Stu Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 ...It's just like back in the 70's where every other town had a drum and bell corps or a D&B. Now it's the high schools doing it... Yes; high school marching bands are now providing (replacing) the community service drum corps provided back in the day; and I am an old-fart who accepts this fact. This is also why it would be completely futile for corps of today to even try and capture the ways of the old. (ok, I am ready for those red negatives from all you other old-farts out there)!! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noneofyourbusiness Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Yes; high school marching bands are now providing (replacing) the community service drum corps provided back in the day; and I am an old-fart who accepts this fact. This is also why it would be completely futile for corps of today to even try and capture the ways of the old. (ok, I am ready for those red negatives from all you other old-farts out there)!! NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Yes; high school marching bands are now providing (replacing) the community service drum corps provided back in the day; and I am an old-fart who accepts this fact. This is also why it would be completely futile for corps of today to even try and capture the ways of the old. (ok, I am ready for those red negatives from all you other old-farts out there)!! There is one "way of the old" that drum corps does not have to capture, and I believe it will continue to stay that way: No matter how much marching bands may provide the community service component that at one time was provided to a greater extent by drum corps then that now, the drum corps experience offers youth a social experience that cannot be duplicated in the schools. For those who want it and are willing to put in the hard work, the physical, musical and teamwork benefits of drum corps remain at the pinnacle of the marching activities and are well beyond the wonderful benefits one gets from their own marching bands. (This is not to diminish what youth get out of their marching bands...but it's just not the same thing.) I trust that this activity we all love will continue to be what people look to in order to experience the best of the best. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, This is, by far, the best commentary concerning one of my postings that I have had the honor to read; my gratitude goes out to you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 There is one "way of the old" that drum corps does not have to capture, and I believe it will continue to stay that way: No matter how much marching bands may provide the community service component that at one time was provided to a greater extent by drum corps then that now, the drum corps experience offers youth a social experience that cannot be duplicated in the schools. For those who want it and are willing to put in the hard work, the physical, musical and teamwork benefits of drum corps remain at the pinnacle of the marching activities and are well beyond the wonderful benefits one gets from their own marching bands. (This is not to diminish what youth get out of their marching bands...but it's just not the same thing.) I trust that this activity we all love will continue to be what people look to in order to experience the best of the best. And part of me thinks that instead of a HS social/educational experience that many other HS marching bands can provide, DCI fills a need with college students. HS bandos (I really use that term endearingly and in no way mean it derogatory) now-a-days can very easily be enthusiastic about marching due to their HS experience and turn to drum corps to either fill the void left after graduation and/or take the experience to the next level. I'm not saying that's better or worse than potentially back in the day, but it is a benefit of the modern landscape of drum corps. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 And part of me thinks that instead of a HS social/educational experience that many other HS marching bands can provide, DCI fills a need with college students. HS bandos (I really use that term endearingly and in no way mean it derogatory) now-a-days can very easily be enthusiastic about marching due to their HS experience and turn to drum corps to either fill the void left after graduation and/or take the experience to the next level. I'm not saying that's better or worse than potentially back in the day, but it is a benefit of the modern landscape of drum corps. Your posting also seems to imply that if university bands actually competed like high school bands, with the same if not more intensity, and organizations like BOA, TOB, and UIL held university contests with the same vigor as high school contests, it would probably cause the complete demise of DCI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 There is one "way of the old" that drum corps does not have to capture, and I believe it will continue to stay that way: No matter how much marching bands may provide the community service component that at one time was provided to a greater extent by drum corps then that now, the drum corps experience offers youth a social experience that cannot be duplicated in the schools. For those who want it and are willing to put in the hard work, the physical, musical and teamwork benefits of drum corps remain at the pinnacle of the marching activities and are well beyond the wonderful benefits one gets from their own marching bands. (This is not to diminish what youth get out of their marching bands...but it's just not the same thing.) I trust that this activity we all love will continue to be what people look to in order to experience the best of the best. You and I part company on this one, Mike. From my MB experience, esp in the competitive type, MB provides exactly the same social experience for HS-aged kids that local-style corps used to provide. Of course, the VERY top of marching/music remains the DCI corps, but the thousands of competitive bands have more than covered that aspect that the smaller local corps did back in the day...only for far more participants at a higher average skill level, given their music backgrounds. Remove the top BOA-type bands, and focus on the average competitive band...those are the ones who provide tens of thousands of kids the music and social experience provided by the little local corps of the past. IMO, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I've been going to a few local band shows, and basically my thoughts are as follows: Many band programs are really suffering from the recent cuts. It's a shame to see a Texas 5A or 4A school (i.e. BIG) with a band program with less than 60 kids. Those that are still going strong are doing good work. I'm seeing strong movement skills out there and those who can afford custom arrangements/drill are also able to afford lots of techs. Band booster clubs are clearly making a difference in those schools. (usually stronger in the affluent districts) What bothers me most: balance of sound. One band I saw recently - and a really good one at that - had all of their upper woodwinds marching on side 2 almost the entire time. It was like sitting in front of a pair of speakers in which one speaker was not connected correctly. Speaking of speakers: amplified solos for woodwinds have gotten better for those upper tier bands with the money to get what they want. But it really bugs me to see any soloist on the field near a hash but having the sound coming out of a speaker up front. It's jarring to my senses. Bring them up. That's a lot less discombobulating, IMO. So, nothing is wrong with BOA. Bands are serving their constituents. It's just not as exciting for me as drum corps. It's like watching minor league baseball. There are some really great teams out there, but it's just not the majors. The 4 high schools in our district (Lamar CISD) are all 4A and marching around 110+. The school my kids go to and that I also tech at, (George Ranch HS) is marching 120 and that's w/o a senior class! We're still one year away from being a 4 grade school. They just pulled straight 1's at the Region 13 competition last weekend. This weekend is the area competition and then hopefully State after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) Yes; high school marching bands are now providing (replacing) the community service drum corps provided back in the day; and I am an old-fart who accepts this fact. This is also why it would be completely futile for corps of today to even try and capture the ways of the old. (ok, I am ready for those red negatives from all you other old-farts out there)!! No red neg from this olde pharte (sorry Stu ). My thought is the cost involved to get those community based corps on the street (let alone field) is too prohibitive to really have them anymore. Hey even the MB world is hitting that today with cutbacks and increased costs to go to competitions, etc. etc. My band never competed but marched corps with HS'ers from bands that did and were ranked high in Central PA in the mid 70s. We all agreed that MB and DC were marching musical groups but that's as far as the similarities went. Edited October 25, 2011 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 You and I part company on this one, Mike. From my MB experience, esp in the competitive type, MB provides exactly the same social experience for HS-aged kids that local-style corps used to provide. Of course, the VERY top of marching/music remains the DCI corps, but the thousands of competitive bands have more than covered that aspect that the smaller local corps did back in the day...only for far more participants at a higher average skill level, given their music backgrounds. Remove the top BOA-type bands, and focus on the average competitive band...those are the ones who provide tens of thousands of kids the music and social experience provided by the little local corps of the past. IMO, of course. My apologies to Boo, but I have to agree with MikeD on this issue. The social aspects of summer camps, the social aspects of before/after school rehearsals, the social aspects of sectional rehearsals, the social aspects of bus travel to contests, and the social aspects of intense competition (all of the aspects which local corps used to provide) are now common place within many hs band programs and have thus negated the community/social need for local corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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