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The Drum Corps Activity is Healthier Than Ever!


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But we're not being that specific.

Can you get the basic education and understanding of combustion engine technology needed for a more advanced experience on one or the other from EITHER?

Yes.

Stef

Then we saw the same thing two different ways. I read Bryan as meaning you can get the DC experience without being in a corps. Not the same type of experience or basic experience, but the Drum Corps experience. I'll wait for Bryan to explain but that's how I took it.

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without reading all 22 pages of this thread... in fact, after only reading some posts on the first page...

I posted a thread a long time ago that mentioned being negative about a certain era, specifically the current era... it's annoying as #### to read about people who can't look at the positive aspects of drum corps. Let's just face it, how many of the drum corps back in "the day" marched 135 members, had the level staff that is currently involved in drum corps, or the talent level of current drum corps? I'm sure a lot of them did, but not all 500. Just like today, I'm sure a lot of corps ###### their members and staff off with financial scams, etc.

And the one post that annoyed me quite a bit was the marching band blow.

we get it, okay. We understand that you dont like marching bands. Just go watch your 1966 VFW video, instead of making everything sound negative, because it's really not.

~>conner

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Mike,

Let’s see if we can agree on something. I believe the paramount factor leading to the demise of (an individual) drum corps is money.

And if you agree, then would you then consider that a possible reason for the increase in popularity of competitive marching bands is the financial head start give to them by high schools? I’m not talking about the big-budget BOA national class programs, but the average, small to medium size town, generic high school band. With at least some, if not much, of the budget for staff, uniforms, music and drill (off-the-shelf charts), instruments, and transportation paid for by the school, you can put a marching band program on the field for (comparatively) reasonable dollars.

This is, admittedly, raw conjecture. I can only guess as to how much the “typical” school district drops into the pot for a marching band. But I’m pretty confident that the director’s teaching salary is augmented by some “extra curricular” stipend, that the larger instruments are paid for, and that school buses are a negligible cost. And the free labor by parents and their fund raising further drops the ante.

Any credibility to this thinking?

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And still, the theme of this thread remains about the health of winter guard, winter percussion and marching band - not the activity identified in the thread's title.

And still you refuse to see how the overall health of marching band, winter guard and winter drum lines contributes and relates directly to the overall health of drum corps.

To each his own, I suppose..

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And still you refuse to see how the overall health of marching band, winter guard and winter drum lines contributes and relates directly to the overall health of drum corps.

To each his own, I suppose..

Depends if MB, Winter guard and winter drum lines lead young people to also do corps.

Or do young people do these things instead of doing corps.

Sounds like a bit of both from reading the threads and no way of knowing the overall numbers.

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Depends if MB, Winter guard and winter drum lines lead young people to also do corps.

Or do young people do these things instead of doing corps.

Sounds like a bit of both from reading the threads and no way of knowing the overall numbers.

I had a friend in our corps one time who called and asked me to pick him up after his HS band practice. Surprised, I asked why he was in the HS band. His reply?: "Why not, it's half a credit".

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Depends if MB, Winter guard and winter drum lines lead young people to also do corps.

Or do young people do these things instead of doing corps.

Sounds like a bit of both from reading the threads and no way of knowing the overall numbers.

Well, with roughly 200,000 kids in competing marching bands, and 5,000 in drum corps, it would seem that most marching band kids aren't in drum corps at present.

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And still you refuse to see how the overall health of marching band, winter guard and winter drum lines contributes and relates directly to the overall health of drum corps.

Oh, I agree that it relates. I don't think we agree on how positive/negative that relation is for drum corps, though.

I keep hearing the sentiment from a few people that these other three activities have "replaced" drum corps at the local/regional level. A few of you seem satisfied with that. Others aren't. And that's OK - to each his/her own. But what you are celebrating is not the health of the drum corps activity. Celebrate whatever you want - but let's call a spade a spade.

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