727driver Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 (edited) This thread has talked a lot about the sustainability of drum corps due to the onset of "recruiting" by the top 12. It made me wonder how much of the problem is top drum corps stealing away members from smaller groups, and how much is just a shrinking pool of talent to draw from. Think about it... in the 60's through the '80's there were far more public school music programs with far greater numbers than there are today. I would think this provided a pretty large and steady supply of students to the "community" drum corps. There's just not as many students in small town band programs today to sustain the number of small town drum corps that there once were. It seems to me that the real problem facing small drum corps is not the students drawn away by the top 12, but the dwindling number of band students available to fill a small community drum corps. Oh, and Star had a great corps in 93. Took me a few times hearing the show (only saw it live once or twice) to appreciate it, but it was a pretty impressive bit of musicianship. I'm always impressed by how closely they stayed true to the original music. I feel now that we were pretty lucky to have tied them in brass.. Edited May 1, 2006 by 727driver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchromik Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 I am not sure how much smaller the pool of talent is today then in the 60s. Yes music programs are falling by the wayside, but there is a huge school population nowadays. From the band shows I attend here in the Midwest, I can honesty say I cannot remember when there were more kids and schools on the field. Personally I think it has much more with all the entertainment and education options available to HS and College kids today. Drum Corps must compete with all sorts of summer programs, internships, and all-year-school. Plus the need for even HS kids to work to support their consumer habits and education expenses really makes it difficult for them to march. Between school, their busy lives, and possible work, it is increasingly difficult for interested kids to give up their lives for two and a half months to do corps. Plus corps today is really expensive. I doubt I would have been able to come up with the $1000-1600 a season costs now. Or the relative 1980s values to those fees. In short, many interested kids are just to busy, or distracted, and don't have the money to do modern drum corps. Maybe something like the All-Age weekends only, limited touring model might be more attractive to todays youths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocketman Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 Well see if I ever stick up for you again... :P Is that because I disliked a particular piece of music, or because I referenced "In Living Color?" :) Rocketman - two snaps and an around the world ampssuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_S Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 After watching it on the big screen.... Holy CRAP I love this show. The expression, the nuance, the intensity, the anger. From start to finish, what a treat. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancerlady Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 (edited) Is that because I disliked a particular piece of music, or because I referenced "In Living Color?" :) Rocketman - two snaps and an around the world ampssuck No because you agreed with the guy who was dissing you for not liking Star 93, that is the only Star show I'm personally not fond of, and I like sophisticated music, I was trying to make a point and when he was accusing you of not liking sophisticated music...I know you must, you marched with Phantom.... :) You didn't have to admit it though.. b**bs :P (Just messing with you, I'll always take up for you if need be, have too much respect for the years you marched and who you marched with). :P Edited May 1, 2006 by Lancerlady Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byline Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 reminds me of the Jim Wren quote (fromr 78, I think) that Phantom was playing "champagne music to a beer crowd." Good quote, but it wouldn't have applied only to Phantom that year. Santa Clara was playing a pretty esoteric repertoire (with the exception of using a pop tune for a closer prior to the Bottle Dance), and many other corps also played classical pieces. Blue Devils weren't exactly playing Top 40 tunes, either. I really tend to think it has a whole lot to do with how an individual corps presents that music. If you like that style, then you'll like that corps. If you don't, you won't. Pretty simple and straightforward. This was true of Star in '93. Personally, I liked that show from the first time I saw it, but a lot of people felt that the way they did it was very off-putting. It wasn't an emotionally accessible show for most folks in the audience. But it certainly was a masterful rendition of that music, done in a style that was consistent from beginning to end. If you can appreciate that, then you'll enjoy this show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocketman Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 (edited) No because you agreed with the guy who was dissing you for not liking Star 93, that is the only Star show I'm personally not fond of, and I like sophisticated music, I was trying to make a point and when he was accusing you of not liking sophisticated music...I know you must, you marched with Phantom.... :) You didn't have to admit it though.. b**bs :P (Just messing with you, I'll always take up for you if need be, have too much respect for the years you marched and who you marched with). :P Steph: I appreciate that. I'll choose my words more closely next time. RM - sorry ampssuck Edited May 27, 2006 by Rocketman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NS787980 Posted May 21, 2006 Share Posted May 21, 2006 I just saw the star 93 video, and I have to say that that group is one of the most mature sounding and musical drum corps I have heard. They don't sound like they're on bugles on that video. Gorgeous sound... sounds like a brass choir, not 64 brass players tryign to play as loud as they can. I saw the corps recently too. My first time viewing this celebrated corps. I viewed them with an open mind.. I think. The DCI classics. I watched the corps perform at finals. I have to say.. that was the most BIZARRE group of individuals calling themselves a "drum and bugle corps". Why? Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byline Posted May 21, 2006 Share Posted May 21, 2006 I saw the corps recently too. My first time viewing this celebrated corps. I viewed them with an open mind.. I think. The DCI classics. I watched the corps perform at finals. I have to say.. that was the most BIZARRE group of individuals calling themselves a "drum and bugle corps". Why? Sharon They played drums and bugles and were a corps. so why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vferrera Posted May 21, 2006 Share Posted May 21, 2006 Star 93 was truly excellent from a performance perspective, but I think people give them a lot more design credit than they deserve. The drill was wonderful, but not more wonderful than any other Zingali show starting with Cadets 82. The music was well-played, but other corps have done obscure music and performed it well. (Spartacus, anyone?) The body moves were a bit too precious and could have been more graceful. Other corps have done this - Madison 83, we even had a 16-count segment in the drum solo where the entire horn-line + c.g. "danced" (for lack of a better term). One thing Star 93 accomplished was to change some people's ideas about the role of music in drum corps. Previously, the drill was written to complement the music. Star was one of the first to make the music secondary, if not entirely beside the point. This led to an endless stream of shows that were basically fast drill with random musical effects. So we can thank them for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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