The impact of Drum Corps

[waliman4444]

Had my four children within 8 years ..my two daughters love drum corps.my sons, not so much...Both daughters channeled their love of the arts as children into Opera and Dance respectfully ..When I asked them the origin of their love of performing, they point to a drum corps show in Allentown PA., circa 1998. where they were mesmerized by the performers , doing impossible things on a football field..When I informed them of how difficult it was to accomplish those feats, they realized the commitment they had to make to become  professionals..24 years later, They're performing in their respective disciplines and we still make Allentown our annual reunion..Ironically, my granddaughters from  one of my sons, caught the Atlanta regional in 2019 at my suggestion, and they loved it!..So another fan base was started..Who knows, maybe they'll march one day.

[scheherazadesghost]

I'd only heard of drum corps because of one person at my HS who filled a hole one summer and oh, my guard teacher/future mentor was a Cavie ring holder from the 90s. Imagine someone that green getting a title role their second year among vets who grew up eating and drinking Vanguard their whole lives. Fun. I'd never even seen Vanguard live before performing with them... and had only seen 89 on tape a few days before move ins. I had known the libretto to POTO by heart for years by the time I saw 89, so it felt pretty magical to discover that. That's when I knew SCV had chosen me, on Dan's couch alone in 03 (cause the rest of the house had seen it a thousand times.) Little did I know that this would often be my experience with Vanguard: blindingly powerful, but often alone.

Anyway, that same HS teacher designed two shows that set me up for Vanguard before I'd even heard their name: a Russian Xmas field show and a Tenderland winterguard show. Two of my HS guard mates ended up marching SC with me separate years. None of us marched our age outs at Vanguard or anywhere else. Too smart for that after learning from Randy and after the challenging years we all experienced.

I genuinely think I only caught the caption head's eye at auditions because he knew of my mentor. Either way, I made it in, left my college bf, and was thankfully swooped up by a rookout cymbal player whose reputation protected me most of the rest of time I was with SCV.

My proximity to the drumline was largely a blessing. I still remember loving the endless practicing on the bus. How could I not, considering their caliber those years?? They also seemed to have the most compassionate staff and the most alum. So, I leaned into that hard, picking up what I could from JONZ, and I'm sure I was that annoying guard chick on the reg, but with Omar's protection, they couldn't say much. I took extra push-ups BTW reps like the plates, even when guard said I didn't have to. Some of the guard staff was kind, but I never really felt at home with them or with the vets. Too Texan, too green.

What I could gather from the drum staff is one of the only saving graces for all the mess I went through. And to this day, it's the cymbals and drumline that I've remained close to. They are like the brothers I never had. I'm still in contact with most of the cymbals I marched with, something that's not easy for me.

I should never have been pushed by this industry to find the stamina and perseverance I have now. In fact, I would've left in 04 if I hadn'ta roped  my best friend into marching that year. She's caught in close-up on the final vid both years she marched.

But what I will say is that it's helped me hold the extreme sorrow of the people who have bravely shared their stories of abuse with me. And it's the fire and vibe I got second hand from JONZ that keeps me lit about making it better. I know what good teaching in this activity can do. I saw it in those drumlines and wished for it for myself and my guard, whose staff had been over run by non alum who have been hopping corps since that year. The good lessons corps can teach would never end up being part of my marching story. 

The impact for me has become a calling to safeguard other starry-eyed innocents like I was against the monsters in this industry. However I can.

Edit to add: I can't stay away from DCP. blush

Edited August 10, 2022 by scheherazadesghost

[Chief Guns]

1 hour ago, Terri Schehr said:

My son was born into it and I hoped by taking him to shows, he wouldn’t want to do it.  Hated it. Would fall asleep at shows. Actually said, stop taking me.  I’ll stay with Aunt Karen when you go. Everything was going to plan until 1995 when he saw Madison Scouts. 

My son had zero interest in drum corps growing up. I took him to a few shows, he could have cared less. He played football growing up and that was his first love (still is). 

But it changed when he started junior high and he had to choose between dance or music. He was hellbent on not doing dance, Band teacher said she needed a tuba player, he said ok. Next thing i know he is bringing this big *** tuba home..........rest is history. 

 

[KVG_DC]

I can remember a time in what maybe the late 80s when some NFL teams were actually having dance and ballet teachers work with their receivers on movement for things like launching into the air and twisting then landing on one's feet.

But he chose the tuba and look where he is now!

[JohnDF]

16 minutes ago, Chief Guns said:

He played football growing up and that was his first love (still is).

When my boy hit his Sophomore year of High School he had to choose between football and marching band (conflicting schedules). To the dismay of his coaches, he chose marching band without much hesitation.

[Chief Guns]

10 minutes ago, JohnDF said:

When my boy hit his Sophomore year of High School he had to choose between football and marching band (conflicting schedules). To the dismay of his coaches, he chose marching band without much hesitation.

I hear you on that one. The football coaches at my son's high school were trying to recruit him hard to play. Hard to tell on flomarching, but my son is 6'5 250 lbs, and his fro makes him look around 6'7 lol. The coaches wanted him as a linebacker. But he had fell in love with music. We still watch football every weekend, but he has given up playing. 

[JohnDF]

3 minutes ago, Chief Guns said:

Hard to tell on flomarching, but my son is 6'5 250 lbs

Oh, I could tell, and I pointed him out to my wife yesterday watching finals on Flo. 🤙

Gotta love the big tuba players... The Mandarins have several of them too.

[KVG_DC]

And football v band.  Whew that brings back memories.  

For much of my HS years the football team was trash and the band was pushing the top of ISSMA finals and making BOA grand nats finals.  At one point the football team started this bully attitude toward the band. They'd come around the building and hang out in our hall toward the band room in the morning and harass and catcall the girls and bully the guys using homophobic slurs.  It got pretty tense as we were a big band and outnumbered them.  

Band director caught wind of it and took it to the football coach who was, 'Oh? Meh. Kids.'  The band director was not pleased with that.

So we were used to doing Friday football games, we'd have the third quarter off after doing our show at halftime, then back in the stands for the 4th quarter.  This made for a later Friday night before an early Saturday AM for some rehearsal and loading the bus for show days.  A big portion of the football crowd was our very large and loud band parents org too.  

So the band director makes a call. "We've got an important show next Saturday.  We're doing our show and then leaving at half time."  It happened to be a game against a rival who was fairly good.  I think that team was ranked 7 in the state in football for the class at the time.  And somehow our football team was up by 3 at the half so it was an exciting half.   We were ###### at them still about the hall situation and totally on board with leaving at halftime because 6 AM at the school the next morning meant a pretty early wake up.  And we were focused on that competition.  

So we left. Our parents left with us. A few people who stayed for a bit (because the game was hot and they wanted to see if we'd upset them) said the football team comes out of the locker room all hyped and expecting the loud crowd they had going into the locker room and the stands were more than half empty.  

They lost by 28 points in the end.   We won our show on Saturday.

The football players were livid but the coach got the point.  Comes to the band room during first period and apologizes to the band saying the football players have a directive not to come over to this hall before or after school and only if they have classes in the shop room down the hall.  They're seething at us but toeing the coach's line for that week.  We're loving it.

We had a rare Saturday football game that next weekend and so we had requested an earlier show time for our show that week.  It was less of a competitive show but we were the clear favorites.  They had cool trophies for each of the captions and even did DM and Percussion and Guard trophies.   We swept the show and took first.   So because of the timing, we didn't get back until after the football team was out for warmups.  Usually we were lined up well before and did some pregame stuff.  We arrived, lined up in parade block to enter a full stadium with the football team on the sideline.  BAND TEN HUT!  We march in heads up with the drum majors and some guard captains toting in 8 new trophies for our trophy cases right by them, not even glancing their way as the band parents filled the stands and went bonkers for us as usual.

Football team lost by like 20 or something that night. But we stayed the whole game and cheered and stuff for them anyway, as we were told to do.  

Never had any problem with the football team after that, they knew who ran Friday nights in the fall at that school.  

By my senior year, they were actually pretty good and we were on good terms with the team.

 

[KVG_DC]

10 minutes ago, Chief Guns said:

I hear you on that one. The football coaches at my son's high school were trying to recruit him hard to play. Hard to tell on flomarching, but my son is 6'5 250 lbs, and his fro makes him look around 6'7 lol. The coaches wanted him as a linebacker. But he had fell in love with music. We still watch football every weekend, but he has given up playing. 

Probably less chance of CTE this way, unless he's dropping that tuba on his head. 😉

[Malaguena Salerosa]

I’m a huge admirer, but I never marched drum corps - my peak was marching for a competitive HS marching band. At any rate, the discipline, the selflessness, the perseverance, and the deep collaboration instilled in me in my adolescence because of marching band *without a doubt* helped me get through and thrive during medical school and residency training! 
 

I would quasi-“stand at attention” when I was in the Operating Room assisting in middle-of-the-night surgeries as a med student, focusing, motionlessly, answering the surgeon’s questions, anticipating their next moves in a kind of choreographed way, while not distracting - I didn’t become a surgeon, but they all loved me in the OR, and I very consciously knew I was drawing on my marching experience. This is one of a gazillion examples, and I’m curious why more marchers don’t end up in medicine as many of the skills (and perfectionism!) come in handy.