High School Bands Attempting to do Drum Corps!

[bawker]

I've become quite a big defender of marching bands on this board but also have a preference for Drum Corps. If I were given the choice of being in one or the other, I'd take a corps. One of the problems on this board is the people that feel the need to build up corps by bashing marching band. This is unnecessary as it makes it look like corps can't stand on it's own virtues and also attacks the largest recruiting base for corps.

...which I understand. More or less all of us from the 80's on were involved with marching band somehow prior to drum corps; nature of the beast.

I'm not about to bash the high school marching band scene; but at the same time, I don't feel like being subjected to hearing that band "X" is better than corps "X'. Even if they are better, it's just not something most of us are interested in by virtue of being on this forum instead of MBP, and only starts up needless flame wars (as evidenced by every thread ever started on this subject...It's a bit like saying on a college football board that the NFL is better...well, that's great...but we're not here to discuss the fineries of the NFL. :P)

It's not an either/or preference to me, anyway...but the boards are split for a reason, right? :)

[Matt_S]

It's not an either/or preference to me, anyway...but the boards are split for a reason, right? :)

You seem to be suggesting that we never mention marching bands on DCP, as they have their own forum. Well, by the same logic, it would seem we could also not mention drum corps on MBP, leaving us without a venue to have this particulary discussion. Talking drum corps vs. marching band is very much on topic to a drum corps forum; it's still talking about drum corps.

In fact, i'm a little surprised to see you leaning toward censureship on this issue, you always seem to be concerned with how DCP can be more productive, and produce more meaningful conversation. Pointing out programming or administrative issues that marching bands get right can be very constructive to the drum corps activity. Saying 'all discussion that mentions marching band should be shunted over to MBP' strikes me as the internet equivalent of burying your head in the sand about an entire branch of the marching music world.

I know how you feel, that the worst drum corps show is more entertaining than the best marching band show... I just don't understand it. It seems pretty out of character for someone who is usually pretty fair and open-minded.

[bawker]

You seem to be suggesting that we never mention marching bands on DCP, as they have their own forum. Well, by the same logic, it would seem we could also not mention drum corps on MBP, leaving us without a venue to have this particulary discussion. Talking drum corps vs. marching band is very much on topic to a drum corps forum; it's still talking about drum corps.

In fact, i'm a little surprised to see you leaning toward censureship on this issue, you always seem to be concerned with how DCP can be more productive, and produce more meaningful conversation. Pointing out programming or administrative issues that marching bands get right can be very constructive to the drum corps activity. Saying 'all discussion that mentions marching band should be shunted over to MBP' strikes me as the internet equivalent of burying your head in the sand about an entire branch of the marching music world.

I know how you feel, that the worst drum corps show is more entertaining than the best marching band show... I just don't understand it. It seems pretty out of character for someone who is usually pretty fair and open-minded.

Well, we all have our flaws. :P

Seriously, though,I never said that the worst drum corps show is more entertaining than the best marching band show...I've seen plenty of shows in the drum corps realm that have been pretty bad, as have the rest of us here. Let's not insinuate that I'm being elitist in that regard.

However, given the choice between seeing BOA Grand Nationals and Division II/III Prelims, it's safe to say where I'd end up at. That's not really a slight against marching band...but to me, after you leave high school behind, it's hard to get excited about/involved in "high school X's" show, whereas with drum corps, there's no school tie there (unless its JSU, heh) and the draw of it is more like a college or pro team. Ohio State could probably beat the Oakland Raiders every once in a while...but then again, they're both in their own baileywick for a reason. :)

[Steve709]

Over the weekend I watched a band competition where one of the bands

used Bluecoats "Caravan" show, which they purchased through their arranger.

It was, of course, watered down, and they even attempted to use some of their

drill moves...probably right off the DVD!

At least in this case, it wasn't pretty, and a feeble attempt to recreate a show

(almost in its entirety!) to sound and look like the Bluecoats. In other words,

there was no creativity by their director to be original at all. I'm not knocking

the arrangement or the sale thereof, but the band director and his staff for their

lack of finding something that may help them move to a new musical plateau.

And yes, in this case "Marching Band IS NOT Drum Corps!

Jeeeesh! I hate when this happens! <**>

Did they do the Thom Taka stuff too?

[aatlb25]

Over the weekend I watched a band competition where one of the bands

used Bluecoats "Caravan" show, which they purchased through their arranger.

It was, of course, watered down, and they even attempted to use some of their

drill moves...probably right off the DVD!

At least in this case, it wasn't pretty, and a feeble attempt to recreate a show

(almost in its entirety!) to sound and look like the Bluecoats. In other words,

there was no creativity by their director to be original at all. I'm not knocking

the arrangement or the sale thereof, but the band director and his staff for their

lack of finding something that may help them move to a new musical plateau.

And yes, in this case "Marching Band IS NOT Drum Corps!

Jeeeesh! I hate when this happens! <**>

THE SKY IS FALLING!! :o

[Beau R]

I judged both Norwalk and Trumbull many times over the years in the EMBA circuit, pre-MAC, up through the 1994 season when I went on staff with a band here in NJ.

What school were you from, BTW?

Mike,

I'm a little late to this string, but thought I'd chime in here. Your name has always been familiar to me but I couldn't place it. Now I can! I marched in the drumline at Trumbull HS in 1982, 1983 and 1984 (when I graduated...THS was a 3 year high school at that time with 9th grade in Junior High and not allowed to participate in the marching band). Then after university and drum corps I ended up back in Connecticut and taught the drumline at Trumbull HS from 89-92, so I'm sure you and I met then! After 1992 I moved back to Georgia.

I have no idea what happened to EMBA and how MAC came to be...I'm just glad that there is a circuit and that MAC seems to be doing well.

So after moving around the US, to Europe, and then back to Connecticut, I'm teaching now the drumline at New Milford HS and competing against Trumbull and Norwalk. It's fun to see Pete and Carmen on competition days. I remember when Carmen was a freshman at THS...and now he's the assistant Director!

Edited October 5, 2006 by Beau R

[BoxVSoprano]

so i havnt read any of this thread yet. but last weekend i went to check out a marching band show. one band comes on, they do a godfather/gangsta show... next band does rhapsody in blue and amaerican in paris... next band does an exact replica of the cavies 007 show up to the halfway point. i mean they attempted to replicate the drill and the score was the exact same as the show. i talked with a friend who owns the company that was recording all of the shows and he said that he heard they spent all summer ripping it off and that until they showed him copyrights that he wouldnt even start the process of burning the show for them.

[MikeD]

I'm a little late to this string, but thought I'd chime in here. Your name has always been familiar to me but I couldn't place it. Now I can! I marched in the drumline at Trumbull HS in 1982, 1983 and 1984 (when I graduated...THS was a 3 year high school at that time with 9th grade in Junior High and not allowed to participate in the marching band). Then after university and drum corps I ended up back in Connecticut and taught the drumline at Trumbull HS from 89-92, so I'm sure you and I met then! After 1992 I moved back to Georgia.

I am sure we met! I had a lot of fun judging some great bands like Trumbull and Norwalk and others from when you were in HS right through 94.

I have no idea what happened to EMBA and how MAC came to be...I'm just glad that there is a circuit and that MAC seems to be doing well.

I am totally out of the CT loop these days. Through the 80's and into the 90's I felt like I lived there on weekends in the fall! :P

The band I work with in NJ is only in USSBA...have been since the late 90's.

So after moving around the US, to Europe, and then back to Connecticut, I'm teaching now the drumline at New Milford HS and competing against Trumbull and Norwalk. It's fun to see Pete and Carmen on competition days. I remember when Carmen was a freshman at THS...and now he's the assistant Director!

Say Hi to Pete for me if you remember...I used to judge his band before he was at Trumbull...he was band director at Morris Knolls here in NJ. I think he used to commute from CT to Denville, NJ!

Take care,

Mike

[liebot]

So after moving around the US, to Europe, and then back to Connecticut, I'm teaching now the drumline at New Milford HS and competing against Trumbull and Norwalk. It's fun to see Pete and Carmen on competition days. I remember when Carmen was a freshman at THS...and now he's the assistant Director!

Is Johnny G (Grauer) still there? If so, tell him that Brian Hunt said hi. He was assistant director at Newtown my freshmen/sophomore years and absolutely hated me. I'm kind of glad he didn't take over when Jim Dumas left because I would've been blacklisted my junior/senior years. He's a good guy, though. His little cousin and I were in the same trombone section all four years. Fun stuff.

[garfield_cadets]

OK, I have to bust out both Cavaliers & Phantom Regiment here!

Yesterday I saw the videos of 1987 & 1988 Marian Catholic High School Band from Chicago Heights, IL, who were BOA Grand National Champions both years.

In 1987 half of their show was Gloria, and they used a Gloria tag at the end of 1988. Cavaliers made it their show in 1989. And seems Cavies copied Marian almost note for note.

Phantom's guard in 1989 was almost a complete rip off of Marian's guard in 1988. The style of guardwork & look were the same, right down to the headwear (the "pouf").

Cavie's ripped off one of Marian's flag designs for their Gloria show, also.

Now, with both Cav's & Phantom being right outside of Chicago, I'm sure they had to share staff? The guard instructor HAD to be the same for both Marian & Phantom...the similarities are just TOO SPOOKY!

I saw later signature Cav & Phantom drill moves in Marian's shows, leading me to believe the drill writer had to be the same for all three also.

But my point is, Marian did both Cav's Gloria & Phantom's guard look FIRST. Corps copied marching band. And the video's prove it.

Also interesting, Marian's show in 1988 was a rip off of Garfield Cadets 1985 show. Marian's uni's were "similar" but not an exact copy of the "cadet" top, but the yellow cummerbund & cream pants with side stripe was identical.

So imagine watching 1985 Garfield Cadets with 1989 Phantom Regiment color guard. It's almost surreal!

Edited October 6, 2006 by garfield_cadets