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If It Were Like it Used To Be?


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Corps had been giving the veterans the single digit salute since the 1930s. The vets said, "No valves!". The corps got valves. The vets said, "No pulling slides!". The corps pulled slides. (e.g. The Syracuse Brigadiers concert tune, "I wonder what became of Sally" in 1955). The vets frowned on BAC's marimba in IIRC 1966, even though Madison had competed with Glockenspiels since forever. The vets, most particularly Tony S, were thoughtlessly obstructionist at times. They also were like the Church, in that they never just sat down with the corps and explained the reasoning behind their apparently capricious rulings. It might have helped if they had been more forthcoming, but they weren't.

The fact that 95+% of all the corps that existed in 1972, prior to DCI, are no longer in existence proves, to me at least, that the vets, and Tony were basically right, and that DCI is basically wrong in their approach to the community function that drum corps were originally intended to perform. It's only old farts like me that GAS. The cool aid drinkers are serenely blissful.

Edited by reallyoldfrt
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Corps had been giving the veterans the single digit salute since the 1930s. The vets said, "No valves!". The corps got valves. The vets said, "No pulling slides!". The corps pulled slides. (e.g. The Syracuse Brigadiers concert tune, "I wonder what became of Sally" in 1955). The vets frowned on BAC's marimba in IIRC 1966, even though Madison had competed with Glockenspiels since forever. The vets, most particularly Tony S, were thoughtlessly obstructionist at times. They also were like the Church, in that they never just sat down with the corps and explained the reasoning behind their apparently capricious rulings. It might have helped if they had been more forthcoming, but they weren't.

The fact that 95+% of all the corps that existed prior to DCI are no longer in existence proves, to me at least, that the vets, and Tony were basically right, and that DCI is basically wrong in their approach to the community function that drum corps were originally intended to perform. It's only old farts like me that GAS. The cool aid drinkers are serenely blissful.

No.Im one of those older participants as well as still involved today. The rules DID NOT make sense nor did the demise of drum corps today happen because of dCI. Those involved who did not want DCI to happen back in the day blame DCI only because it's easier than blaming a broken system for most corps and the fact the world was totally changing and those who did not want to see any change couldnt accept it. Look at things besides drum corps that changed in the world. EVERYTHING, corps faded away because many good hearted directors did not run corps like a business and couldnt survive. The local thing was all but dead in many areas including drum corps, CYO's even boy scouts took a downward spiral according to their own statistics. This, not DCI is the reason many corps didnt make it.

If there has been one thing proven in the world since the 50s with the leave it to beaver representation of the family house holds and many other things is that post WW2 the world drank all the cool aid and actually started to believe that was real life. Proven it wasn't for most if not all. Same with Drum Corps. I may not agree with DCI on many issues BUT it saved the dying activity.

We would never be here today under those old archaic rules as well as thought process.

Edited by GUARDLING
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The fact that 95+% of all the corps that existed prior to DCI are no longer in existence proves, to me at least, that the vets, and Tony were basically right, and that DCI is basically wrong in their approach to the community function that drum corps were originally intended to perform.

A HUGE percentage of those corps disappeared LONG before DCI ever came along.

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Okay, let's play nice before this becomes the great generational divide.

DCI was not formed to save the drum corps activity (any more so than were the Legion, CYO, VFW or the rest of them), though perhaps someone should have created an entity for that. It was established by about a dozen elite corps who wished to have their own league. They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. The other organizations collapsed under their own weight, unfortunately. (That and some crippling factors like Viet Nam...etc.)

In point of fact, DCI has recently (2013) formed another "league" that promotes the growth of community based corps. It's called Sound Sport, and it's growing exponentially:

http://soundsport.com/soundsport-indianapolis-results/

There is a place and support for "neighborhood" drum corps, worldwide, should anybody have the courage to start one, like the good folks at the aptly-named Columbus Saints, whose website is worth a look.

Edited by ironlips
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Okay, let's play nice before this becomes the great generational divide.

DCI was not formed to save the drum corps activity (any more so than were the Legion, CYO, VFW or the rest of them), though perhaps someone should have created an entity for that. It was established by about a dozen elite corps who wished to have their own league. They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. The other organizations collapsed under their own weight, unfortunately. (That and some crippling factors like Viet Nam...etc.)

In point of fact, DCI has recently (2013) formed another "league" that promotes the growth of community based corps. It's called Sound Sport, and it's growing exponentially:

http://soundsport.com/soundsport-indianapolis-results/

There is a place and support for "neighborhood" drum corps, worldwide, should anybody have the courage to start one, like the good folks at the aptly-named Columbus Saints, whose website is worth a look.

I dont think anyone is looking at this from a generation thing at all. I for one would be on the older part of that..lol although still involved today. I was taught by you...lol..well you were one of many BITD ( thank you ) community based? hmmmm I would debate that being a rare thing today for many reasons including interest and money. corps were run on shoe strings, could never happen today in most cases. Now this also depends on what one wants to start . A competing corps? a small group, a mini corps.

Your right about DCI and it's formation BUT in essence it did save drum corps. Think about if things continued the way they were. youre also right about corps and their own weight. That's exactly what happend and of course the times and the changing world. this was not just drum corps but most of the world. we were not immune to the change although many would like to believe we could or should have been,

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Okay, let's play nice before this becomes the great generational divide.

I'd have to be called an "old-timer" myself, so I'm not looking for any fight between generations. I've stood up for much of the "golden era", but Keith's original post to open this thread specifically asked if drum corps would still be around had the American Legion and VFW maintained its constricting hands around the throats of the activity (OK....those are MY words). The way the world has changed in 43 years leads me to believe that we wouldn't have much left today under those former terms.

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I would like to say God bless those involved with the American Legion and VFW posts across the country over the decades.

Drum corps never even would have gotten off the ground to begin with without the Legion getting it started. The VFW helped take it to a bigger level in the 1960s (on the junior side).

Edited by Northern Thunder
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History is the most interesting of all subjects since it encompasses everything else. (I suppose I have to say that as it was my undergraduate major.)

I have seen a film of drum corps in the '20s, and am reasonably certain that the WWI veterans who populated those units would have been thoroughly baffled by the 1965 Royal Airs. To most them, it just wouldn't be drum corps.

Today we are as removed in time from the pre-DCI era as those old boys were from "Watermelon Man".

Interesting, no?

They are all our forefathers and mothers and deserve our honor and respect. You can't choose your ancestors.

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