Northwest Drum Corps Growth

[Northern Thunder]

Kennedy High School in Seattle had their own corps, the Continentals, which was active 77-79. In the years prior to that they were known (inexplicably) as the Mouchiors, which, believe it or not, means handkerchiefs, in French. Now you know why they changed it to Continentals.

[kbbandman]

Also Kamiak HS from Mukilteo has done quite well lately.

If my memory serves me, I know of ONE, comicly known as Cascade High School

[OC Euph]

Also Kamiak HS from Mukilteo has done quite well lately.

Yes Nick Benson has done a great job helping that band grow.

[PurpleKnights]

I went to a HS in Portland in the late 70's. At that time, we had an instrumental program that included jazz band, 2 concerts bands, an orchestra class, and even a music theory class. Numbers went from about 70 my freshman year to 45 my senior year.

Adams, Roosevelt, Jefferson, Grant, Madison (my school), Marshall, Cleveland, Washington, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Wilson, and Benson - all of which had band programs. At one point, all of these schools had marching bands in the Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade. 4 of these high schools don't even exist any longer, and none of them have band programs.

Beaverton (West of Portland) has been the gold standard in the area for a long time, but I have heard of cuts being implemented there as well. It made me sad to look at the PPS website and find that all of the band programs are gone.

I believe they said at the corps send-off this year that not a single one of Oregon Crusaders' 140 members came from Portland Public Schools.

[OC Euph]

I believe they said at the corps send-off this year that not a single one of Oregon Crusaders' 140 members came from Portland Public Schools.

Kinda depressing when you think about it Portland is a pretty high density city. There HAS to be talented young musicians that would be perfect for it, but their exposure to the marching arts is virtually non-existent, especially when the Spring marching show at what used to be know as Civic Stadium/PGE Park disappeared. I think the last that they had it was in 2004, where OC did an exhibition. Was pretty fun, we got to wear our schools respective uniform on the field to show the diversity of which schools fed the corps.

[ShortAndFast]

Kinda depressing when you think about it :sad:/> Portland is a pretty high density city. There HAS to be talented young musicians that would be perfect for it, but their exposure to the marching arts is virtually non-existent, especially when the Spring marching show at what used to be know as Civic Stadium/PGE Park disappeared. I think the last that they had it was in 2004, where OC did an exhibition. Was pretty fun, we got to wear our schools respective uniform on the field to show the diversity of which schools fed the corps.

It is depressing to this parent of Portland preschoolers who I'd love to someday do marching band/corps.

[luv4corps]

I went to a HS in Portland in the late 70's. At that time, we had an instrumental program that included jazz band, 2 concerts bands, an orchestra class, and even a music theory class. Numbers went from about 70 my freshman year to 45 my senior year.

Adams, Roosevelt, Jefferson, Grant, Madison (my school), Marshall, Cleveland, Washington, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Wilson, and Benson - all of which had band programs. At one point, all of these schools had marching bands in the Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade. 4 of these high schools don't even exist any longer, and none of them have band programs.

Beaverton (West of Portland) has been the gold standard in the area for a long time, but I have heard of cuts being implemented there as well. It made me sad to look at the PPS website and find that all of the band programs are gone.

Wow you and I practically grew up in the same neighborhood in the same era! I went to Rigler/Whitaker but then moved across the river.

I also teach music in the Beaverton School District and last year secondary music programs were cut by 30%, elementary by 50%. At regional solo and ensemble contests, the sheets were empty. It was pathetic. There is some hope that Beaverton is refocusing priorities back onto music in the form of a music advocacy task force... but we're still hurting while we begin to repair the damage. Programs like Southridge that used to dominate the state marching band scene were down to half time band directors last year.

Edited August 13, 2013 by luv4corps

[Geneseo83Quads]

I also teach music in the Beaverton School District and last year secondary music programs were cut by 30%, elementary by 50%. At regional solo and ensemble contests, the sheets were empty. It was pathetic. There is some hope that Beaverton is refocusing priorities back onto music in the form of a music advocacy task force... but we're still hurting while we begin to repair the damage. Programs like Southridge that used to dominate the state marching band scene were down to half time band directors last year.

Wow. That right there sums up the real existential danger to drum corps.

There are some private initiatives fighting this trend, like this one in Seattle: http://www.seattlemusic4life.org/ If we don't support them, and fight back as parents, all the proposals from the likes of George Hopkins are just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

[luv4corps]

You know it's funny, when the cuts ran so deep the FIRST thing I thought of was, "What's OC going to do about recruiting?"

[cavie95]

I was a member of Sunset's band 89-92. Our band director Greg Hall was the reason our program was such as success those years. He went to California my senior year and came back in 1993 and continued the success for a while. Bands like Westview, Beaverton, Aloha, Centennial, Columbia River and Grants Pass were all strong. What's their status today? I saw Greg at the theater show and he looks good. I know he was a DCW judge at the local shows in some years.