WWonka Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I would hazard a guess here and say that what goes on in All Age corps with kids under 18 is nothing compared to the average behavior of the crowd on a DCI tour bus. Not saying DCI kids are bad, but the ratio of minors to adults in DCI is not as great = less supervision in my mind. I think the guys posting about the kids in Sr/All-age Corps have some other axe to grind. Honestly the stuff that went on when I marched(Jr) in the stone age and some things that went on last summer in a few corps(Jr) I know about are not exactly good wholesome family fun. Hey we were young stupid. They still are. Part of life. At least nobody died. I bet a whole lot less of it goes on in DCA especially since a big chunk of the under 18's have family in the corps or like everyone eles said they end up with a bunch of "corps parents" watching over them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbc33 Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 it depends. its drum corps. we're all out there having fun...there are bad things from both ends of the spectrum. but its all in good fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Zehner Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 I consider myself to be All-aged... Good thing my corps does too. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcorpsmama Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 I consider myself to be All-aged... Good thing my corps does too. ;) Bully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CozyChopsCom Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 (edited) <snip> The Kilties all ready have a 13 year old to be marching with them. He should at least be marching with the Scouts or wait until he is mature enough. I have my fire resitant suit on. Ann The Kilties, like every all-age corps I've ever been associated with, have a philosophy that junior age kids should march juniors if they can. I'm sure that hasn't changed. In situations where a junior doesn't have the $$, time, permission, etc., to join a more expensive, touring junior corps, many all-age corps are there to provide the weekend, cheaper format. I marched with a 13 y-o one year while with the Kilties. I interviewed him in Madison, now a proud member of the Madison Scouts. The Kilties, including his parents, are proud of the Kilties' contribution to his training and positive experiences. We also almost literally kicked a tech out of the Kilties to fly off and join the Blue Devils for his age-out year. Last year, I marched with another 13 y-o in the CorpsVets. He, his member dad and all the other CVers hope that he and other younger members will join juniors when the time is right. In fact, several do plan to join junior corps this year thanks to the experience with the CorpsVets. The Kilties and CorpsVets aren't special. I saw this with Empire, Mirage, Cincinnati Tradition, Renegades, etc. I've heard similar stories from Bucs, MBI, Bush.... All Age - All Good! Edited January 25, 2007 by CozyChopsCom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 (edited) I consider myself to be All-aged... Good thing my corps does too. ;) What's this thing called age? :P Seriously some Alumni corps can be considered All-Age also as they accept under 21 year olds. Some only accept family members and some actually recruit for the younger folks who will not be doing Jr or competitive All Age corps. Heh, if a young person gets the chance to experience corps it's good right? Thus sayeth the guy who marched "Senior" corps from age 16-22. Edited January 24, 2007 by JimF-3rdBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vagabond Skyliner Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 What's this thing called age? :P Seriously some Alumni corps can be considered All-Age also as they accept under 21 year olds. Some only accept family members and some actually recruit for the younger folks who will not be doing Jr or competitive All Age corps.Heh, if a young person gets the chance to experience corps it's good right? Thus sayeth the guy who marched "Senior" corps from age 16-22. There is a SPOT for everyone, with ALL the different ways to march around these days. DCI, DCA, Alumni, Mini Corps, and we still have the little Local Parade Corps. Old Style or New. Something for EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixtysomething Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 All Age - All Good! Time for me to jump into the fray..........did this really start with a great banner discussion??? Sorry if I get a little long winded here....brass players tend to get that way. I've been in drum corps for a long, long time and the most controlled and enriching environment that I've experience is that of the 'all age' corps'. In junior corps, (way back in the '60's) we did some really stupid and risky things, on and off the buses. Certainly many things my parents wouldn't have wanted to know about. Then when I 'graduated' to senior corps, the real serious parties began. Bus trips to a competition were usually all nighters, after a Friday night rehearsal, and the bar was open. Same with the return trip after the party at the local VFW or American Legion Post.....more partying, more (ah hem!) shennanigans. In the last few years with all age corps, there is a much greater emphasis on 'decorum'. From my experience, the bus trips are strictly 'non-alcholic'. The older folks tend to drive to the show the night before so they can get in a little partying, and pretend its like the good 'ol days. During rehearsals, there are old pharts and young tarts (couldn't resist the poetic insert), but the focus is on working our butts off to get better. Little time or thought is given to fraternizing between the ages. The young folks usually hang with their peers and so do the older folks. The interaction I've witnessed has been either that of teacher/student (and that goes either way or cooperation to get it done. In Empire, there are 'mentors' for those younger members who were new to the activity. There are opportunities for scholarships, housing for out of towners, and even chaperons if necessary, (but not usually needed). I whole heartedly agree with the 'All age - All good' label. There is bad in the world and it will happen anywhere, anytime so you can't or shouldn't wrap up the kids in fireproof clothing and make them stay home. The kids need to mature and drum corps can do that job very well. My mother worked most of her life and once us kids got to our teens and into drum corps, half of her child raising job was taken away. She always claims drum corps helped raise her children, and she appreciated the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcorpsmama Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 That viewpoint does not compass the reality of the situation. The reason that the Racine Scouts struggle in recruiting in the immediate SE Wisconsin area (particularly Racine) is because there is a champion High School marching band (and corresponding middle school band program) run by the City's school district that kids are much more likely to join, which has better facilities, a summer tour schedule, better management, and qualified drum corp alumni educators teaching in a corps-esque atmosphere. It's an incredibly difficult environment for a corp like the Racine Scouts to thrive, and frankly I'm surprised they haven't yet gone the way of the dodo bird and the passenger pigeon. Its a shame more kids in general (and this applies everywhere across the country) don't consider a summer music program though. I'm all for competition on all levels of drum corps. I believe drum corps is superior to general summer camp programs in virtually every way. The Kilties, like all drum corps, are merely looking to grow its organization and provide an educational experience in a competitive performance environment. Recruitment can be very laissez-faire and thats just how it is everywhere...in academics, business, athletics, performance art, and so on. Ideally there would be enough performers stepping up to the plate on the front end such that recruiting overlap isnt a problem for groups. Most D1 DCI corps are at that point now, which allows them to focus energies on the performance aspect. For many D2/D3 corps and DCA corps, its just not there at this point in time. It takes fantastic management, motivation from within, and a winning attitude to really ascend. Also to add to your comments about the Racine Scouts, I received some info from my ex. You wrote him saying the Scouts were poorly run. DO YOU KNOW ANYONE THAT IS INVOLVED WITH THE SCOUTS? WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INFO FROM? If you have any info please PM me. I am willing to listen. Ann :P :P :P :P :P :P :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 I'm 52 and I'm not planning on doing any cavorting. I do plan to be on the field with a group of talented people. I don't care how old they are and I hope I play well enough that they don't care how old I am. I'm too old to cavort, anyway... Do these kids even know what cavort means? B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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