Sh0uldN0t Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 These stories of infighting and sabotage among drum corps alums are so pathetic. As if this activity doesn't have enough challenges... Must we eat our young? I don't know how drum corps survives. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg_orangecounty Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 12 minutes ago, Sh0uldN0t said: These stories of infighting and sabotage among drum corps alums are so pathetic. As if this activity doesn't have enough challenges... Must we eat our young? I don't know how drum corps survives. Yes, and it has been occurring since before the creation of DCI. Ego uber alles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sh0uldN0t Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I know. It was one thing when there were a hundred corps. But now? Drum corps people killing drum corps. Sheesh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 2 hours ago, Sh0uldN0t said: These stories of infighting and sabotage among drum corps alums are so pathetic. As if this activity doesn't have enough challenges... Must we eat our young? I don't know how drum corps survives. I think you’ll find the alumni corps a thing of the past in the near future. The Plymouth, MA Thanksgiving parade and evening standstill concert used to have an impressive number of groups each year that were fairly large. For Junior Corps alums, most marched prior to DCI or in the very early years. The Senior Corps seemed to generally be people who could no longer manage the current corps or the original corps disbanded. This past year there were only five corps participating, the membership was smaller and getting older. They still had heart and loved performing. People aren’t joining alumni corps in large numbers. The infighting may have something to do with it but I think it’s more changing times. Neighborhood drum corps have been gone for years. People who marched together since let’s say 1980 probably did not grow up together, go to school together, and as adults did not buy a house in the same area. That was the case with the first alumni corps. Allowing folks who did not march with the original corps caused some problems. I think that has subsided. When I hear the corps listed where Crusaders Senior marched, years back if you got the same crew together, you’d need the National Guard to keep the peace. It’s hardly an issue today but I heard a corps that tried to get off the ground never did because there was infighting about whether to allow rivals to join. The ironic thing is they were not a powerhouse back in the day and those that wanted to join to help them get off the ground marched with corps that used to beat them in competition. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 24 minutes ago, Tim K said: I think you’ll find the alumni corps a thing of the past in the near future. The Plymouth, MA Thanksgiving parade and evening standstill concert used to have an impressive number of groups each year that were fairly large. For Junior Corps alums, most marched prior to DCI or in the very early years. The Senior Corps seemed to generally be people who could no longer manage the current corps or the original corps disbanded. This past year there were only five corps participating, the membership was smaller and getting older. They still had heart and loved performing. People aren’t joining alumni corps in large numbers. The infighting may have something to do with it but I think it’s more changing times. Neighborhood drum corps have been gone for years. People who marched together since let’s say 1980 probably did not grow up together, go to school together, and as adults did not buy a house in the same area. That was the case with the first alumni corps. Allowing folks who did not march with the original corps caused some problems. I think that has subsided. When I hear the corps listed where Crusaders Senior marched, years back if you got the same crew together, you’d need the National Guard to keep the peace. It’s hardly an issue today but I heard a corps that tried to get off the ground never did because there was infighting about whether to allow rivals to join. The ironic thing is they were not a powerhouse back in the day and those that wanted to join to help them get off the ground marched with corps that used to beat them in competition. Did alumni type 2004-2011. Lot of what I saw were members of corps that no longer existed playing music of their era. Sure they enjoyed themselves but not a plan for future survival as members age. As for the corps that still exist, not having many local members hurts. They need to bring in people who never did corps to survive imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Lesher Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 6 hours ago, Slingerland said: If you think every corps out there is full, you haven't been paying attention. And if anyone wants to start a local corps, you don't need anything related to The Cadets to do it, but amazingly, very few people will do so. This is the key............. the folks who are competent to wrangle kids into a coherent show on the field across all sections, and then logistically move them to each performance venue is very few indeed. Then that group of people is generally completely detached from the group of people supporting the financing of the activity and the administrative requirements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Schehr Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 10 hours ago, Sh0uldN0t said: These stories of infighting and sabotage among drum corps alums are so pathetic. As if this activity doesn't have enough challenges... Must we eat our young? I don't know how drum corps survives. It seems to happen a lot with the Scouts, too. Don’t get mad at the messenger. It’s been going on for decades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Schehr Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 (edited) 8 hours ago, Tim K said: I think you’ll find the alumni corps a thing of the past in the near future. The Plymouth, MA Thanksgiving parade and evening standstill concert used to have an impressive number of groups each year that were fairly large. For Junior Corps alums, most marched prior to DCI or in the very early years. The Senior Corps seemed to generally be people who could no longer manage the current corps or the original corps disbanded. This past year there were only five corps participating, the membership was smaller and getting older. They still had heart and loved performing. People aren’t joining alumni corps in large numbers. The infighting may have something to do with it but I think it’s more changing times. Neighborhood drum corps have been gone for years. People who marched together since let’s say 1980 probably did not grow up together, go to school together, and as adults did not buy a house in the same area. That was the case with the first alumni corps. Allowing folks who did not march with the original corps caused some problems. I think that has subsided. When I hear the corps listed where Crusaders Senior marched, years back if you got the same crew together, you’d need the National Guard to keep the peace. It’s hardly an issue today but I heard a corps that tried to get off the ground never did because there was infighting about whether to allow rivals to join. The ironic thing is they were not a powerhouse back in the day and those that wanted to join to help them get off the ground marched with corps that used to beat them in competition. Alumni corps is going the way of the Dodo. One offs like Bluecoats but nothing that requires a localized base. The one-offs are pretty great though. Bluecoats, Scouts, and Cavaliers were actual alumni corps, too. I marched in a reunion corps with people who were too young to ever have been in the corps that was being memorialized. Edited February 14 by Terri Schehr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Hall Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I know many will hate this but. The End Is Near. Will corps be able to continue to tour as prices still rise? Gas prices will rise and the push will be on for electric (SMH), Tour fees will have to rise and there will come a point where there will be less kids that want to do it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 14 hours ago, Slingerland said: If you think every corps out there is full, you haven't been paying attention. And if anyone wants to start a local corps, you don't need anything related to The Cadets to do it, but amazingly, very few people will do so. "Amazingly"? Between the astronomical costs (largely self-inflicted), and the systemic resistance to allowing new members into the private club that now monopolizes competitive drum corps in the Western hemisphere, most people interested in starting a corps end up either discouraged, unsuccessful, or redirected toward joining existing teams instead of starting new ones. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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