i need some help

[Joe]

First off, you dont want to keep score with me. I think you would be suprised at how much experience I have in Drum Corps and even more importantly how much experience in music and music education. Even though I did not March for 11 years iI do know what's up. I did not need to march for that long to get what I wnted out of it and quite frankly i feel sorry for most (not all, but most) of the people that spend forever "living the dream" in and around drum corps.

My perspective on corps is only from a division I standpoint. I really know very little about the smaller corps. I did state if it is a corps that goes on a limited tour that may be ok. But a big time Div I corps for a 15 year old kid is not a good thing in most cases. I dont teach drum corps at the moment but I work with a ton of students and musicians that do march. Most of them come back from tour and they can't handle life after tour. Some kids from some corps arent afftected at all, but most people that march corps at a young age have trouble fitting in to music ensembles afterwards. They struggle showing up on time to things, they think that they know more than they do becuase they took 7th last year at nationals, and they have developed all kinds of crazy habit both in and out of music. Is this to say that this happens to everyone? No, but this is my experience working with alot of people in and out of drum corps.

As far as emotional scars I doubt that anyone that marches corps will have any of them later, but they can develop bad habits at a young age and that is my biggest concern for younger people.

Lastly, the members really dont police themselves, at least not with any amount of regularity that would make me even remotely comfortable about putting them with other youngs men and women. Maybe they did in the good ol days but they dont now and neither does most of the people on staff. On tour there is simply a very limited amount of responsible adults that can watch over the members. Suggesting that all or even most corps are safe and worthwhile experiences for young students is in my opinion either clueless or irresponsible.

Wow, I didn't even realize that drum corps totally messed up my life. Thanks for letting me know. I guess I need to go spend some serious time with a therapist now.

[spiniki]

Wouldn't you think if this activity were harmful for younger teenagers that they would change the age range?

I have noticed that DC does make players stronger and can see how that would make it harder to "fit back in to" a regular kid musical atmosphere. But, any way you slice it, if you get a group of kids together, they automatically find out who is where in the pack- and there is almost always an unreasonably arrogant one. So that point is kind of lost on me.

[dciguy1999]

Wow, I didn't even realize that drum corps totally messed up my life. Thanks for letting me know. I guess I need to go spend some serious time with a therapist now.

Maybe you should... If drum corps encompases who/what your are than you definately need help

Let me say again. I dont think it ruins peoples lives. It didnt mess up mine, but I atrted late and had no problems walking away. I am just saying it is probably not a good thing for young kids in HS to be doing it....But you did so let me ask you these questions:

You marched for a bunch of years and aged out in 02. So you must be about 25 right?. Do you have a degree? What kind of job do you have? Does your life revolve around being a marching tech at a couple of high schools every fall, drumlines in the winter, and band camps or corps in the summer? If this is the case, do you think you can make a life for yourself forever this way?

[spiniki]

I would have to say that the majority of HS kids who do corps and absolutely love their time doing it, don't have their life revolve around it once they age out. If they did, there would be many more corps than there are.

[StarContra4-85]

My honest advice, especially if you and or your mom are new to this activity is go to a show and more importantly attend a rehearsal the afternoon before the show.

It will show your parents the type of young person that you are going to be when you are done with your first season. It will show them that you are determined and dedicated to develop a work ethic that will stay with you for the rest of your life. It will show them that you are willing to put yourself aside to better your corps. It will show them a level of maturity that a lot of people your age probably don't have.

Good luck to you, pick the corps that you absolutely have to be in. Train hard, work hard and enjoy every minute of it.

Edited April 3, 2006 by StarContra4-85

[dciguy1999]

Wouldn't you think if this activity were harmful for younger teenagers that they would change the age range?

I have noticed that DC does make players stronger and can see how that would make it harder to "fit back in to" a regular kid musical atmosphere. But, any way you slice it, if you get a group of kids together, they automatically find out who is where in the pack- and there is almost always an unreasonably arrogant one. So that point is kind of lost on me.

I would think that after playing a whole summer that players would have great chops but it is usually not the case.

Like I said I teach college and most of the players that come off of tour (from various corps) have a tough time for various reasons which I could speculate just a few reasons why:

The first is some corps do not have a very solid approach to teaching brass. The next problem is drum corps spend 6 - 9 months on the same music and those players leave tour and have not read anything alse in a long time and therefore cant sight-read at all. Lastly, alot of corps dont play good music and you have to remeber that music is alot like nutrition in the respect that we are what we play. If you were to eat junk food for 6 months how would you feel?

I agree it does make some players stronger but is that because of the teaching or the fact that the kids have the horns on their faces everyday all day for an entire summer.

As far as the age range thing goes I agrre that they should make it higher especially for Division I corps. the reason they wont is drum corps is not as big as you think it is and they (DCI) wants as many people involved as possible. Dont forget that above all else DCI is a business.

[Joe]

Maybe you should... If drum corps encompases who/what your are than you definately need help

Let me say again. I dont think it ruins peoples lives. It didnt mess up mine, but I atrted late and had no problems walking away. I am just saying it is probably not a good thing for young kids in HS to be doing it....But you did so let me ask you these questions:

You marched for a bunch of years and aged out in 02. So you must be about 25 right?. Do you have a degree? What kind of job do you have? Does your life revolve around being a marching tech at a couple of high schools every fall, drumlines in the winter, and band camps or corps in the summer? If this is the case, do you think you can make a life for yourself forever this way?

Well, I am a horn player in a full time professional orchestra. I have a bachelor's degree in music education and I'm 7 credits shy of my master's in performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

While my life has never revolved around teaching in marching activities, I do still enjoy it. Who are you to question how other people run their own lives? If that's what makes them happy, then why shouldn't they do it. Drum corps is about passion, and if you don't have it for the activity, then we're all glad that you walked away from it.

However, maybe you haven't put it behind you as much as you claim. If you really had done so, why do you feel the need to post on a site like this or even come to read it at all?

[mello_laurel]

My guess is that a 15 or 16-year old looking into drum corps for the first time wouldn't join a Division I corps in the first place, but maybe that's just me.

My advice is to look into all of the options. Look into all Divisions and find what is best suited to you. If you're an amazing player and marcher, and think that you have the maturity to handle the commitment and adult decisions that would be made as a member of a Div I corps, go for it. As someone before me said, tow your mom to a show, and show her what it's all about.

If you're not as experienced, or if you can't make that commitment right now, or you just want to be part of a smaller group, look into Div II & III (I see that this wasn't originally posted in this forum, so maybe that's what you were doing anyway...). They tend to be smaller, cheaper, younger (though not always), and have less of a time commitment (though it is still pretty huge). I know that in my state, Div II & III are the closest as well (ECJ, Spartans, Targets, Citations, etc.).

Or even a DCA corps, if that's what you're into. They, like DCI II & III have less of a time commitment, but you'll be with people of all ages. (Sorry, I don't really know all that much about DCA, but I'm sure it's just as wonderful an experience).

Basically, just find what is best for you. There are ensembles for everyone, and if you can find one that is a perfect fit for you, I'm sure your mom could see that as well. Start talking to people online, make friends, and find out what each ensemble is all about from the inside.

I didn't start marching till I was 19 either, and though sometimes I wish I had started earlier, I know that that was the right time for me to start, and I found a place that fit me perfectly.

Good luck!

edited to fix formatting stuff

Edited April 3, 2006 by mello_laurel

[rut-roh]

As amusing as some of this discussion has been...(listen to me because I have three degrees in music and I know best LOL)....it's foolish to just make a blanket statement about the whole thing either way. I've known all sorts of people in drum corps who have grown up to become burn outs with no direction in their life whatsoever. I've known all sorts of people in drum corps who have grown up to become highly effective and successful professionals in a variety of different fields (including music). Some of them started marching drum corps at the age 20. Some started when they were 12!

There is no steadfast rule on any of this. It depends on the person. It depends on the corps. It depends on the parents. Is it a risk? You bet. Is it irresponsible? As I said, it depends on many things. But there have been more than enough examples over the years of people who started really young in this activity and have probably become MORE than what they would have been in life directly because of their involvement in drum corps. And there have been examples of just the opposite. So who's to say? I could care less how many degrees a person has, or how many rings a person has, or how many years they've spent around this activity. It's a highly personal choice that is best left to the family of the prospective member and that member themself.

If they're smart, they'll do the research, they'll meet and interact with the people involved with operation of the corps, and most importantly, they'll get involved themselves. It is not uncommon for the younger members of a big-time corps to have one or both of their parents on the road with them volunteering their time in the food truck or driving one of the vans or whatever.

In the end, I don't think it's for any one of us to say whether it's right or wrong. We don't know these kids personally. We don't know their parents. We don't know how these kids were raised. It's all rather silly to me to be so sure about it one way or another when there are so many variables involved to which we are not even privvy. My 2 cents...

[dciguy1999]

Well, I am a horn player in a full time professional orchestra. I have a bachelor's degree in music education and I'm 7 credits shy of my master's in performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

While my life has never revolved around teaching in marching activities, I do still enjoy it. Who are you to question how other people run their own lives? If that's what makes them happy, then why shouldn't they do it. Drum corps is about passion, and if you don't have it for the activity, then we're all glad that you walked away from it.

However, maybe you haven't put it behind you as much as you claim. If you really had done so, why do you feel the need to post on a site like this or even come to read it at all?

Bachelors in Music, Masters in Music and a job in a professional orchestra. Believe me, you are the exception to the rule...but I am sure you are already aware of that.

I am not trying to question how people run their lives, but I am suggesting that certian people who are young become "Corps-Jocks" and i am willing to bet they would like to have options when they are older that aren't going to be available to them if the stay attached to marching. The reason i am willing to bet this is becuase I know countless people like this and I am sure you do to.

I love marching band and I love drum corps. That is why I come on this site. Not to bash it but to talk about it. As far as putting it behind me I dont need to, at least not from an emotional sense. My experience was good. I won some DCI titles, had fun, and learned alot. My passion is not for drum corps and drum corps only but for all music and music education. When I say negative things about corps it is becuase I love it and hope to see it become more musical and educational. If I did not like it I would not come to this site. I would not have even marched in the first place.

If you are truely a professional musician than you must see the issues that drum corps has with it as times. I too am a professional musician with a Bachelors degree in Music Education, a Masters in performance, and I start my DMA in the fall. I voice my concerns about Corps becuase I hope that it continues to improve to a better environment and musical experience as long as it exists. Plain and simple.