History of the Front Ensemble

[BlueKnightsPitChick]

I'm doing a project for school on the history of the front ensemble. I've already looked on the DCI.org and PAS website, so any other places would be very helpful.

Thanks.

[Tristan]

I think Mike Boo did a column about that on dci.org. You might ask him.

[Marianne]

Mike Boo's Fanfare column from May 13, 2005:

The First Pit Performer and the Birth of the Pit

[drumnman2004]

I'm doing a project for school on the history of the front ensemble. I've already looked on the DCI.org and PAS website, so any other places would be very helpful.

Thanks.

I'm sure it's mentioned in Dennis De Lucia's book "The History of Drum Corps".

[Jaminbenb]

I was marching (DCA) back when it was starting...I want to say roughly 1980-81 was when you started seeing more on the sideline.

I was a marching timpanist for the Westshoremen, and I seem to remember a few corps starting to "ground" their timpani at that point. In 1980 we had a few extra thngs sitting up front, but they had to be carried on to the field from behind the front sideline...you couldn't just sit them over the line. In 1981 we first grounded our timpani. I think within the next two years, you were able to ground keyboards, and it blossomed from there. I was in a "pit" for the Reading Buccaneers in 1984, which I want to say was maybe the second year that you saw more than keys and timpani (and maybe a cymbal or two) on the sideline...That was also the year I really remember it catching on in DCI, where you saw rack of toms, cymbals, gongs, etc.

Hope this little bit helps!