IntheMood Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I agree with this montra if it was all the way true in today's Div 1 Drum and Bugle Corps. In order for this montra to be true for me. It must read " It's for the kids and young adults" I would argue that one of the biggest mistake DCI has ever made, was taking the "kids" out of Drum and Bugle Corps. A while back I remember reading an interview on DCI.org where Dan talked about how 60% to 70% of all DCI Div 1 members are College Students. TO ME AND ONLY TO ME. This statement was telling me that 60% to 70% of all Div 1 Corps members are 18-22 years old. I work with a lot of young people in this age range. The last thing they would want to be called is a KID. In most states once you turn 18 you are an adult. No longer a Kid in the eyes of the law. Of course this did not happen over night. And I am blaming no one for this. I just think that sometime ago in the quest to be number one, that some may have forgotten the true reason why this activity was even started. It's for the KIDS. Many old timers will tell that they did not start marching at 17,18,19, they started marching at 12,13,14 and sometimes even younger. To me one of the best DCI Finals ever was 1975. I wonder out loud how many 12, 13, and 14 year olds marched Finals that night? Could 12,13,and 14 year old kids march in today's show. For many no way. I give nothing but respect to today's members you are the ones carrying the torch now. What you do out on the field now is sometimes unreal. You all can make it from the 10 to the 50 yard line in 10 steps or less. LOL When I marched to took me one whole song to make it that far. LOL. We can all be proud that in this activity there has never been any racial segregation. There was never been an all white show and an all black show. I have yet to find something saying that so and so broke through the racial barrier in Drum Corps . We (as in acitvity) was well ahead of our time. You see, most Drum and Bugle Corps back in the day was community based. The Corps was a reflection of the local community. But once Corps found out that there were adults willing to fly hunderads of miles one way for one weekend a month to play with them . Most if not all local recurting for 14, 15, and some 16 year olds stoped or slowed way down. This ment that the Corps was no longer a true reflection of the local community. And in some cases means less diversity. I can see why this has happened. Why would one take the time and effort to teach a local 14 year old how to play a horn who has never played a horn before?When you can have an adult fly in from out of state who knows how to play and only needs fine tuning. Yet takeing the time to teach a local 14 year old who has never played a horn in his life is what I thought This activity was all about. What would happen if DCI mandated that 10% of each Div 1 Corps membership must be local? There is a lot of time and money being spent on recruting High School, and College band members. Yet there are more kids that do not march band then do. Why not target some of these kids. Some Drum and Bugle Corps were from the inter-city. For some, Drum and Bugle Corps was the key to a different life. It is time for DCI to actively recurite these KIDS once again. Hold clinics in the inter-city. Instead of holding an audition camp out of state. Why not set up an audition camp in the inter-city? One day I hope DCI will relaize that the future of Drum Corps is not only in the hands of the 19 year old Music Major. It is also in the hands of the 14 year on the corner who has never heard of Drum and Bugle Corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimisback Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I don't think many if any 12 or 13 year olds marched DCI Finals in 1975. DIV 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbc03 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 High school marching bands are much more prominent now, and now do what local drum corps used to do. There isn't the same need for someone to teach kids how to play music on a local level anymore because in most cases that is taken care of through the school system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madscout96 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I don't think many if any 12 or 13 year olds marched DCI Finals in 1975. DIV 1. There were definately some. Perhaps more from the non finalist div. I corps, but even the top 12 corps probably had some 12 or 13 year olds. There were lots of cadet corps that had mostly kids under 16, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimisback Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 There were definately some.Perhaps more from the non finalist div. I corps, but even the top 12 corps probably had some 12 or 13 year olds. There were lots of cadet corps that had mostly kids under 16, right? I thought the min. age was 14 for Div 1 corps then. In 79, Hunter Moss was the youngest in our Corps. He was 14 I think. It has been a long time. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn craig Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 There were definately some.Perhaps more from the non finalist div. I corps, but even the top 12 corps probably had some 12 or 13 year olds. There were lots of cadet corps that had mostly kids under 16, right? If you watch a legacy DVD from the 70's you can see there were many younger members. Look especially at the drum lines. They cymbals were look like Jr. high kids, bass drumers, HS, with the snares and tenors being older. I don't think most of the top 12 Open class corps, as they were called at the time, had extremely young kids, but the average age of a corps was definately younger then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I think you mean "mantra" rather than "montra". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyRyder_FMM Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I think you will find a fair number of young kids marching these days. Last summer was my daughter's first summer marching. She was 14 years old, and marched with the Blue Stars. There were 2 other 14 year olds marching there as well. IIRC, Carolina Crown had a couple of 15 year olds (maybe 14, not positive there). The men of Madison certainly looked quite a bit younger this year. Seems like I am always meeting people in corps every summer that marched for 6+ years (making them 15 or younger when they began). While not a common now as it was when I started marching in 78 (at the age of 12), it still happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimisback Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I think you will find a fair number of young kids marching these days. Last summer was my daughter's first summer marching. She was 14 years old, and marched with the Blue Stars. There were 2 other 14 year olds marching there as well. IIRC, Carolina Crown had a couple of 15 year olds (maybe 14, not positive there). The men of Madison certainly looked quite a bit younger this year. Seems like I am always meeting people in corps every summer that marched for 6+ years (making them 15 or younger when they began). While not a common now as it was when I started marching in 78 (at the age of 12), it still happens. What Corps did you march with at age 12? Just curious. And how long did you march? 9 years? That is very cool, not many with your experience around these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumCorpsRadio Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 (edited) There are also many more competing youth activities today for 12, 13 and 14 year olds. A large number of parents don't want their young kids traveling with a group that includes 18-21 year olds across the country for a few weeks. I tried to get a 16-year-old from a band I teach to march with Spirit of Newar/New Jersey this year and his parents vetoed that possibility. I think local/regional only corps should focus on those younger kids. Maybe Division I corps could be given some incentive to begin local, division III corps (ala Colt Cadets, BDC). This could be a big gain for local music education as districts continue to cut funding. Edited January 31, 2007 by DrumCorpsRadio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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