Picking a Corps

[Long Time Fan]

I have been interested by some of the young posters who have not yet joined a corps, but yet have focused on one or two as their favorite. Conner and Tommy come to mind. What advice would you offer to a young high school or college student making this selection. This is not what they would tell their parents to convince them, but rather what should they be thinking and asking when they select a corps?

As a father who never marched, but has attended shows since 1973 and had a son in corps for 5 years, I have some very definite biases. I would now offer advice that is very different than before my son selected his two corps. So I will start and those who have marched can offer their unique view.

1) Decide how much you can spend. Be realistic about the expenses. If you go for a corps out of town, understand that they may use your ability to attend and not miss regular rehearsals as a sign of your commitment. So have the cash to cover transportation. Miss mini camps and you may be cut or become an alternate.

2) What do you know about the corps leadership? Not the shows, but the nuts and bolts. Is the leadership team stable? Who are the instructors, where do they come from? How do they care for the corps on the road? Ask current members about the good and the bad of their organization.

3) Are you willing to give the time and commitment that your prospective corps will demand. A top flight division 1 corps will ask for time year round. They will not give much on your personal schedule, except for certain extreme issues. This again is a sign of commitment. If you can't offer that much time, consider a corps that will demand less.

4) What do you want out of this activity; a ring? Ask those on this forum how many have rings, not many. But those who participated will tell you that where they finished may have been very important when they marched; it is far less important now. They take from this wonderful activity many other experiences that transcend the championship.

5) Look at the physical demand being made of your prospective corps members. Can you do this or are you willing to get into shape to try? Look at the marching style of the Cadets, do you have the leg and knee strength to withstand this motion? Can you keep up with the Cavaliers when they are in a two hour block doing over 200 BPM at 105 degrees in the Texas sun? Again, talk to corps members and find out, don't guess.

That's enough to start. There are many others who will be able to offer better advice. To all who select a corps this year, good luck. And if you don't make it, there will be corps looking for good members into the spring.

[sobe]

Read into the Corps' history and ask yourself if you want to write the next chapter...

Edited August 24, 2005 by sobe

[tubaman1321]

Its not about where the corps finished the year before but where it could go with you as a member. No matter what, every member of every corps is important.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

After aging out, I can say, definately think about what you want out of your experiance. I remember that one of my goals when i first started marching 4 years ago, perhaps the biggest goal, was to march finals. I did not accomplish that goal. And while I do not think by any means that my time with the corps I was in was a waste or not worth it, I do look back on my marching career with a certain sense of disappointment in myself and my choices. No doubt, I had a blast, but I know I could have had more, and I think I should have.

With that in mind, think about what you want out of marching. Certain teaching jobs will be easier with a ring or a famous name behind you.

Also, consider the teachers and their style. Personally, if I had another year to march, I would not march anywhere that rehearses form over dot. But that's just me. If teaching style and philosophy are big deals to you, than whether you have a good time on tour mihgt depend a great deal on the staff you are with.

[PhantomR]

lol, I didn't see this topic earlier.

This is great advice. I have looked into many corps for the summer, and upon further discussion, if my parents let me march, I WILL be in division 2 for a couple of years. Right now I am pretty still minded on one corps (Teal Sound,) A few others come to mind that I wouldn't mind either (Blue Stars, Memphis Sound)

after that, who knows? I do want to march in division 1. Maybe Glassmen, Crown, or Crossmen. and before I age out, Phantom Regiment... That's been my dream since I got into drum corps.

Thank you guys, keep the stuff coming :)

~>conner

[TommySopranoContra]

I want to be in either The Cadets (first choice) Phantom (second) or Blue Devils (third choice). I'd never switch buf I don't try out for cadets I would definitely feel some huge regret

[bssop97]

Regret is a powerfull emotion. Make sure you at least go for who you want to march with. Regret is something you don't want to have after you have aged out.

[Carl306]

First off, I think the person picking a corps needs to think about exactly how competitive they are. Does it really bother them if they don't come in first place in every single show? A person who is deadset on winning who joins a lower tier Div 1 corps most likely will not enjoy the season to it's full potential.

Another factor to consider is the corps financial stabillity. Do they have enough funds and support to make it through an entire/partial tour? It's not fun having your corps go inactive. I experienced this in April when Canos folded. I would have hated to see what it was like when a corps actually folded halfway through the summer.

Other factors include the amount of sleep the members get. Do they always get a little bit of floor time after a long bus ride or do they just go straight to practicing. Are they served three meals a day? Do they get plenty of water breaks in rehearsel to stay hydrated?

Etc. Etc.

[Orpheus]

Other than picking a corps that has a style you enjoy and which you will be fully able to devote yourself to financially and otherwise, the best thing to do is to talk to people who have marched in that corps in the past couple of years and find out what the *experience* was really like. And don't be afraid to e-mail folks on the staff and get to know what they're like. I know of quite a few people who chose where they wanted to march because they knew someone (either a current/former member or a staffer) involved with that corps. And if you don't know anyone like that personally, start asking around here on the web.

You also definitely want to pick a corps that is stable in terms of having a good number of their members and staff continue on with that corps from year to year. High turnover can be an indicator of any number of bad things.

[notelvis]

First off, I think the person picking a corps needs to think about exactly how competitive they are. Does it really bother them if they don't come in first place in every single show? A person who is deadset on winning who joins a lower tier Div 1 corps most likely will not enjoy the season to it's full potential.

Another factor to consider is the corps financial stabillity. Do they have enough funds and support to make it through an entire/partial tour? It's not fun having your corps go inactive. I experienced this in April when Canos folded. I would have hated to see what it was like when a corps actually folded halfway through the summer.

Other factors include the amount of sleep the members get. Do they always get a little bit of floor time after a long bus ride or do they just go straight to practicing. Are they served three meals a day? Do they get plenty of water breaks in rehearsel to stay hydrated?

Etc. Etc.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fantastic thread. I've emjoyed reading and agree with most of what has been said.

NOTHING is worse in this activity than having a corps go inactive or fold outright late in the spring. Be mindful of a corps' history and ask questions of veteran members from the organization you're interested in. Behind the scenes questions are best for trying to get a handle on a corps' stability. For example, how well is the corps fed. Not neccessarily how 'good' the food is but whether all members are getting enough.

Ask about the transportation situation. You can expect breakdowns and delays as part of the activity. Don't ask for the story of the breakdown. Ask how the corps deals with it when things go wrong with a vehicle. For example, one corps (nameless as I'm not trying to promote any particular organization here) this past summer had an unexpected bus problem in Ft. Scott, KS this past summer. The corps sent the offending bus to a shop 90 some miles away and chartered a bus to druve the displaced members from the show (Pittsburgh, KS) down to Siloam Springs. Their original bus caught up with the corps the next night. Not a perfect situation but one that delayed the corps less than an hour total and one that wasn't solved trying to cram 135 kids onto two buses for four hours.

If you are fortunate to be around veterans of the corps you are interested in during the off-season, observe to see how the experience impacted them. Are they eager to discuss how their summer went? Do their eyes light up when they recognize that someone else in the room knows about drum corps and would like to talk about it? These are good signs. On the other hand, do they kind of shrug, act like it was something they did once, and then slink off away from the conversation? This is a bad sign and, sadly, I've encountered some people who just aren't interested in where drum corps came from, where it's going, or even want to talk much about it. (Again.....not mentioning the corps.....not trying to diminish any organization here.)

Also think about the personal relationships between corps members, members and staff, members and volunteers.......is there a mutual respect going on or is it just a chore.....a drudge march through each hour and each day. Good sign....people who are exhausted but smiling. Bad sign, people who are exhausted and arguing.

Finally, unless you are an ultra-competitive person, don't let the corps' placement be a determining factor. Seek out the people you will be most comfortable having what will be a life-changing experience around. I've been on tour with several different corps over the last 20-plus years......corps who have finished anywhere from 8th to 22nd at DCI and trust me, I have seen kids who didn't march past Thursday have experiences just as powerful and meaningful as kids who were marching as darkness fell on finals night. Can't speak to the experience of those who on finals night were 'in the hunt' among the top four corps BUT I would bet that the opportunity to compete for the title would not be the first reason most of their members cited for being with that corps.

Hope I've added to the discussion rather than just rambled!

David