The REASON this drum corps thing Matters

[Tim K]

1 hour ago, FlamMan said:

That's all well and good, but the Drum Corps activity used to get local kids with a bleak future off the streets and turned a lot of kids lives around due to the disciplines learned in corps. Today this activity is an elitist high brow activity for middle/upper class college students. The value of this activity at the local level to help kids and communities is gone completely. It's sad.

I knew many of the priest directors of some of the great CYO bands, drill teams, and drum corps of the Boston area. I have never heard any of them say they founded corps to keep gangs off the streets. They were founded as parish activities and without question drum corps turned many lives around, including some headed for jail, but that was more a byproduct than a reason for starting the corps. A kid marched with St. Kevin's in Dorchester was running from the police aand a police officer gave the kid a choice, get on the bus and tour with the corps or get in the back seat of the cruiser. He chose the Emerald Knights. I heard the story from the man himself, now a retired Boston police officer, and the great Fr. J. Joseph Kierce himself. However, the majority would have been typical kids.

Today the problems in cities are far too complex for drum corps to be a solution. Gangs are no longer about territory,they are about drugs. The most effective ways to keep kids out of gangs is a combination of educational opportunities and employment,

That being said, Boston Crusaders has a program through Inspire Arts called HYPE for young performers in Boston.  I know that in a heartbeat BAC alums would pay towards scholarships for deserving kids if they want to march andthst may happen. Though WGI can sometimes be a dirty acronym around here, color guards and percussion ensembles are not budget busters. We can also call a corps and offer scholarship money for a troubled but talented kid.

[jwillis35]

1 hour ago, Tim K said:

I knew many of the priest directors of some of the great CYO bands, drill teams, and drum corps of the Boston area. I have never heard any of them say they founded corps to keep gangs off the streets. They were founded as parish activities and without question drum corps turned many lives around, including some headed for jail, but that was more a byproduct than a reason for starting the corps. A kid marched with St. Kevin's in Dorchester was running from the police aand a police officer gave the kid a choice, get on the bus and tour with the corps or get in the back seat of the cruiser. He chose the Emerald Knights. I heard the story from the man himself, now a retired Boston police officer, and the great Fr. J. Joseph Kierce himself. However, the majority would have been typical kids.

I think this is right on. 

Some of you are bashing on drum corps today not adhering to some need to get kids off the streets. I agree with Tim. I do not know many corps that were started with the intent purpose of getting kids off the streets. The byproduct of starting these corps did take a few off the streets, especially your neighborhood corps such as those started by churches. But churches primarily started these corps to increase membership and to have representation in the community in various forms. Most of the church, scout, and neighborhood corps from back in the day were defunct before DCI even came into existence. The organizations that ran many of the competitions (VFW, AL) were not exactly sharing revenue with these corps which could have helped survival. 

Today many of our cities and townships have programs for helping troubled youth get involved in something positive. The old Canton Police Boys Club (which started the precursor to the Bluecoats) basically bought used bugles and drums for kids to play while at the club center. In this case the CPBC was looking for various ways to keep kids engaged and active. Ultimately some of their kids were too troubled to deal with music or even to succeed at it. The drum corps was allowed to become its' own entity and the CPBC developed other programs that were better for kids with drug, gang, and other related problems. 

If there ever was a way for drum corps to help with troubled youth I'd say it would be Sound Sport. You do not have the same expense, travel less, use much less field, shorter show time, and it might be a way to get some kids who need to find something positive into a team sport (if you will) and to enjoy travel and hard work.