BK using flute

[perc2100]

On 2/1/2026 at 10:59 AM, Rylan said:

I fail to see the doom and gloom people are expressing in this thread. Honestly, change is good. Considering where the drum and bugle corps tradition came from, there are so many examples of evolution. For example, I'm pretty sure the color guards of military corps laugh at the idea that modern DCI color guards have even evolved from them.

Change is good. Progress is good. If we stayed conservative we wouldn't have all of the wonderful (modern) stuff we have in DCI today. 

My main priority with DCI is that these corps thrive, adapt, and continue to inspire ALL musicians - young and old.

But also, side note...a flute is heck of a lot closer to a fife than a marimba is to anything in a traditional military drum corps. If anything, the flute is a lot more traditional in drum corps than you think.

Adding, _DIFFERENT_ is good: experimentation is good.  Not only do designers see what cool new stuff works, but also learn what cool new stuff DOESN'T work.  Just think how dopey this activity would be if folks who slagged asymmetrical drill in the early 80's had 'won' and the activity never went that way.  Or folks who complained too much about adding a valve or piston to bugles would kill the 'uniqueness' of the activity.  At this point in DCI's existence, we are well past the 'OMG non-traditional instrumentation is the devil" stage.  Either BK will utilize a flute in a cool interesting way, or they won't and it will have zero bearing on the instrument being used and 100% on _how_ the instrument is implemented in the design.

Quote

the flute is a lot more traditional in drum corps than you think.

This is an interesting assertion, and I suspect logically you may be correct.  I personally think of super old school being 'fife and drum corps' so maybe people unhappy should be unhappy that BK is dragging the activity to the ancient lame times 😄🙃

[Jeff Ream]

1 hour ago, perc2100 said:

Yeah one year when I was at WGI Finals with a group, I was chatting with a favorite T&P guy we saw nearly every Regional.  He kind of  half-joked that percussion groups do things goofy: going just a hair below the max, while the guards go just a hair over the minimum.  He was saying we overthink designs and go too long, and I've thought about that now for around 15 years!

the problem is, and i'm sure some guardies will get mad...we think about musicality. i know they say they do, but when i watch many guard shows even down to the novice level, i wonder. it's one reason why i refused all requests to judge GE for guards

[Sh0uldN0t]

On 2/1/2026 at 1:59 PM, Rylan said:

I fail to see the doom and gloom people are expressing in this thread. Honestly, change is good. Considering where the drum and bugle corps tradition came from, there are so many examples of evolution. For example, I'm pretty sure the color guards of military corps laugh at the idea that modern DCI color guards have even evolved from them.

Change is good. Progress is good. If we stayed conservative we wouldn't have all of the wonderful (modern) stuff we have in DCI today. 

My main priority with DCI is that these corps thrive, adapt, and continue to inspire ALL musicians - young and old.

But also, side note...a flute is heck of a lot closer to a fife than a marimba is to anything in a traditional military drum corps. If anything, the flute is a lot more traditional in drum corps than you think.

I'm with you. Though I have no idea whether it will work, I'm willing to listen and watch. I was skeptic when I first saw/heard the oboe. In the end, it was one of my favorite moments in one of my favorite shows last year. 

Not around here, as you've seen where the preferences are set for long ago. Problem with that is time marches on. The kids who march and will march? They march on too.  

[Rylan]

7 hours ago, greg_orangecounty said:

 

Adding woodwinds to Drum Corps is the complete opposite of “progress.” Doing so dilutes the beautiful warm sound of the all brass ensemble and turns it into a common marching band. There’s nothing innovative about that. 
 

We’re talking about a soloist here. Not an ensemble of woodwinds “diluting” anything.
 

Also, “progress” and “innovation” aren’t synonyms. I meant progress as in evolution or another iteration of something. Moving “forward” often just means adapting to its new environment. Whether or not that’s something some people want. I see corps adapting to changes in taste, changes in the talent pool (which is woodwind-heavy according to my music educator friends), etc. 

[wolfgang]

1 hour ago, Rylan said:

We’re talking about a soloist here. Not an ensemble of woodwinds “diluting” anything.
 

Also, “progress” and “innovation” aren’t synonyms. I meant progress as in evolution or another iteration of something. Moving “forward” often just means adapting to its new environment. Whether or not that’s something some people want. I see corps adapting to changes in taste, changes in the talent pool (which is woodwind-heavy according to my music educator friends), etc. 

Or the camel's nose in the tent.

I see corps directors not adapting by continuously not having courage to tell designers no. Depends on your perspective.

[greg_orangecounty]

3 hours ago, Rylan said:

I see corps adapting to changes in taste, changes in the talent pool (which is woodwind-heavy according to my music educator friends), etc. 

If there are that many woodwinds interested they should start Drum & Woodwind Corps. I just want them to stay in their lane. 🙂

[cixelsyd]

11 hours ago, Rylan said:

We’re talking about a soloist here. Not an ensemble of woodwinds “diluting” anything.

If one woodwind is "progress" (your word), then it follows that additional woodwinds would be more "progress".

[wolfgang]

45 minutes ago, cixelsyd said:

If one woodwind is "progress" (your word), then it follows that additional woodwinds would be more "progress".

Yep. We've progressed our way down to fewer corps and fewer shows.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is analogous to Blue Devils... the pinnacle. That's fine, but there should also be room for the up-and-comer with her first hit single playing to a 1,500 seat theater in Peoria (Phantom Regiment Cadets to use a historical example).

[MacNCheese]

i think woodwind soloists used for short features are fine and have potential, but i would prefer to see someone from the hornline or guard do it. i know some of dci hornline members switch instruments from a woodwind to brass just to march with dci, so seeing that showcased is always interesting. being a woodwind player myself as well i dont agree with bringing entire sections into dci. marching clarinet is hard especially when it starts raining and you have to move equipment and can't focus on protecting the pads, when you spend money on reeds just to break them immediately (granted, synthetics are good for marching and create a brighter, more projected tone but theyre so expensive), not to mention the after-season repairs and quick field repairs when a collision happens. woodwinds aren't built for tour and this is coming from a mainly woodwind player. solos make sense but maintaining that instrument all tour is hard, especially when they hardly make it through a high school marching season

[Kopeck]

On 1/26/2026 at 10:06 PM, wolfgang said:

BK Flute soloist

This fad cannot go away quick enough.

Agreed