but eventally was an entire corps of support. Suppose I told you how coping in corps translated to coping in class, how I got into college and started a successful career. That's the story you're looking for, isn't it? Except none of it is true. You ask this question anonymously of anonymous contributors. Most might be worthy of your trust. But how will you know who is genuine or just exaggerates? On the other hand, there is abundant opportunity to find precisely what you're looking for on numerious corps and organization sites. You can even interview drum corps people via email and other communications technology. You might even learn something. No disrespect. HH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opti-Burr Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Suppose I had answered by saying I was a juvenile delinquent until I found drum corps. Well, I for one CAN say that before Drum Corps, I was a juvenile delinquent. After my father died when I was 10 years old, I rebelled against my mother to the extent that she had to put me in a boy's home. She did recognize that I enjoyed music at school and convinced me to go to a Drum Corps practice with a small Corps that one of her fellow teachers was directing. I reluctantly went to a practice and was overwhelmed with how friendly I was treated and how the marching members accepted me right away. I continued to attend practices and before long I was hooked. I feel today that if it wasn't for my involvement with Drum Corps, I definitely would not be were I am today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto3 Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 This excellent video from the Fan Network is one I would show to anyone who wonders what drum corps is all about; think it also comes close to answering the "life changing" question: http://bcove.me/mrlotnto Whoever put this together for the Oregon Crusaders -- great job!! Hope they have a great year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bringTheLoud Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Drum Corps is one of the few things on this planet that can put you through hell, and make you want to come back and do it again and again, even when you're not allowed to anymore. In my experience 90% of drum corps sucks. Rehearsal, every-days, impossible licks, ankle-breaking drill, 178 degree weather, paired with the dreaded phrase, "Again." The other 10% makes it all worth it. Performing, crowds going wild, putting everything you have into that last performance. It's truly remarkable. anyways that's my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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