DCP 'Front Page' Item on the Troopers

[cabalumnidrummer]

I know this is about a DCI corps, but I posted it in the DCI Forum and there has been absolutely no reaction. Maybe I should not be surprised. I wonder how my fellow vets and alumni will react. Read on:

DCP 'Front Page' news item: "Casper Junior Makes America's Corps."

I find it ironic and sad that the idea of a single Caper resident, a high school junior who 'made it' into the Troopers, is a news item. It strikes me as a sad commentary as to how the junior drum corps activity has 'evolved.' What does it say about our current 'system' that a kid from Casper being accepted into the Troopers is cause for a news story?

It seems to me this is backwards. Am I the only one? Does anyone else feel as I do? I realize the neighborhood drum corps concept faded away long ago as corps accepted more and more out-of-town members. However, this just seems so odd (and sad) to me that it's actually big news that he has qualified march in the corps that bears the name of the city in which he lives. And from the way I read the article, he is the only one from Casper.

I guess my age is really showing.

Edited May 21, 2011 by cabalumnidrummer

[camel lips]

I guess anything positive is a good thing with all of the negative things that are impacting this activity.

[nngs9]

I know this is about a DCI corps, but I posted it in the DCI Forum and there has been absolutely no reaction. Maybe I should not be surprised. I wonder how my fellow vets and alumni will react. Read on:

DCP 'Front Page' news item: "Casper Junior Makes America's Corps."

I find it ironic and sad that the idea of a single Caper resident, a high school junior who 'made it' into the Troopers, is a news item. It strikes me as a sad commentary as to how the junior drum corps activity has 'evolved.' What does it say about our current 'system' that a kid from Casper being accepted into the Troopers is cause for a news story?

It seems to me this is backwards. Am I the only one? Does anyone else feels as I do? I realize the neighbrhood drum corps concept faded away long ago as corps accepted mre and more out-of-town members. However, this just seems so odd (and sad) to me that it's actually big news that he has qualified march in the corps that bears the name of the city in which he lives. And from the way I read the article, he is the only one from Casper.

I guess my age is really showing.

I remember a friend of mine in the late 90s telling me about being at a Cavies home show he went to and during retreat they named every kid in the corps and where they were from and he said only 1 kid was from Chicago, that kid got a standing O.

[BigW]

I know this is about a DCI corps, but I posted it in the DCI Forum and there has been absolutely no reaction. Maybe I should not be surprised. I wonder how my fellow vets and alumni will react. Read on:

DCP 'Front Page' news item: "Casper Junior Makes America's Corps."

I find it ironic and sad that the idea of a single Caper resident, a high school junior who 'made it' into the Troopers, is a news item. It strikes me as a sad commentary as to how the junior drum corps activity has 'evolved.' What does it say about our current 'system' that a kid from Casper being accepted into the Troopers is cause for a news story?

It seems to me this is backwards. Am I the only one? Does anyone else feels as I do? I realize the neighbrhood drum corps concept faded away long ago as corps accepted mre and more out-of-town members. However, this just seems so odd (and sad) to me that it's actually big news that he has qualified march in the corps that bears the name of the city in which he lives. And from the way I read the article, he is the only one from Casper.

I guess my age is really showing.

I don't think you're out of line to question this, John. The irony is as thick as the 12 inch belt armor on the USS New Jersey, especially for anyone who knows that the Troopers were a real source of intense pride in Wyoming, and that most of the members were from that state at one time.

Things changed for everyone as dues rose, travel became easier, and everyone needed better educated base talent regardless of where they came from.

Just the fact that the kid made it while still in High School is notable as well. that's also a heavy paradigm shift. I realize many people say that competitive HS bands take those interested 13 to 18 year olds now, but I'd argue that's not really the case, either, for the simple fact that not every HS Marching Band competes.

Anyhow, don't feel like you're out of line. Good you picked up on it. Changes like the ones you see aren't necessarily always for the best. I guess more a fact of the reality that's been created.

[Gary Matczak]

I don't think you're out of line to question this, John. The irony is as thick as the 12 inch belt armor on the USS New Jersey, especially for anyone who knows that the Troopers were a real source of intense pride in Wyoming, and that most of the members were from that state at one time.

Things changed for everyone as dues rose, travel became easier, and everyone needed better educated base talent regardless of where they came from.

Just the fact that the kid made it while still in High School is notable as well. that's also a heavy paradigm shift. I realize many people say that competitive HS bands take those interested 13 to 18 year olds now, but I'd argue that's not really the case, either, for the simple fact that not every HS Marching Band competes.

Anyhow, don't feel like you're out of line. Good you picked up on it. Changes like the ones you see aren't necessarily always for the best. I guess more a fact of the reality that's been created.

which is why I think Cadet2 will be a good thing for the Allentown Cadets organization,.................this will provide for a more local pool of developing talent for the Allentown Cadets to fill their junior corps ranks, as the continuing cost of travel to auditions and camps in the off season, let alone the cost of dues and fees to be a member of such a corps continues to balloon,.............

[Donny Drum Corps]

Even Pioneer had no kids from Milwaukee. They had some from Northern Illinois and a couple from other parts of Wisconsin, but this is not unusual at all. I agree that it is a far cry from our neighborhood pride corps.

Donny

[Kansan]

Yes, I think this is sad as well. Why not recruit locally 1st then open the doors to out of State kids. Sky Ryders did the same thing. They lost their home in Hutchinson, relocated to Texas and well, everyone knows the rest of the Story.

I think it's also kind of dangerous. If transportation prices were to shoot up and discourage out of town talent from making the trip then there would be no more Drum Corps since no local talent belonged to the Corps.

[nngs9]

Even Pioneer had no kids from Milwaukee. They had some from Northern Illinois and a couple from other parts of Wisconsin, but this is not unusual at all. I agree that it is a far cry from our neighborhood pride corps.

Donny

Donny, i remember seeing the birth of the Statesmen, i was only 13 but i remember being completely confused that so many members were well under 21. At the time there were still Jr. corps within spitting distance and i just couldn't comprehend a Sr. corps w/members under 21................Years later, i was fortunate enough (as you know) to have Vince Bruni take me under his wing and i found myself in inner city schools working w/kids that i otherwise would have never known, a few years ago i'm in line at a grocery store and the kid tells me that he's still drumming to this day because of me. I felt like such an a** that i didn't even recognize him.................It's cool to be reading about the "big idea", but there are tons upon tons of American youth that i'm thinking the "big idea" effort might be better spent on.........................................Don't get me wrong, i'm all for "One Music One World" concept but just the other day i'm sitting at a red light and i had my dog in the car w/me and a child on the sidewalk starts pointing at my dog and saying look at the doggie mommie, well, mommie calls him a "fu..... " as....." and an S.O.B..

[BigW]

Even Pioneer had no kids from Milwaukee. They had some from Northern Illinois and a couple from other parts of Wisconsin, but this is not unusual at all. I agree that it is a far cry from our neighborhood pride corps.

Donny

I was about to say- Donny, Weren't you and most of your fellow Purple Lancers say, within 1-2 hours of Auburn?

[BigW]

Donny, i remember seeing the birth of the Statesmen, i was only 13 but i remember being completely confused that so many members were well under 21. At the time there were still Jr. corps within spitting distance and i just couldn't comprehend a Sr. corps w/members under 21................Years later, i was fortunate enough (as you know) to have Vince Bruni take me under his wing and i found myself in inner city schools working w/kids that i otherwise would have never known, a few years ago i'm in line at a grocery store and the kid tells me that he's still drumming to this day because of me. I felt like such an a** that i didn't even recognize him.................It's cool to be reading about the "big idea", but there are tons upon tons of American youth that i'm thinking the "big idea" effort might be better spent on.........................................Don't get me wrong, i'm all for "One Music One World" concept but just the other day i'm sitting at a red light and i had my dog in the car w/me and a child on the sidewalk starts pointing at my dog and saying look at the doggie mommie, well, mommie calls him a "fu..... " as....." and an S.O.B..

Did the inner city gig myself for one year- one of 6 HS band directors in 5 years. District eventually taken over my the Mayor becauase of the ineptness and incompetency of the School board and the administration. Tough row to hoe. Good intentions, lost due to many factors. Prejudice and racisim from band members and administration, a backstabbing assistant director (who thought he had all the answers and stepped down after a year when he realized he didn't truthfully know jack), I can go on. I know from judging in the Garden State Circuit that many of those corps did a lot of good for those kids, period. Did it matter that those corps were top end touring machines? No. What mattered is that the organizations helped a lot of kids who needed it. The problem is that the surviving corps have become something rather different. They had to to enable themselves to survive in the modern environ. You have to start with real talent and a skilled individual- not develop it from a kid off the street or you end up creamed. You need kids from families well off enough to afford the fees or who have connections to get funded. I'm not saying that's bad- it's just how it is.

Worked 9 years at Milton Hershey School with similar kids from tough backgrounds part time with the Drum and Wind Corps there, kids taken out of the negative environment of the inner city, etc. We did pretty well given the whole bizarro-like situation there. Best experience of my life. New director couldn't deal with not having everything the way he exactly wanted it, hauled in the program. A shame.

My guess is that there are a lot of kids in need for those kind of grass-roots "get the kids off the street and give them some positive meaning in their lives" corps, but because of the expense- nearly impossible to do.

I also feel bad the lady dissed your dog. How the hell can anyone diss a dog that's nice enough to ride in a car? I'm a cat person and I wouldn't diss your dog, man.

Edited May 21, 2011 by BigW