State of Drum Corps (or now, band)

Cartoonish antics, or visually impactful?

So there are still those out there that say Drum Corps is no longer Drum Corps due to the theatrics.

Let’s take a look at some of the “skills” that were required from days gone by:

1. You had to have BALLS!

2. There wasn’t a necessity to have an advanced degree in music; you just needed to show up, practice hard, and HAVE BALLS!

3. The staff HAD BALLS!

4. ABSOLUTELY no need for electronics or microphones, you just needed to HAVE BALLS! (Are we starting to see a trend here?)

5. WTF is this dancing shit in drumlines? As an old drum instructor of mine used to always say to us, “play the fuckin’ drum and stop dancing around!!!” Guess what, HE HAD BALLS!

6. Watch this and speak your piece.  Straight up BALLS!

Now some will argue that what these kids are doing today is still drum corps, and us old farts are just hating on them. Please do not misconstrue the words; there is absolutely NO hating on the kids. The kids are working their tails off. The hating is with DCI for ruining a once great activity.

For example, G bugles are superior in sound to B# horns for the field. Does this make a B# horn bad? No. But the sound does not project as warmly or as well from the field.

As for the argument that:

• band kids were ruining their embouchure by playing a G bugle during the summer, then switching back to a B# horn? Bullshit!

• that G bugles cost more than B# horns? Again, bullshit!

In fact, I have never heard a valid reason why the need to change from the warmer, more beautiful sounding G bugle to the B#; it just doesn’t make sense. Funny enough, when listening to and watching the above video, it amazes me that the sound quality and sheer volume was done by only 128 men, and not the 150+ of today’s full corps. I was there, and it was amazing!! Much love my Scout brethren!

Michael Boo writes

This rendition of “Malagueña” was the ultimate in “higher, faster, louder” drum corps bliss, ripping apart the night sky with no apologies. The brass players came up to the front line to unleash their full power during a standstill moment. A full 360-degree pivot while each brass player marched in circular formation brought the horns into a large block wedge. The pivot was made all the more dramatic with half the horns turning to the left and the other half to the right while following a circular path into the wedge. The final last seconds to the end turned up the volume even more.

In any event, I personally wish Drum Corps would go back to earlier, and arguably easier times. Marching Band is marching band and Drum Corps is drum corps; let’s not make one long band season, let’s have a band season then a balls-out drum corps summer! Can you dig it?!?