Why The 1970's were A Better Time For Drum Corps

[BigW]

Kids were often badly fed on tour, again by all but the top corps.

I did DCA from '79 to '84, and one of the reasons was exactly this. My Mom was appalled the one time we went by one of the top corps' rehearsals as to what was being cooked up, made her very sad.

Ask any Crossmen of this era about "Cookie Salad". Sometimes a couple of handfuls of cookies of different brands mixed together used to be their supper. Stopping at a McD's was a feast. A lot of that has been romanticized, but not when I talked to the peeps who did it at the time when we were all at WCU. All that for 750 Bucks a season, 6 times what I shelled out for Westshore and to compete hard against Ray.

The Crossmen also used to see what SCV had for leftovers from their state of the art Amana Field kitchen. Guys would go over, their parents did what they could, I'd imagine the parents felt awful- the guys who did it, well, they were hungry. I never blamed them. Westshore knew I pretty much performed on my stomach. At least we pulled into Mickey-D's or there was food at the contest site from the sponsors that was decent. When I was hungry, I went from goofy kid to very, very goofy kid. Feed me, and I'll play all day, happily.

As I said on my past post on the DCA thread- at least there is one constant that keeps me happy with the activity for the large part- the PEOPLE. I love hanging with vets or the ones performing today. We all share a common bond and interest, and I feel like I'm home around them young or old.

[elphaba01]

"Back to the Future"

I pretty well agree with what you wrote but digress ONLY to say that for "Moi" the SIXTIES were "The Bomb". We practiced and competed pretty much as you did later, and our "Tour" was to the CYO Nationals and the World Open.

I was lucky to see the HUGE changes in the activity all through the 1960's, and was lucky enough to be taught by two of THE greatest horn instructors/arrangers of that period, Joe Genero and Hy Drietzer.

Elphaba

WWW

Edited November 17, 2014 by elphaba01

[Veronica]

The 1970's was the zenith of Drum Corps. Nothing will ever come close. RIP to the good old days.

[OldSnareDrummer]

Good for me in the sense that those were my times spent. Lots of corps, lot of contests, lots of unforgettable memories.

It's a whole other animal now. A lot fewer corps and contests, but the quality is miles above the 70s and I'm certain the memories of the MMs are still there as well. 

Edited January 20, 2025 by OldSnareDrummer

[Jeff Ream]

every era has it's plusses and minuses. but the kids are definitely fed and better cared for today.

[Rudy Wiedoeft]

Drum Corps performers today have an amazingly high skill set and DCI has rightfully placed a top priority on the care and well being of the marching members 

Bluecoats 2024 "Change is Everything" is one of my all time favorite shows.

IMO, here are some things that were great about the "golden age" of drum corps that no longer exist in the activity.

PLEASE NOTE: I am not suggesting that any of these things can, or should, exist today but that does not mean we should dismiss their impact to the history of the Drum & Bugle Corps activity. 

After all, this is the "HISTORICAL JUNIOR CORPS" Discussion Forum

• The warmer, darker snare sound of the pre-kevlar heads.

•  "Signature" Uniforms for each corps that got your blood pumping when your favorite corps entered the back of the stadium.

• The large number of small local shows.  Sitting in a small stadium with a top corps cranking out the sound (without amps)

• Retreat with each corps playing off the field.  I loved the pageantry and it gave young groups a chance to rub elbows with the top corps.

• Feeder "cadet" corps.  It was great to see young players learning the basics and developing a love for the activity.

• Drum corps was affordable.  A finalist corps in 1980 tour fees cost hundreds of dollars not several thousand. 

• PBS Broadcast gave DCI a great way to introduce a larger audience to the drum corps activity.  I also enjoyed the use of "guest artists" and segment features on the PBS broadcast.

• The junior drum corps season started beginning of June and went until late August.

 

 

[MJP]

I love all of the decades of drum corps that I've had the opportunity to watch live since the 70s. Am I partial to the 70s? Well that was my decade for participating in the activity, so I guess, but I'm amazed that every year the performances become increasingly more intricate and entertaining. 

Lot of comments about how difficult drum corps was in the 70s from transportation, food, instruction, etc. especially if you weren't in a top 10 corps, well, I believe those challenges still existed in the top 10 corps. A clear picture of this time is provided in the book, "Resume March: Confessions of a Drum Corps Addict." This book is a narrative memoir that chronicles the experiences of a kid marching in two different corps during the 70s, and does an excellent job of sharing what that experience was like from many perspectives. It is highly rated on Amazon, and I would recommend that if you long for more insight to the birth of DCI and what those 70s drum corps were like. You can even read the first 8 pages of the book on the Amazon Website to see if it's for you.  

 

[BG984]

I marched in DCI finals in 1977 and 1978.  I enjoyed my experience.    I believe that for most kids today, they also enjoy their experience, and get alot out of it.  If I go back to that time, there was already an "erosion" of the number of corps, which started happening even as DCI began.  There were many reasons, but money and competitive success (or failure...thus losing members and not attracting new members) were probably two big ones.  And they remain until this day.  Things I feel that were better in the 70's were.....1. value: I believe total costs were $300 in 77 and $350 in 78.......I can tell you that I would not have been able to do it today because of cost...maybe all-age, (which is a good thing), but that's it.  We competed locally/regionally, and also did two major tours,with 35+ shows....season went from Memorial Day to Labor Day.....it took less than 30 min. to get from College to rehearsal.    Corps had their own identities, and you didn't have to look at the schedule to figure out who was coming on next.  Things that are better today...many members are very well trained coming in, and some of the very top corps probably have enough talent audition that they could field two finalists.  They are fed better, they travel in vehicles that are generally WAY better/safer/far fewer breakdowns/AC that works.....Programming-wise, I do feel that some corps today perform well but "miss the boat" in terms of fully connecting with the audience; problems with arrangements especially.  That said, some still figure it out and manage to knock it out of the park.........I do know that I am an old fart, though, as I find there are very few performances that I would play in my car.  

   My top concern is the cost to march, and the dwindling amount of shows/performances.  Kids are still somehow finding the money....I can only believe that a high percentage of them live in households with fairly high income........it blows my mind that many are also paying very high college costs (or piling up huge future student loan debt), and a significant number also pay even more to do indoor guard/percussion, and some do indoor winds.  That said, many of these kids are absolute masters of time management.....imagine memorizing a world class marching band show, a world class indoor show, a world class drum corps show, possibly performing in many other musical scenarios if they are a music major, and also being a great college student regardless of major....admirable.   There also must be a significant number of kids who are "priced out" of the activity....I find that both sad and concerning.  But things move on, I will go to Allentown, and I wish them the best.  I will also cherish my memories marching in the 70's, and teaching in the late 70's and through the 1980's (including a championship), and then judging for many years.... forever.

[Ida]

What was the name of drum corp from New Haven, Connecticut in the mid 1970s??

 

Ida (Raigue) Liberman 

living in Florida since 2012. 

[MJP]

The 70s was my decade for drum corps and what a decade of transformation it was. Read: 
"Resume March: Confessions of a Drum Corps Addict," for a great taste of what it was like. The author marched in both a more traditional small corps, as well as, a modern DCI corps (the Blue Stars.) The history, characters, and anecdotes in that book bring that period back to life.

The thing many people forget about DCI is that it was formed by the top corps of the day for their benefit. It was not about making a place for the entire activity. People constantly want to blame DCI for the demise of small town and small time drum corps. DCI truly never was about them. The book covers also covers that pretty well.

While the rules changes that took place during the decade was significant, and allowed for more engaging and musical performances, the shows of today are truly spectacular and bear repeated watching to gain proper appreciation for the advanced design and execution elements. Remember DCI is marching music's major league, and while there are fewer total drum corps around today, the number of outstanding drum corps today is pretty comparable to the number that of outstanding drum corps from the 70s.

Do I miss the numerous local shows in the cornfields of the midwest? ...Absolutely. Am I nostalgic for the halcyon days of drum corps? ...Yep, but I am grateful for the opportunity to watch the amazing performers and show designs of drum corps today and find them significantly more engaging than the shows of the 70s. I think every decade of the drum corps is pretty awesome, and find the evolution of the activity a big part of the overall intrigue of drum corps. I'm glad the 70s was your decade, I highly recommend you check out the book I mentioned above. It's available on Amazon.