Michael Boo 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. I feel we're "disagreeing" on things we're really agreeing on. We agree on marching bands picking up the community social element. However, the social experience for the kids is different in that during the competitive season, marching band is very much a part-time thing. The students still hold down a full study load and go to regular classes, whereas in drum corps it's 24/7 drum corps and nothing else, except for some free day sightseeing. It's an intense and fully enveloping social experience without the distractions of classroom responsibilities, which, to give credit to the band members, means they are required to do some serious multi-tasking with their time and studying that isn't required in drum corps. Because of this, I still consider drum corps unique in that it's a full-time commitment that requires 24-hour sacrificing of other pursuits during the summer, especially with corps that tour all summer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 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. Please see response above. We agree on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) 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. With the caveat/big difference (pick one): You could join a competing local corps if you had the talent, time and money. You can join the competing MB if the school you go to has one. Of course, if you're lucky enough to be able to do competitive MB, you might not see a difference. Kinda like someone who still has a job saying unemployment isn't a problem. 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 With the caveat/big difference (pick one): You could join a competing local corps if you had the talent, time and money. You can join the competing MB if the school you go to has one. Of course, if you're lucky enough to be able to do competitive MB, you might not see a difference. You are missing this important fact: There are far more higher quality local marching bands around the country today than there were high quality local drum corps, even in the hay-day of local corps. Moreover... You first premise does not hold water unless "all" local communities also had drum corps back in the day; and I had to drive over seven hours one-way back in the day to reach a "local" corps. Your second premise contains limiting factors like talent, time, and money; and those today who overcome those limiting factors can either move into a school district with competitive bands or afford to go audition for a corps which is far away. And no, I was not lucky enough to be able to live in a district with a great marching band. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrillmanSop06 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 You are missing this important fact: There are far more higher quality local marching bands around the country today than there were high quality local drum corps, even in the hay-day of local corps. Moreover... You first premise does not hold water unless "all" local communities also had drum corps back in the day; and I had to drive over seven hours one-way back in the day to reach a "local" corps. Your second premise contains limiting factors like talent, time, and money; and those today who overcome those limiting factors can either move into a school district with competitive bands or afford to go audition for a corps which is far away. And no, I was not lucky enough to be able to live in a district with a great marching band. This. Even the WORST of high school bands is taught by someone with a degree in Music Education. That was NOT the case with every local corps. Moreover, those local corps were not nearly as involved or even GOOD as your run of the mill marching band. The rose colored glasses about local corps need to go. Real teachers are doing real teaching jobs because more towns have schools with music than EVER had drum corps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) You are missing this important fact: There are far more higher quality local marching bands around the country today than there were high quality local drum corps, even in the hay-day of local corps. Moreover... If we're talking the number of band vs corps or number of kids marching in the two I wouldn't have chimed in. But I didn't see that part come up in the last page or so. Don't have an argument with that part. And I'm not sure how many people posting here were talking about high quality corps or any local corps. Your second premise contains limiting factors like talent, time, and money; and those today who overcome those limiting factors can either move into a school district with competitive bands or afford to go audition for a corps which is far away. Or send the kid to private school that might be close by and have a competiting band. That's an option I forgot - the inner city Catholic HS has been getting a lot of kids because the public SD went to crap - followed by the city itself (Harrisburg, PA). But until I hear of people who moved for the band I'm not going to consid that as realistic. Maybe you know of someone who has, but I haven't. Heard of kids "living" with distant relatives so they could play sports with a better team at a different school but that's it. Edited October 25, 2011 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 However, the social experience for the kids is different in that during the competitive season, marching band is very much a part-time thing. The students still hold down a full study load and go to regular classes, whereas in drum corps it's 24/7 drum corps and nothing else, except for some free day sightseeing. It's an intense and fully enveloping social experience without the distractions of classroom responsibilities, which, to give credit to the band members, means they are required to do some serious multi-tasking with their time and studying that isn't required in drum corps. Yes, the overall expereince is 24/7 in drum corps, esp touring drum corps. That is one difference, of course. I guess I was considering the phrase 'social experience' a little differently than you intended. I see HS band kids forming the same bonds of lifelong friendship that happens in corps...maybe more so, as the kids tend to know each other for longer periods of time. I have examples in my own family...my daughter's best friends today are kids who were seniors her freshman year (2000); my son married a gal he met in band in 1996, and his best man was another band member from his era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream 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. word Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Or send the kid to private school that might be close by and have a competiting band. That's an option I forgot - the inner city Catholic HS has been getting a lot of kids because the public SD went to crap - followed by the city itself (Harrisburg, PA). But until I hear of people who moved for the band I'm not going to consid that as realistic. Maybe you know of someone who has, but I haven't. Heard of kids "living" with distant relatives so they could play sports with a better team at a different school but that's it. While I feel this conversation has mostly evolved into an argument of semantics, I will point out FWIW that I teach in a district where there have been several (more than a couple) kids who have either moved into the district for the music education/band experience, or have even transferred from one school to another in the same district. There have also been multiple students/families who "exaggerated" their living address in order to comply with boundary policy to attend a specific school for the music program. Yes, our district has great schools in general which helps the decision making for the parents: but I know for a fact at least a half dozen families I can think of off the top of my head who transferred to a school in our district solely because of the music program. I have to believe this isn't uncommon, and that there are plenty of other schools with great/better music programs than ours who experience similar phenomena with families moving into a district because of music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 word We have been agreeing with each other way too much lately. Are you sure the Rapture didn't happen on the 21st? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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