Have drum corps evolved into bands?

[Jeff Ream]

Semantics.....SIGH. Let me put it another way for you then. People who prefer watching marching bands I refer to as band people. Many of whom would be mom, dad and family. People who prefer watching drum corps I refer to as drum corps people. Such as someone in Cleveland who after work yesterday drove two and a half hours to a show near Pittsburgh. Gets back home after midnight only to have to get up early for work today. Not sure he would have done that for a band show last night. No disrespect whatsoever for marching bands either as I like them as well as the next guy. Geez....

And yes, I do know that drum corps and band people are quite often the same. Well, having the same interests. I wasn't born yesterday.....another sigh. I should have known better than to post in here, where everyone knows more than everyone else.

here's the thing...those folks, or semantics as you call them, for years morphed band into drum corps. Then, because it's safer to experiment in the band world, or even indoor, they tried stuff there, that if received well, made it's way onto the field in drum corps. I know as far back as the mid 80s I saw stuff in band shows before I saw it with corps.

Then, the visual side became the driving force of the activity. In bands and drum corps. That's the biggest change. as visual got more involved, more detailed, and filled with extras such as props and dance, it kept evolving, to where, IMO, in many ways it dumbed down the music in terms of demand, but ramped it up in terms of what types of music became offered.

And who led the charge? Drum corps people using bands as their guinea pigs.Some of the biggest corps names ever did this, going back decades. Some who people consider legends. I even remember Vince Bruni telling a story about how he wanted to try something with Crusaders, but he had a HS band try it first.

[donincardona]

Can we be clear on something please?

"the band people"....gasp....more often than not drum corps people.

as competitive marching band started growing in the 70's, it was people from corps that led them down the path. As the years went on, more and more younger people in corps got involved and started teaching bands, and that trend continues ondown today. I can look ata corps like Bucs or Cabs and see a large portion of the membership that teaches bands, as well as the staff.

Then indoor grew, and it was many of these same folks that got involved with that.

There really is NO seperation of "band people" corps people" "indoor people" anymore. they're all the same.it's been going that way since the 70's.

your right jeff. it started in the 70's. and in 1976 fan participation started to wane. crowds got makedly smaller. at DCA we used to get 18,000-22,000 in rochester. in 1976 we dropped down to 7500. after that it got less and less. in 1980 at hershey we had about the same . that was my last year. and i have to tell ya jeff i hated our show, and everybody else's show. it changed too much for me. it was all geared for the judges and band people were really getting involved. for me i didn't care for it anymore. that's when i decided it was passing me by. and i knew i couldn't change the direction. yes i fought about it for years but really if this is what they want that's fine. it's their time. maybe somehow they can get it rolling again. i hope so.

[donincardona]

here's the thing...those folks, or semantics as you call them, for years morphed band into drum corps. Then, because it's safer to experiment in the band world, or even indoor, they tried stuff there, that if received well, made it's way onto the field in drum corps. I know as far back as the mid 80s I saw stuff in band shows before I saw it with corps.

Then, the visual side became the driving force of the activity. In bands and drum corps. That's the biggest change. as visual got more involved, more detailed, and filled with extras such as props and dance, it kept evolving, to where, IMO, in many ways it dumbed down the music in terms of demand, but ramped it up in terms of what types of music became offered.

And who led the charge? Drum corps people using bands as their guinea pigs.Some of the biggest corps names ever did this, going back decades. Some who people consider legends. I even remember Vince Bruni telling a story about how he wanted to try something with Crusaders, but he had a HS band try it first.

i tell ya this. i don't know if i could ever do the drills they do now and play drums. i give them a lot of credit their. the cadence is way to fast for me to play. and that's where it got dumbed down but i still think i couldn't do it. bless them for being able.

[BigW]

Do a search for TCU Adventures in Time, listen. Not great visual stuff, yeah the Bone soloist is miked, but that show has some smokin' high energy brass moments, and it's a college band.

[Donny Drum Corps]

Arguably two of the Empire Statesmen's favorite shows that produced DCA championships were field tested the year before by the Eastridge HS marching band. (Miss Saigon and West Side Story)...but I regress.

Listen to Carmel, Avon, Broken Arrow, et al and you will find that these high school programs are producing great quality shows. USBands, and NYSFBC are not far behind. TOB, Cavalcade of Bands can also be included.

We are not going to revert back to the 60's and 70's for programming ideas. Therefore DCA offers Alumni type groups for the enjoyment of older crowds at MOST DCA shows.

DA

[Kamarag]

We are not going to revert back to the 60's and 70's for programming ideas. Therefore DCA offers Alumni type groups for the enjoyment of older crowds at MOST DCA shows.

Truer words haven't been spoken on this topic in ages. The real shame is that for all the old folks that love this style of design and wish corps would revert back, they sure don't attend the Alumni Spectacular in droves, do they?

[N.E. Brigand]

Then, the visual side became the driving force of the activity. In bands and drum corps. That's the biggest change: as visual got more involved, more detailed, and filled with extras such as props and dance, it kept evolving, to where, IMO, in many ways it dumbed down the music in terms of demand, but ramped it up in terms of what types of music became offered.

I would love to better understand the point I bolded: in what ways has drum corps music become less sophisticated in response to visual requirements? Could someone point to two shows, earlier and later, and highlight a couple points about each that show this dumbing down?

[JimF-LowBari]

Truer words haven't been spoken on this topic in ages. The real shame is that for all the old folks that love this style of design and wish corps would revert back, they sure don't attend the Alumni Spectacular in droves, do they?

Well if a lot of them are not at DCA Weekend in the first place, I doubt if they will drive at o'dark 30 to get to the Alumni show Sunday AM.

John, what audience do you expect for the Spectacular? And yes the first few coprs last year did play to way too many empty seats IMO.

[donincardona]

Truer words haven't been spoken on this topic in ages. The real shame is that for all the old folks that love this style of design and wish corps would revert back, they sure don't attend the Alumni Spectacular in droves, do they?

john come on. al lot of these people are old and sick. they can't travel. they can't climb the steps of a stadium. they can't sit in the heat. they take meds. you need to think before you speak. you are really starting to irritate me. i'm one of those people john. i can't even go up to tampa to watch a show. maybe your to young to undarstand i don't know but maybe you should allow people to PM you so they can explain their side. but you have it disabled. so i think you need to be careful what you say and try thinking just a little bit.

[donincardona]

I would love to better understand the point I bolded: in what ways has drum corps music become less sophisticated in response to visual requirements? Could someone point to two shows, earlier and later, and highlight a couple points about each that show this dumbing down?

i'm gonna say this because this i know. the percussion part of the show's have been dumbed down. they have to be. you can not play rudiments with the fas cadence they use today. rolls and crushed rolls are used a lot. but their are 26 rudiments and it is impossible to play them that fast.