FTNK Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 So, after watching this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGsTdlN0m5Y of two cocky little ##### reviewing Madison 1988, I wondered: How much do today's corps members know about drum corps history, and how familiar are they with old stuff? Judging from these two, not much. Seems like this is the first time they've ever watched a show from before 2005 (well, they reviewed SCV 1999, and their reaction was 'meh'). Personally, I would consider myself fairly familiar with the past. I guess this is because I am very into history in general and music history (I'm a musicologist). When I first got really obsessed with drum corps in 2003, found a site where you could download bootleg videos of a lot of shows--SCV '89, PR '89, Madison '88, Madison '75, Star '93, Cavies '92 and '95, etc. It even had Madison Scouts from 1955, which is FASCINATING to me on a number of levels. Since subscribing to the fan network, I've watched a lot of Cadets shows from the '80s to understand what made their approach so revolutionary. I'm not saying I know all the repertoires Blue Stars played in the 1970s, but I would say I'm pretty familiar with some of the 'classic' shows and the general trends and changes in visual, music, guard work, technique, instrumentation and overall approach since the founding of DCI. (Except battery percussion. I don't know much about battery percussion now and when people here get into what they hear in tunings, rudiments, etc. my eyes kinda glaze over. Not their fault, I'm an ignorant bassoonist who marched tuba). It seems that I'm an outlier in these respects, and that most members these days have little idea or interest...? Final note: I didn't age out that long ago--2006 (well I aged out in 2007 but didn't march). I tend to roll my eyes when people talk about how DCI would be better if we had G bugles and no amplification, and I'm not categorically opposed to things like electronics, choreography and trombones. But, I guess this post shows that I'm turning into a "dinosaur," or perhaps my inner dino is hatching... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 So, after watching this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGsTdlN0m5Y of two cocky little ##### reviewing Madison 1988, I wondered: How much do today's corps members know about drum corps history, and how familiar are they with old stuff? Judging from these two, not much. Seems like this is the first time they've ever watched a show from before 2005 (well, they reviewed SCV 1999, and their reaction was 'meh'). Personally, I would consider myself fairly familiar with the past. I guess this is because I am very into history in general and music history (I'm a musicologist). When I first got really obsessed with drum corps in 2003, found a site where you could download bootleg videos of a lot of shows--SCV '89, PR '89, Madison '88, Madison '75, Star '93, Cavies '92 and '95, etc. It even had Madison Scouts from 1955, which is FASCINATING to me on a number of levels. Since subscribing to the fan network, I've watched a lot of Cadets shows from the '80s to understand what made their approach so revolutionary. I'm not saying I know all the repertoires Blue Stars played in the 1970s, but I would say I'm pretty familiar with some of the 'classic' shows and the general trends and changes in visual, music, guard work, technique, instrumentation and overall approach since the founding of DCI. (Except battery percussion. I don't know much about battery percussion now and when people here get into what they hear in tunings, rudiments, etc. my eyes kinda glaze over. Not their fault, I'm an ignorant bassoonist who marched tuba). It seems that I'm an outlier in these respects, and that most members these days have little idea or interest...? Final note: I didn't age out that long ago--2006 (well I aged out in 2007 but didn't march). I tend to roll my eyes when people talk about how DCI would be better if we had G bugles and no amplification, and I'm not categorically opposed to things like electronics, choreography and trombones. But, I guess this post shows that I'm turning into a "dinosaur," or perhaps my inner dino is hatching... The young gents reviewing the 88 Madison Scouts; haven't a clue..which is very disappointing. Some of their observations and statements are equivalent to crediting George Washington with the Emancipation Proclamation. So sad they are completely unaware of facts and the state of the activity at the time; if so their review maybe would have offered some amateur credibility...but their lack of knowledge makes them sound foolish. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 So, after watching this video:.... But, I guess this post shows that I'm turning into a "dinosaur," or perhaps my inner dino is hatching... +1 for excellent choice of imagery to accompany point ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Thunder Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Watching those two is about as much fun as a visit to the proctologist. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillis35 Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Nice post. I think most corps today do try to educate their membership a bit on the history of the activity, or at least the history of their corps. It doesn't happen everywhere, and from the marcher's perspective they are young and mostly zoned in on the moment. I would expect this of them. They are creatures of the here and now, which is really no different than what we were at that age. Some are more or less aware of their surroundings and some are more or less interested in the history of this great activity. To me, of all the young people I've seen march (many of them students), the ones who've enjoyed themselves and who have gained the most are the ones who learned a little about the history and traditions of drum and bugle corps. Even a little education may have caused them to explore more about the activity and its past beyond their marching years. I get it that today's students are into a completely different type of entertainment and performance. I fully support that. I continue to support the modern American Drum & Bugle Corps (emphasis on MODERN), and I realize that so much of what used to exist could not in today's environment. I also realize that the job of the instructors is to teach the show, and the students have plenty to do over the course of these 3 months in order to lay down the best performances they can. But I truly appreciate the corps that help our youth engage in a little appreciation of the past, an education of how and why things evolved, the impact on today's designs and on college and HS marching band, and it's impact on music education in the schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RContra Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Judging by the guy's haircut on the left, I'd assume he's generally not qualified to comment on anything visual ever. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Awwww. Bless their hearts. (but a part of me thinks this video is actually meant to be satire - a poke at youthful arrogance and ignorance.) On a serious note: this is the folly of youth. I was there once, along with most of my fellow drum corps dinosaur buddies. I thought I knew so much about drum corps, and I was willing to wax eloquent by the end of my first season about why 83 Cadets blew me away while 83 BD was boring. Yes, I know - that's NUTS since they were both amazing - but I was young and brash and I literally knew everything about everything, I swear! ha! You know what I'm glad about? There were no Go Pro cameras, no youtube, no facebook or twitter or instagram or whatever-comes-next to record and distribute my every youthfully arrogant and ignorant moment. These kids these days with their newfangled tele-electronics! Get off my lawn! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slingerland Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I don't think those two goofballs are expecting anyone to take them seriously, however, the recordings from '88 ARE top-heavy and overly bright, so they're right about that. As for kids today knowing their history, they probably know as much as we did back in the 70s and 80s. I knew shows from a few years before I started marching, but wasn't any more interested in the 1956 Blessed Sac show than a kid today probably is in the 1985 Spirit of Atlanta show (to use a random example). When my teenage kids see shows from the 70s and 80s, they can see what's noticeably good about the era (precision and arrangements), but think the drills are boring and the faux-militaristic attitude of the guards looks silly (and I can totally see why). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietcity Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortAndFast Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 This is just the mirror image of a dinosaur who comes on DCP to rant about how they can't stand grounded pits, dancing guards and Bb horns. Different eras of drum corps are different. When we marched, we all thought our era was the best. You actually have to watch a bunch of shows from another era before you start to understand what's normal, and therefore what makes exceptional shows exceptional. The audience reaction to Madison '88 makes clear that those people thought they were watching something amazing. If you don't think it was amazing, you could be right, but it's also possible that you don't really understand where the activity was at in 1988. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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