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I think we all felt like this when we saw drum corps for the first time!


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Amazing! That kid gets it!! She can feel it right down to her bones. Instant Phan!

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39 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

I did but when I decided to join a corps in my freshman year of high school, the band director was not happy at all. Parents weren’t happy.  Lots of pushback but I did it anyway. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. 

I was reluctant to join at age 12, but succumbed to peer pressure to be with other buddies I knew who were in. I was hellbent on being the next Ginger Baker (Google him, young people ), but my Dad also wanted me in to become the next Frank Arsenault (pause while you Google that one too). Band directors all through on to high school also thought it was a waste - waste of what I'm not entirely sure. 

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3 hours ago, OldSnareDrummer said:

I was reluctant to join at age 12, but succumbed to peer pressure to be with other buddies I knew who were in. I was hellbent on being the next Ginger Baker (Google him, young people ), but my Dad also wanted me in to become the next Frank Arsenault (pause while you Google that one too). Band directors all through on to high school also thought it was a waste - waste of what I'm not entirely sure. 

Oh I know who Frank A. was. His photo was in the trophy case at the Skokie American Legion post where all the Skokie Indians trophies were.  We used to have winter practices there.  

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So much fun to see that. One of my nephews was that age when he first saw live, and he was actually startled by the volume of the first top corps.  Jumped back in his seat on the first big hit.  And now he's in his mid 20s and is still a huge dci fan. 

And make no mistake, there are thousands upon thousands every year who fall in love with DCI when they go see their first shows.  They feel the same seeing DCI for the first time today as a dino like me did when I saw my first live show 30 years ago.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.  

Edited by Lance
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I was only ever a HS band marcher in Indiana but by the mid to late 80s at my school, the director's attitude was far more, "Yes we'll take you!" even though they'd missed summer camp and such cause they knew they'd 1) learn the show super fast cause it was relatively simple in comparison and 2) raise the amount of discipline and efficiency with practice bringing their corps experience to our lot.  

It was usually a harder sell to convince a corps marcher who came to school that band was worth their time in my experience.  For those already in band, the summer was a 'cost decision' for most families as paying for corps them paying for band was a double whammy.  So most waited and saw DCI as 'band after graduation.'   I marched with a fair few who landed at Bluecoats as they made finals and Star as they shot to the top after graduating from our program.

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I got SO lucky. My fathers sisters were involved with drum corps up in New Jersey (I have no idea which one unfortunately,) which got him involved as a fan. 1984 rolls around and my father decides to take us to DCI Finals in Atlanta. At this point, I'm a clarinet player in middle school. Now my band director at the time taught both HS and Middle School and had been heavily involved with Spirit of Atlanta. H*ll ALL the band directors in this city (along with guard instructors, drill designers, etc etc etc) had been involved with Spirit.) Spirit hits the first notes of Porgy and Bess and I start to get interested. What REALLY got me though was BD. By the time Karn Evil 9 is done, I am no longer a clarinet player (and I tell my father this.) By the time La Fiesta is done, I'm officially hooked and I tell my father "I'm going to be doing this in a few years." My next band director marched snare for Spirit and next came from Troopers. As I said, I got REALLY lucky. 

Dad stayed involved through some connections with Suncoast Sound and we watched DCI every year when it was on PBS and ESPN2. He was a huge fan and I think of him every single time we go to a show. This activity gets in your blood and it just never goes away no many how many years you are removed from the field. 

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