Is drum corps marching band?

[Orpheus]

Then how do you explain it to newbies?

There is a difference, and I bet that nearly everyone has a different idea.

Yes, there is a difference between competitive high school marching band and drum & bugle corps, but considering that vitually every kid who marches DCI (discounting those from overseas) comes from a high school band and virtually every arranger, designer, and instructor also works with bands during the autumn, you're simply not going to be able to split the two activities asunder.

Explaining it to newbies? Doesn't everyone start by saying, "It's basically like marching band, but ... ?" And then you add caveats like, they're all brass, they tour during the summer, have nothing to do with football, and aren't tied to a school. You can also say that, thanks to their selectivity and the fact that it's all the members do during the summer (no classes, jobs, or other distractions), the top corps are usually more proficient at what they do than any band you'll ever see.

[JimF-LowBari]

Both.

OK. About two years ago I asked what is the difference between current DC and MB. After a few responses I gave the 70s (IOW my time) differences.

In my day biggest differences were instrumentation in the horn line. Consider that I played piston/rotor G horn that was never confused for a band horn.

"Todays" (OK two years ago), the biggest differences given were experience and intensity of performance.

IOW seems to have gone from something you can see to something you have to feel.

Edited September 25, 2006 by JimF-xWSMBari

[jeffro21]

If a person is interested in corps, he will figure out the differences for himself. Knowing the difference isn't going to turn John Doe off the street into a drum corps fan. I daresay that the majority of youths participating in music nowadays knows the difference because they’ve done both. Harping on the differences between marching band and corps seems like an outdated concern to me.

[Walter]

As far as I am concerned, the instruments are the same, however, the marching technique and playing technique are far superior in drum corps. (or is in drum & trumpet corps ?)

True drum corps fans know the difference. B)

[audiodave]

Marching Band people know the difference, too. I don't think

ANY marching band person considers it the same as drum corps.

[Walter]

Marching Band people know the difference, too. I don't think

ANY marching band person considers it the same as drum corps.

OK, good point, so why was the original question even asked ? B)

[MN DCI Fan]

To answer the OP:

It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is.

:P

[JimF-LowBari]

As far as I am concerned, the instruments are the same, however, the marching technique and playing technique are far superior in drum corps. (or is in drum & trumpet corps ?)

True drum corps fans know the difference.

Thought that was "Trumpet Band"..

And I ain't even Canadian. :P

Edited September 25, 2006 by JimF-xWSMBari

[CloudHype]

If a person is interested in corps, he will figure out the differences for himself. Knowing the difference isn't going to turn John Doe off the street into a drum corps fan. I daresay that the majority of youths participating in music nowadays knows the difference because they’ve done both. Harping on the differences between marching band and corps seems like an outdated concern to me.

That is what I was getting at.

What DCI must do is seperate the two activities not the two performing groups. (I confused myself)

[Piper]

To begin with, Marching Bands and Drum Corps share no historical relationship. Bands began forming a couple of centuries ago when concert musicians decided to take their indoor instuments outdoors to entertain the commoners in the street, whereas Drum Corps is basically a by-product of the U.S. Military, and traces it's roots back to the end of World War I (circa 1920), when troops returning from France began to form military-style musical units to compliment their local vetrans orginizations by escorting the colors to the drum and bugle as they did in the service, which is why orginizations like the AL and VFW were so prominent in the activity for so long (and to some extent still are). It's also why there are no woodwinds.

Fast forward to today. The vast majority of corps are independent and not attached to public or private academic institutions. For many of it's members, it's the first activity that they've ever participated in outside of school.

I won't even get into the difference in intesity levels between them, because anyone who's ever done or seen both can make that distinction quite easily.