The Other Mike Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 First off I am a Dino, early 60's, but as a band instructor, am very much tuned in with the youth of today. Since I lived through and worked around drum corps in the mid 70's, and still try to attend finals every year as well as many shows, there are things I like better about the activity, and things I don't like as well about the activity. Synthesizers and amplifications are some of the things I don't like as well. Simply because I don't think most corps use them effectively. Balance issues are always a problem, one that you usually don't see as much as when it is just drums and horns. One accidental bump of a switch, and all of a sudden you can no longer hear the horns over the synth. I think the talent level today is a little higher than in the 70's and 80's, but I think some of that is due to the fact with hundreds of corps folding over the last 30 years, there are less corps to go to, so the talent level per corps is sometimes nothing short of amazing. And the drill has advanced tons since the 80's. The purpose of corps has also changed, as back in the 60s Cavaliers used to be a corps that would take kids with absolutely no musical experience, and train them to march and play. Today, if you didn't have any experience, you would not be able to make Cavaliers, you probably would not be able to even make a World Class corps. Even some Open Class corps wouldn't accept you. I think Cadets 2 shows about Sarah Jones, and the This I Believe show the biggest example of what I don't care for in todays drum corps. Here you have 2 amazing years corps, with so much talent level, and instead on focusing on how well they march and play, you distract with a long drawn out boring story. I feel This I Believe is the better of the 2 shows, as it does relate the story of fitting in as a band/corps geek. But the Sarah Jones story, I don't think it was a Dino vs. New Kids, as it didn't seem like even the younger group really enjoyed the narration in that show. I am not so sure that the Dinos like myself have so much of a problem with the changes in drum corps, so much as how badly some of the changes are used. There have however been some uses of synth and vocals that have not been negative, and several corps have been quite creative in their usage. But to be honest there will be alot of older Dinos that just don't feel like drum corps is the same activity as it was in the 60's and 70's. And to that I do agree there has been so many changes it sometimes does not feel like the same activity. I agree with 99% of your post. As a high school band director myself, who marched 70-75, my drum corps experience gave me a better education about being a band director than my university did. I have no use for synths or amps what so ever in field productions and personally feel the pit should be limited to 8 members max. ( but thats just me ) My biggest personal problem with modern corps is that I can't copy drill like I did in the 80's. Once was a time I could sit and watch a drill and get ideas of what I could write and "teach" to my band. With the evolution of computer drill writing, it's just too much for my brain to pick apart and fully understand. I find the older I get, the slower my brain works. Add that to how much faster drill is and the huge number of "black notes" played, I can't even get a sniff of bus fumes anymore. I still love it, I just feel like I was left behind at the Union 76 truck stop in Effingham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 This is a trend that I'm starting to see more and more on here, and it's driving me insane, therefore being the person I am, I feel compelled to bring it up- Why is that we have to push this whole "You're a young kid, you don't know ####" and "You're too old to understand the new era" bull####????? Last time I checked, we were unified by the same thing, the love for drum corps. Not about age, race, religion, blah blah blah. There is always something to #### and moan about, I understand that, however, every topic eventually dwindles down to Dinos vs. the young ones. Can't we just realize that the Dinos have tradition and values of the old corps, and that the new kids represent the new era, and leave it at that? Maybe we wouldn't have all this "Drum Corps is dead" BS if we were actually discussing the issues instead of complaining about how the young kids "just don't get it" and how the dinos "just don't understand the new stuff". "New Kids"- Tradition is a major part of drum corps, respect it. "Dinos"- Believe it or not, a lot of us are knowledgeable. Just because we weren't there in the 70's, doesn't mean we don't understand the history behind drum corps international. End Rant sadly, it's human nature. worse, those of us too old to be kids but too young to be dinos get it from both sides 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 So, I wasn't going to bring this up...but since the topic was started, it's time. I went to the Allentown shows in August for the first time in many years. Had amazing seats, was ready for a great weekend of drum corps. I thought all the corps had amazing shows and performed the hell out of them, probably the best top to bottom we've had in many years. THIS, is my problem...I was told before going that the Allentown crowd was the most knowledgable and respected in drum corps. Sitting preshow and listening to the stories and the history of those around me, I found that to be true. BUT, I WILL NOT RETURN TO ALLENTOWN anytime soon because those sitting around me were what were calling "dino's". I had to listen to them complain after every corps that uses synth. I thought Cascades and Teal had 2 of the best shows i had seen from a 20-23 range corps and i had to listen to the dinos complain about the electric violin, etc....honestly they ruined the show for me. I would much rather sit around a bunch of unknowing high school kids that are in constant awe, then to ever have to deal with that again. Very sad. should have had my seats last year where kids made funof the synths and how they were used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Uh, Contreuph; New Kids on the Block was a band formed in 1984 (before you were born) and they are now in their mid-thirties. So by definition, does that not make them dinos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 sadly, it's human nature. worse, those of us too old to be kids but too young to be dinos get it from both sides Yea, we do, don't we? The answer for me has been to not admit I'm a dino. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I've been involved with drum corps, in one way or the other, since 1967, when my older brothers first joined a local junior corps in NJ. So I guess that makes me a dinosaur. LOL. But to me, it's all good... DCI, DCA, alumni corps, parade corps, exhibition corps, Shriners corps, whatever. I'm just glad drum corps is still around. It's always been a unique activity, from back in the day through the present time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000Cadet Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 At what age do you become a dino? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 At what age do you become a dino? LOL.....i know 30 year old dinos and sixty year old visionaries still in the business..............all in the attitude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 At what age do you become a dino? A car in the U.S. can get antique plates at the 25-year mark; does that give us a starting point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredJedi Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) Why is that we have to push this whole "You're a young kid, you don't know ####" and "You're too old to understand the new era" bull####????? *snip* "New Kids"- Tradition is a major part of drum corps, respect it. "Dinos"- Believe it or not, a lot of us are knowledgeable. Just because we weren't there in the 70's, doesn't mean we don't understand the history behind drum corps international. Interesting thread. I'll be honest, when I marched I only knew DCI history back to '78. Had video back to '79. DCI had albums? Really? How do you get one? What's Drum Corps World? How do I get a copy? It's not like all of us Dino's had access to the internet back then and could pull up 2,500 video's on youtube. I was just lucky enough to have a band director that got me hooked on Drum Corps. Was the history important to me at that time? Nope. Marching DCI was a goal. It was climbing Mt. Everest. My lengthy point is ~ knowing the history wouldn't have made me a better musician but I would have respected it a little more. There was a little grumbling about what we were doing in '83 from some of the Alumni. It was different. Did I care? Nope. Not in the least. It was our time. Why would today's members look at what they're doing any differently? They can do what they know as Drum Corps just like we did. As for the newer stuff and some of the statements I've read here... Yeah, a whole lot of dismissive attitude about old = ignorant. Seriously? Then I remember back to when I was 19, bullet-proof, and knew everything that there was to know so time will hopefully take care of that. Like someone said here: We used to be you then you'll blink twice and you'll be us. To the op: Excellent post. Good conversation worth having. Edited August 23, 2011 by RetiredJedi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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