Corps People from Asia!!!

[festive]

Hey! :)

I'm trying to gather information for a chapter I'll be writing for Volume Two of the History Book, to be released next year by Drum Corps World, on the drum corps activity in Asia.

To this end, I would appreciate it if you have any insight or information as far as the number of participating corps in the region, the sorts of groups, membership, etc, interesting things about the music they perform or the alliances they have with their communities and with companies that supply them with instruments, competitions and competitive circuits, judging, etc.

At this point, anything is fair game. I would like to provide a good overview of the activity, but in order to do that, I have to figure out what sort of information is readily available. I have a good general background on the the Southeast Asian region, and I'd like to paint a picture of what drum corps looks and sounds like in Asia. It's important to me that the region's activity be represented in this book, certainly. Steve Vickers, DCW Publisher, has asked that I include Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines in my chapter.

Any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated! You can post here (sure to be interesting to everyone else)...or you can PM or send a note to my email.

Thanks and take care,

Chris

[Mapleseed]

HI Chris,

I promised that I'd try to get you some information about the drum corps activity in Taiwan. Well, it's kind of hard, not because there's too much to say, but too little. Drum corps history in Taiwan would virtually be the history of Taipei Yuehfu.

Before Taipei Yuehfu was founded in the summer of 1996, I believe there were less than 50 people on the island who knew what drum corps is. From what I know, there were three people who marched in the Blue Knights, at different times, before 1996: two guards, and a pit member who won the marimba(?) I&E competition that year. Two of them later became the instructors of Taipei Yuehfu, but teaches no longer now.

Taipei Yuehfu's existence after 1996 did bring more attention to the marching activity. We participated in parades, festivals held by private enterprises, and government sponsored shows. However, it was more about promoting the "marching activity" than about "drum corps", because in a country where even marching bands are rare, people just don't get it when we try to tell them the difference between a marching band and a drum corps. As I've said in one of the DCI publications during finals week last year, less than 1/10 of high schools in Taiwan have a decent concert band, let alone a marching band. For the schools that do have a marching band programme, its instructors are often ill-informed (to put it conservatively) about what marching band really is. Many of them have never marched before, know little about putting together a show, and more often than not hold the wrong conceptions about marching bands themselves. Thus, teaching methods are seriously flawed,

shows unappealing to audiences, and students don't feel excited about marching.

There are other reasons that contribute to the under-development of Taiwan's marching activities, but I shall not go further into those aspects here.

The circumstances are improving, and I am happy to say that Taipei Yuehfu is playing an important part in the shaping of the marching activity in Taiwan. In addition to the three pioneers that went to the Blue Knights before 1996, we had three members joining the Kiwanis Kavaliers in 1998, one in the Blue Knights in 2000, another in the Boston Crusaders in 2001, and last year, two in the Blue Devils, one in the Crusaders. These former members are bringing back valuable know-hows that, along with local talents, help the corps improve. We have also learned valuable lessons from many American instructors, directly or indirectly, including last year's show designers Ralph Hardimon, Chuck Naffier, and Chris Previc.

Many former corps members are now teaching guard or marching in local high schools, and even though it might still take some more years to see bigger changes in the way people look at marching activities here, we believe the work and investment will eventually pay off.

Taipei Yuehfu remains the only drum and bugle corps in Taiwan. There are no circuits or organisations (there isn't even one that looks over the marching bands!). Although we have worked hard for years in search of sponsorship, there still isn't any sponsorship of any kind from the government or private enterprises, except from Remo, which subsidises a certain amount of drumheads. Therefore, financial issues remain the central concern of the survival of the corps. We are longing to replace our hornline (which I assume has an average age of 12 years) and battery with better instruments. Well, it's not going to be an easy task.

Membership is another issue that we face. We can only stage a Division III sized corps again this year. Although we are not too pessimistic about membership in future years, the numbers still worry us.

Well, I told you there was little to write about. However, if you come up with anything specific you'd like to know, please feel free to ask. I think I might answer more informatively if there is a specific questions to answer. :P

[Ape]

I just see this page and found that the date of posting was 2002. I 'm wondering that, Siamyth didn't have much activities during that year. It was the year that we started to form the corps. How could you guys hear about drum corps in Thailand?? In 2002, it was just 4 people marched in The Scouts and Soutwind with 4-5 people went to observe with the corps there.

However, if you still need more media, such as photo, sounds or vdo, please let me know. I hold tuns of the Siamyth 's media. Actually, the CD including 2005 performs will be finished in October.

[Eggbert]

I worked as an instructor in Indonesia for two years back in the mid 80's. Still have ties to the area and I'm in touch with a few corps people over there. Let me know if I can be of help.

[bbaritone_41]

Hi... I'm Miguel Antonio Trinidad a baritone player from The Spirit Of San Nicolas Drum & Bugle Corps from the Philippines... Drum Corps movement here are still very much alive, but there were no competition held from the past few years. (just some exhibitions & "fiestas" from small areas and sometimes in provinces), I was told that the last national competition held here was way back in 1998 (by that time I dont know anything about drum corps yet! b**bs )

There is an instrument crisis here, because it is hard to ship instruments here. All corps here uses G bugles, many corps still uses piston/rotor horns and 2 valves because those types of instruments are many here (I think some of them were brought here by the U.S. Marines long, long time ago...) 3 valved bugles are like GOLD here, if you have a hornline with a full set of 3 valved bugles here you'll be the talk of the whole drum corps movement in the Philippines!!! Until now there are no known corps that has been rumored that has 3 valved contras (one time when our corps were still being put up, we heard that we've been rumored to have 3 valved contras!) Coz' contras are very large instruments that's why it is very hard to ship those here.

Filipinos are very resourceful people. There are corps that make their own drums (including us..). Drums are also hard to ship here. Even the the drumheads are too expensive especially the one's for the snare like Falams, Whitemax etc.

As far as I know there are 4 class A corps here... 2th Lancers, University of Luzon, Boys of Caridad (this corps has lots of 3 valved bugles... baris, mellos, sops...) Knights of Caloocan (the drum major of this corps is also helping us, and also it's members, we sometimes borrow instruments from them)

There are a lot of corps here and some of them are inactive because of lack of instruments and also because of financial problems. We also lack music educators here that wants to teach members how to read music. If the whole drum corps movement in the world are reading music then you should be appalled to know that there are "VERY FEW" members (not corps) that read music (including me).

Yes, you heard it right! Drum Corps in the Philippines doesn't read music! It's really a pity. :( knowing that Filipino drum corps members are really enthustiastic and also sometimes members are not giving importance to their instruments. :( But maybe someday someone from DCI can and will help drum corps movement in the Philippines, cause nobody taught us how to handle horns & proper care of the other instruments.

A bit of info about our corps... We've been put up in 2001 and our members are composed of kids and teens who's ages are between 10 to 20 year olds, they came from different deppressed areas of Manila. We would very much appreciate if an instructor from DCI or just an ordinary member with a lot of drum corps experience can help us regarding instruments and if someone might be going to the Philippines, you can drop by and see our corps (and maybe teach a few tricks) .

Is there any foundation in Asia like Drum Corps ASIA

or DCSEA (DRUM CORPS SOUTH EAST ASIA) because here in the Philippines, there are also many active drum corps! I hope somebody can organize some kind of an organization like this! So that all of the drum corps in the Philippines could

join that organization! So till here I hope to hear from all of you out there. I

hope that this will inform the whole world that drum corps is alive and

kicking here in the Philippines. Goodbye!

Edited September 7, 2005 by bbaritone_41

[Eddie]

I didn't even know there was drum corps in the Philippines. That's so awesome!

The only drum corps organization I know of is DCJ (Drum Corps Japan) which is a fairly small organization. THey have their championships every year near Tokyo with judges from DCI. There is also a corps in Taiwan that participates in DCI every now and then.

The only other organization that I know of that has activities in Asia is WAMSB (World Assoication of Marching Show Bands). 2006 World Championships are in South Korea.

Anywho, best of luck to your corps, I'm sure you can find some great resorces and information just by surfing through this site. :)

[bbaritone_41]

Drum Corps movement in the Philippines are really awesome. Filipino members work hard especially when there is a exhibition or a small competition to be held. But all of this are wasted because now there are no financiers and sponsors to competitions and exhibitions. Filipinos have a rich drum corps heritage and spectators can differentiate a band from drum corps (especially the old folks, there are times when we're performing that somebody approaches some of our members and asks what is our corps' name and then says some pick-up lines then telling us their drum corps experience, some of them are telling corps names that were disbanded long time ago. ) In fact and also my opinion I think drum corps here is the poorest among all the drum corps in the world! One time a snare drummer from DCI was able to watch an exhibition here (He was also a Filipino but he grew up in the U.S.) He was with his dad when he saw the exhibition, and I was told that his dad's expression was... "Wow! They were like playing new horns and they can produce a rich sound even though they're small and are using piston/rotor and some 2 valve horns!". If only you could imagine our members, ( there quite small and when they're holding a soprano you'll probably be mistaken that it's a mello they're holding! ). I think Africa has more luck than we are here, I was able to see an African corps on the internet (I think I saw it on the Dynasty website and they were called Field Bands there.) also there are still no known Filipino home-grown talents to join DCI (some of our members including me was able to audition for a Division II corps in Canada but we were not able to join and be there with them because we had no sponsor/s commiting themselves to pay for the expenses for the trip.:( The first time we were 3 who were accepted but due to the expenses we decided to just send 1 member and that was me, but the lone sponsor backed out and the participation to the Canadian corps was postponed. :( ) There are no known organizations like DCI helping corps here. It's like we're in a remote place in the world that no one knows that we're here, we're all alone... Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan etc. have far more greater contacts in DCI than us. Even the CDs & DVDs! I'll give you an example... Just last week was the first time for me to ever saw the 2004 World Championships fully (before that, I only was able to watch the 2004 Championship because of some clippings in the internet) That's how long it takes for Filipino members to watch DCI DVDs & CDs! (that time when I was watching that, the 2005 Championships were over! ) Some Asian countries are able to send whole corps to DCI b**bs. If you could only see... Drum Corps and it's members in the Philippines are really hard workers but there are some things that are preventing them to show their full potential... :(

We are longing to replace our hornline (which I assume has an average age of 12 years) and battery with better instruments. Well, it's not going to be an easy task.

Our hornline are full of grandpops & grandmas (they're averaging from 60-80 year olds) I pity our instruments They should have retired long time ago

and should have and receive their pensions. :(

Some more bit of info... some corps here uses trumpets but this is isn't cause their switching to Bb... they're permanently pressing the 3rd valve so that when they play they'll be in G... And if someone is asking (and also yelling that he could'nt feel his/her 3rd finger because of the prolonged pressing of the 3rd valve) if how can they remove their fingers on the 3rd valve that why they were also the first one's who first modified a trumpet to be in G (also the case that it is hard to find and buy instruments from other corps and abroad) that's why they deviced a way on how to convert a Bb horn to G. awesome Ei.... b**bs as I was telling you Filipinos are very rsourceful and also did I mention that they're also practical? :grouphug: ^OO^

Filipinos are the first people who deviced that as far as I know, as early as the 1950's they're doing that!

Edited September 7, 2005 by bbaritone_41

[drumlinetchr]

Hey! :)

I'm trying to gather information for a chapter I'll be writing for Volume Two of the History Book, to be released next year by Drum Corps World, on the drum corps activity in Asia.

To this end, I would appreciate it if you have any insight or information as far as the number of participating corps in the region, the sorts of groups, membership, etc, interesting things about the music they perform or the alliances they have with their communities and with companies that supply them with instruments, competitions and competitive circuits, judging, etc.

At this point, anything is fair game. I would like to provide a good overview of the activity, but in order to do that, I have to figure out what sort of information is readily available. I have a good general background on the the Southeast Asian region, and I'd like to paint a picture of what drum corps looks and sounds like in Asia. It's important to me that the region's activity be represented in this book, certainly. Steve Vickers, DCW Publisher, has asked that I include Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines in my chapter.

Any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated! You can post here (sure to be interesting to everyone else)...or you can PM or send a note to my email.

Thanks and take care,

Chris

Chris,

I am in Japan and have been in contact with the corps directors for the Scouts and Inspires, I am also helping out Steve with articals about corps in Japan, although nothing has been sent yet. Let me know if I can be any assistance.

Bob