Where did all the corps go?

[apoch003]

That better, nitpickers?

Now you can try absorbing the message without any reasons to act out.

Oh come on! This is a forum about kids marching up and down a field... not cardiac arrythmia. Lighten up a bit! :P

[GuyW]

Where did all the drum corps go??

...Basic economic theory....if a product/activity is made MORE EXPENSIVE, YOU GET LESS of the product/activity.

MORE EXPENSIVE =

financially, for corps

financially, for participants

limitation of participation pool thru higher entry qualifications

limitation of participation pool thru "cultural" denigration of non-Div 1 corps

stifled competition thru artificial barriers to upward mobility of corps (how many kids accept a longterm commitment?)

no alternative choices for competition bodies

(and probably some I overlooked...)

[KeithHall]

We all say it and believe it..."kids have so much to do nowadays!" However, let's take a look at that.

What more do they have to do? School is still a priority correct? It was when I was in corps too

I worked in a factory throughout the summer and still marched drum corps. I didn't have to work whatsoever, I chose to. Kids today don't have to work, they choose to.

Marching band programs? They do start early. When I taught Jamestown HS rehearsals began in July but drum corps kids didn't have to show.

Summer school? I did that too and marched corps.

Anything else?

I do know that kids today do too much and try to multi-task. They do it all but they don't master anything. I would rather that my children stick with what they like to do, master it and enjoy what they do. My youngest likes to play baseball and although I don't physically see him everyday I encourage him when I talk to him everyday. I would not encourage him to do more than one or two things at the same time.

The other item I wanted to bring up is gangs. There are more young people in gangs than ever before which will only lead to negative behavior. There has got to be a way to sell drum corps to young people that shows the positive light. I just had this idea about a commercial for a corps. Certain members talking about the positive experience that theyget out of corps and then at the end.......(Name of Corps), a fun and exciting way to meet friends, play music and stay positive! (Just an idea).

[dc oldtimer]

Now lets look at our youth of today. They want to grow up to fast and do many things at once. Can they do drum corps,play baseball, belong to other groups at the same time? NO they can't. Drum corps has to be IT! I quit baseball to do drum corps and anything else didn't matter. Kids today are not like what we were. Times have changed. I, as a teacher, cannot teach my students the way my teachers taught us. I give kudos to those young people who have made drum corps their only thing during the summer. I can imagine it is an extremely tough decision for these kids to make today.

This is my #1 reason why I think there are less drum corps. these days. Yes, money plays a factor but if you have enough kids that pay dues and help with fund raising, I think it can be done with good management.

Growing up in the inner city, I had limited access to other "things" to do. Baseball, football, etc. just were not part of our inner city school programs but they did have decent music programs. But once sports became more of a money maker for schools then as these programs developed, kids were less interested in music.

Add the fact that parents want their kids to become millionaires by playing sports. Playing a bugle or spinning a flag just doesn't pay the bills or for that 3 million dollar home in Malibu.

Edited June 20, 2007 by dc oldtimer

[apoch003]

Does anyone else think the maybe the less corps there are... the less the top 12 have to try hard to put on an excellent show?

To Associate now (top 25) you only have to beat two other corps. TWO!!!

[CODI]

If you look back as to when the corps started disappearing, was it not just about the time DCI came on the scene!

Just take a good hard look as to how many corps there were in so man local circuits, CYO, Eastern Mass. Mayflower, All-American, Yankee Circuit, plus all the circuits in Conn, Ny, NJ, Penn area. Also you can go the many circuits in the mid-west. There had to be hundreds of corps. Just look at any of the Prelims for the VFW, A.L. during this period. I remember when the Prelims at the World Open and VFW would be over a two day period.

All I have to say is thank you DCI!

"Just thinking of the good old days"!

CODI

[MikeD]

Does anyone else think the maybe the less corps there are... the less the top 12 have to try hard to put on an excellent show?

I hope no one else thinks that. I don't, for sure.

[MikeD]

If you look back as to when the corps started disappearing, was it not just about the time DCI came on the scene!

Just take a good hard look as to how many corps there were in so man local circuits, CYO, Eastern Mass. Mayflower, All-American, Yankee Circuit, plus all the circuits in Conn, Ny, NJ, Penn area. Also you can go the many circuits in the mid-west. There had to be hundreds of corps. Just look at any of the Prelims for the VFW, A.L. during this period. I remember when the Prelims at the World Open and VFW would be over a two day period.

All I have to say is thank you DCI!

"Just thinking of the good old days"!

CODI

Wrong. Corps were always disappearing. The difference starting in the late 60's and accelerating in the 70's was that fewer and fewer spung up to take their place.

It had zero to do with the existence of DCI.

[monoemono]

I was part of a come-back corps - Suncoast Sound. I showed up in 1991 and we had a few core corps kids. I was a newbie of the core kids. We made it out in 1992 in Div III. We didn't see it as members, but apparently many did not see us as Suncoast Sound (prior members). Of course we weren't the old Open Class corps, but we carried the same heart and desire. We had many prior members and instructors who made an honest attempt to make the best of what we had. We scrambled for "warm bodies" to fill the corps and all 3 years that I marched (1992-1994) we made finals.

1994 was bitter sweet for us as we aquired many kids from Black Gold - a Div II (I believe) corps from Oklahoma. You never want to see a corps not go out on tour but they are what pushed us into Div II and into having the most successful year (IMO) of the come-back corps. We also had the largest staff of old Suncoasters and it was an AWESOME expereince to be instructed by some of the legends of the old corps.

From what I understand, the catalyst for Suncoast Sound not continuing was funding.

Suncoast Sound

The Greatest Love Of All

I remember seeing you guys out on the trail in those years. It was very cool, as I thought the corps was gone for good.

[S. Pearson]

The local positioning in the community for almost all corps is also in the past, because of the veterans groups and religious groups involvement in their community. Dues were far less because the families more effectively picked up the tabs. Local parents of members took in members each summer and simply added more than usual quantities to the family meals. Parents of members or members themselves, car pooled to rehearsals and worked projects set up by the corps to earn money for dues or other expenses during the off-season and breaks between tours. In those days, some members came from poor homes, they missing a parent or two, came to the corps looking for some guidance. These people got a better shot at a good life, because the corps took them in and gave them structure and a large lesson in working together to achieve goals. This was a huge value for the community!

The joke was heard more than once about how the local crime rate dropped when their drum corps went on tour... :)

(kidding of course)

Parades, tree lots, and other fund raisers not only provided ways for members to earn money, but it also kept the organizations in the communities eyes including marketing for local shows. I didn't care much for parades, but they actually paid very well. In some cases as much or more than corps show appearance fees even today.

(sorry 'bout the long winded text) Where did all the corps gone? Today's potential members are probably playing on soccer fields...

Edited July 8, 2007 by S. Pearson