Morgoth Bauglir Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 And judging by the number of people who miss the cut at Div I and won't lower themselves to go to a Div II/III corps to work their way up speaks volumes about attitude also.IOW - If I can't be with the best, then #### it.... So what? It's their choice. They might have college or jobs in the way as well. Most people don't have unlimited time and money to spend on extraneous activities like drum corps. If they are going to put off school or use all of their money, it had better be worth it in their eyes. There are unlimited reasons to march drum corps, and unlimited reasons why people pick the corps they do. You can't just boil it down to "not wanting to march Div II/III=the wrong attitude for corps". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMello1 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 I have a simple question, and please note that I’m posing the question in reference to drum and bugle corps, not “marching music”:How can we claim all is well when the stated aim of the activity is “education”, but when we are “educating” fewer and fewer people each year? You are probably correct when you say that drum & bugle corps, specifically, is educating fewer young people today than, say in 1970 or 1960. Fewer corps = few kids participating. But discussing that without understanding or acknowledging the associated considerations is useles. The days of "drum corps for the masses" is over. Having a corps in every town is just a memory. Drum corps has "grown up" and is now a much smaller entity...a smaller snow-capped peak that exists at the top of a now much, much larger mountain. Look at it like the iceberg analogy: drum corps is the 10% you see above the water...the most visible part, but certainly not the largest or most "dangerous". What we have below the water--WGI, BOA, USSBA, and all the numerous local circuits and organizations--is much larger than it was when drum corps had much bigger numbers. Of course, I don't have the figures to prove this guess corrent, but I would bet that there are A LOT more kids participating in any of the various marching music activities than ever before...I think that THAT is a much better gauge of the health of drum corps than anything else. But my question is this...do we really *need* to be any larger than we are today? The local youth are still being served...there is a marching band, colorguard or drumline in just about every town these days. And DCI has become the "major league" of marching music. Think about that word "league". What does a league mean to the NFL? 32 teams. Baseball? 30 teams. Do we really need to have 50, 75 or 200 D1 corps? I honestly don't think so. How would an organization survive that usually places in the 175-225 place? If we think that Kiwanis or Pioneer exist in a competitive wasteland thesedays at 20th-24th place, imagine trying to recruit kids to march in a group that can't seem to break into the top 200. Ouch. One of the beautiful things about the NFL is the upward mobility of teams. This year's last place group could be walking away with a superbowl ring in a year or two. The same opportunities exist with a smaller field of corps. Granted, a corps just doesn't go from 20th place to 1st in two years...in fact, a corps doesn't go from 20th to 1st period. But climbing into the "elite" top 12 from 20th place is a whole lot more feasible than it is climbing from 357th place to the top 12. I say DCI is just about at an ideal size...D1 ranging from 20 - 30 organzations. Though I would still like to see bigger numbers for D2 & 3, but that is a different thread. What we really need are a couple dozen healthy D1 corps and a solid bunch of D2 and D3 groups to exist at the pinnacle of the marching music "empire", to innovate and continually redefine excellence and pushing the quality of the allied actvities. My $.02 M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMello1 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 All you people who said "I don't care about indoor guard or band". Well those programs feed ours. As long as they exist, so will we. And as long as we exist, so will they. I care about the members enjoying this activity in general. Saying that their experiences don't mean anything because it's not specifically drum corps is like me saying people who didn't march Glassmen or Crossmen don't matter, because I marched there and that's all that matters. It's clear that many of you really have no idea what you're talking. You're angry that band kids have become the future. And you are just bitter that the world of marching music has expanded beyond your narrow vision. And for that I am sorry. But at least the activity will continue without you. I agree with your assessment of the elitist attitude some posters seem to have. Unfortunately, it seems some people are unable or just unwilling to consider or value anything other than drum corps or even DCI in their assessments of the "health" of drum corps or marching music. Drum corps is completely reliant and tied to the marching band and indoor activities, and vice versa. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beagus Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 UGH, I'm just gonna go ahead and get this off my chest. Some of y'all in this generation should really go learn your history. Some of you act like that when there were more drum corps that they all sucked or something. Here's a news flash..they DIDN'T. There were ALOT of good talented quality drum corps. Heck my first time marching was in a drum corps that came in 19th place in 1982, out of how many corps? 307..That's not too shabby...besides we broke Spirit's record for being the highest place drum corps for a first years drum corps. Then Star came along and broke our record. (I'm talking about Memphis Blues)... So while you want the old school folks to "get their heads out", I want you all to go learn your history and then come back and tell me how healthy the activity is! Then... if you can show me how it is "healthier then ever " HONESTLY with corps folding left and right..I'll give you a BIG hooray! I love some of todays drum corps. And I respect what some of todays corps do but please quit trying to sell me the kool aid that all is well, I'm concerned for the activity actually. I am with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YR-Rudi Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 To you elitests (you so called DCI Drum Corps professional/simiprofessional musicians), out there. You have your heads planted so far up your postiers that you've lost track of the sunshine trying to find your own personal spotlight. You have no idea of who or what made Drum Corps, Drum Corps. Drum Corps was made of of kids that only had two thing going for them, a pulse, and a desire to play music. They didn't have to be professionals or even good. They didn't have to know how to read music or even know how to play an instrument. They just had to have a desire. Pride and determination is what made them Champs. Someone made mention that we didn't even use musical instruments because we wern't using trumpets, we were using "piston" horns. I've seen vehicle brake drums, propane tanks and Lego ® blocks on the field. When did they become musical instruments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbc03 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 To you elitests (you so called DCI Drum Corps professional/simiprofessional musicians), out there. You have your heads planted so far up your postiers that you've lost track of the sunshine trying to find your own personal spotlight. You have no idea of who or what made Drum Corps, Drum Corps. Looks like RAMD is leaking. Who is elitest when you are saying that we don't know who or what made drum corps drum corps? You've lost track of reality trying to hold on to your own personal spotlight. Drum Corps was made of of kids that only had two thing going for them, a pulse, and a desire to play music. They didn't have to be professionals or even good. They didn't have to know how to read music or even know how to play an instrument. They just had to have a desire. Pride and determination is what made them Champs. Someone made mention that we didn't even use musical instruments because we wern't using trumpets, we were using "piston" horns. I've seen vehicle brake drums, propane tanks and Lego ® blocks on the field. When did they become musical instruments? I'm sure that everyone who marched drum corps in your day was just some kid that only had nothing in the world going for them except those things you mentinoed The idea that kids that march today are professional musicians (or semi-professional) is complete bull ####. It's a ridiculous idea and it's a flat out lie. I am nowhere NEAR a professional musician, in fact I'm a fairly average, but because of my pride and determination I was a World Champion. The reason most corps don't teach kids to play anymore is because high school band programs are so much more common and better than they used to be. High school band has taken on the job of training, drum corps don't HAVE to do that anymore. There are still some Div 2/3 corps that do that too though. Don't be so high and mighty that you don't think that kids today aren't the same as the kids when you marched. I personally find your claims highly insulting to those who march today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beagus Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 Nope, I won't study the history of the activity, cuz that's not a class in College... I know where you're coming from, I simply disagree. So double MEH!!!!! BLAH! MOO!@2#$ Hey Aaron you need to grow up a little before you can discuss the history of Drum Corps you are still a young guy who says things then you retract and apologize for. You voiced your opinions about the Crossmen moving in your neck of the woods then took all your posts away. You need to learn respect of the TRADITION OF OF DRUM AND BUGLE CORPS. REMEMBER IT IS NOT BAND. We don't just graduate and forget our music past we still compete and buy and volunteer and have a heart of where drum corps came from and do not like the fact that it has become a yuppy fad to put down history of something you do not even have the years of experience in. Yep DCI is wonderful to some but you will see where it is all leading when you are 30 years past your age out year. And then you will know how us old timers are feeling. I love the activity the rush of competition and who can not say when they smell the bus fumes they do not think of the years they marched. b**bs b**bs b**bs b**bs b**bs b**bs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YR-Rudi Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 Looks like RAMD is leaking.Who is elitest when you are saying that we don't know who or what made drum corps drum corps? You've lost track of reality trying to hold on to your own personal spotlight. I'm sure that everyone who marched drum corps in your day was just some kid that only had nothing in the world going for them except those things you mentinoed The idea that kids that march today are professional musicians (or semi-professional) is complete bull ####. It's a ridiculous idea and it's a flat out lie. I am nowhere NEAR a professional musician, in fact I'm a fairly average, but because of my pride and determination I was a World Champion. The reason most corps don't teach kids to play anymore is because high school band programs are so much more common and better than they used to be. High school band has taken on the job of training, drum corps don't HAVE to do that anymore. There are still some Div 2/3 corps that do that too though. Don't be so high and mighty that you don't think that kids today aren't the same as the kids when you marched. I personally find your claims highly insulting to those who march today. I only see ONE high and Pious person here. I did not create Corps. I only respect it's origins and the people that did create it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YR-Rudi Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 By the way, I'm not up on everything. What does " Looks like RAMD is leaking" mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbc03 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 I only see ONE high and Pious person here. I did not create Corps. I only respect it's origins and the people that did create it. But it's highly presumptuous to assume that kids today do not respect it's origin and the people that created it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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