Professional Drum and Bugle Corps league/organization

[BIG BARI 3]

I know someone who was going to play with them......UNTIL he found out they spent every rehearsal drinking from the beer wagon Ballentine provided!

And NOT rehearsing!

So that's how that got started!

[Michael Boo]

Actually, I am starting a foundation to help small drum corps, and I have already received a donation of equipment, and a pledge for 100 uniforms. This is even before I have been able to file the forms to start the organization.

Remember to seal the foundation before backfilling it. (By the way...nice backhoe and dump truck, unless that isn't the equipment to which you were referring. Also, a bigger foundation would accommodate a couple extra small corps.) And...I know where you can pick up a shiny new king cab pick-up truck, along with some new music stands.)

In addition, remember that a foundation should match both one's face and neck.

Please take this in the spirit in which it was given, and when I figure that out, I'll let you know. (I'm operating on very little sleep at the moment.)

Edited May 28, 2012 by Michael Boo

[Michael Boo]

No, I was never associated with either organization.

For the first time ever, I'm kind of disappointed to hear someone state that.

[MikeN]

But this already exists...The Commandant's Own is almost exactly what you describe above.

Almost. God Bless the Marine D&B, but their drill is hardly top-DCI caliber. And by definition, their musical selections have to be slightly restrained.

However, note that the only way such an organization can exist these days is with military funding. That right there should explain why nobody else has done it.

Mike

[84BDsop]

Almost. God Bless the Marine D&B, but their drill is hardly top-DCI caliber. And by definition, their musical selections have to be slightly restrained.

However, note that the only way such an organization can exist these days is with military funding. That right there should explain why nobody else has done it.

Mike

And even the USMC had to cut back....they used to have 3 active duty corps....the Commandant's Own, and one each out of bases in Georgia and Southern California. The last 2 were deactivated years ago to save money.

[Babylon]

I know that Marin Alsop, the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, is trying to bridge that gap by reaching out to young people in the area, at schools, wherever... to try and get them interested in classical music.

And she (yes, she... Ms. Alsop is the first female music director of a major symphony in the U.S.) is also adding programs that contain new compositions, programs that have the orchestra performing as the soundtrack to movies, "casual concerts", kid's concerts, and so forth.

So far, she's been doing a great job... the BSO is in pretty good shape, relative to some other major symphonies. But it's a constant struggle for her and the orchestra, for sure.

David Zinman 20 years ago at BSO was unique and got me and several freinds interested in the BSO. It sounds like they are keeping up in following up on the ideas he brought to baltimore with him

[Babylon]

Using the NFL connections the ravens and redskins have marching bands they get free admission to home games when they perform but that is it. They have to raise funds on their own to go to playoffs (not a problem for the redskins since they have not made DC proud lately). I am surprised that to hear that some teams pay a drumline.

For a corp to be professional and self supporting they would have to do something different than before the same 15 minute show every night. maybe each town could select a song and give the corps one or two days to write, learn and perform the show. That way you would get a different show everytime. I am sure some corps will have better arrangements some days than on other days and there would be different winners every night. It would have to be pro where people do it for the love of the activity kinda like minor league baseball or 2nd and 3rd tier soccer. If the circuit had 5 or 6 corps with very different personalities people might come see it their town it would be fun and the winner would not be predetermined (ie blue stars might beat cadets on some nights) It would truely be compettitive. It might require smaller corps so that they could perform inside during the winter. A Lamar Hunt or Bill Cook type or maybe a facebook billionaire who was devoted to the cause could put up seed money to get publicity out and originally capitalize the tour. It would probably have to be like the old roller derby teams where they had names like NY LA and Chicago but they really had no home areas none of corps would ever have a home advantage.

[JimF-LowBari]

Using the NFL connections the ravens and redskins have marching bands they get free admission to home games when they perform but that is it. They have to raise funds on their own to go to playoffs (not a problem for the redskins since they have not made DC proud lately). I am surprised that to hear that some teams pay a drumline.

Never thought of this before but both of those bands have been around for a while. And believe the Colts.... ooops Ravens band is a seperate entity and self supporting. Guessing costs are keeping other NFL cities from starting up bands. Off hand can't think of any other teams that had a band for any length of time.

"not a problem for the Skins" Bro-in-law waited 15+ years for season tickets. He got them few years after moving to NC. Then the team really hit a bad stretch and no one wanted to go with him to the games.