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The
Difference Between
Marching Band and Drum
Corps
(according to me)
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Hi,
In case you've come straight to
this page from a search engine,
let me give you a little
background. I am a visual
designer with background in band
and corps. I also have some strong
opinions about the differences
between drum corps and band.
Every once in a while, I get an
email from someone who says that
drum corps is being destroyed by
DCI. As a performer who didn't
always get what I wanted from DCI,
(ie. a ring) I've given it some
thought, and I just can't buy into
the idea that DCI is doing
anything to hurt the drum corps
movement.
I'll list below the arguments I've
heard and my rebuttals. I'm
going to work on this as I have
time. If you have a thought
to add, or an argument to make,
send it and if it's logical and
well written, I'll post it.
ARGUMENT
Drum and Bugle corps is turning
into marching band, and is being
pushed that way by large
multinational music instrument
corporations.
REBUTTAL
From a certain point of view, Drum
and Bugle corps ceased to be Drum
and Bugle corps back in the old
days when they added that first
valve. If DCI's rules
changes governing instruments are
destroying the movement, then Jim
Jones as much damage as anyone by
adding the rotor to the piston
configuration. There was a
VFW or American Legion official
back in the sixties who argued
against contras saying "If they
want to play tuba, they can join a
band." The fact is that the
groups play better in tune and
with better tone because the
instruments being used now are the
ones that have been proven best
over the centuries since valved
brass was invented.
ARGUMENT
There are far fewer
drum corps now than when DCI was
organized. Therefore, DCI is
killing off the drum corps.
REBUTTAL
It's important to
understand a couple of historical
facts. In the fifties there
was an phenomenon in Education
called "The Sputnik Effect."
In the wake of Soviet supremacy in
space, American schools moved
toward math and science and away
from the arts. School music
programs were cut all over the
country. Kids who wanted
music and pageantry didn't have
school band any more, especially
in urban areas. At the same
time, the World War II generation
was coming into its own.
Those families had school age
students and wanted music in their
lives. That's why groups
like the VFW, the American Legion,
the CYO and the Scouts organized
drum and bugle corps.
Then, as the country came back
from its panic, bands returned to
their former prominence in the
schools. (Orchestras by and
large did not, I think as a result
of the influence of Drum
Corps. Pageantry is more fun
than pizzicato.) At the same
time, the War generation's kids
moved out of high school and into
college and now have kids of their
own. They're the baby
boomers, and they don't belong to
the VFW and American Legion.
Those sources of funding have
dried up, and with them the corps
they sponsored. Drum corps
participation became more
expensive. The oil crisis
and better national tours also
increased the cost of marching.
Think of your favorite corps that
no longer exists. Did it
fold for
A. Financial reasons?
B. Lack of good instructors?
C. Lack of student participation?
D. A combination of the above? or
D. Because DCI stacked the cards
against it and made them lose.
I don't know of any corps that
folded when it was well funded,
had good instructors and lots of
student interest. I do know
of several that folded when they
had problems in any one or more of
the three.
ARGUMENT
DCI is so
political that most corps can't
get a fair shot at winning.
REBUTTAL
Any organization is
going to have internal and
external politics. Those
politics are often going to hamper
efficient operation. For
more on that, read Weber on the
ideal type of bureaucracy.
(http://www.faculty.rsu.edu/~felwell/Theorists/Weber/Whome.htm)
The real question is, or should
be, "Does DCI do more good or more
harm than the organizations that
preceded it."
The answer, at least from my
observation is that DCI does more
good than harm. Before DCI,
the activity was governed by
several outside groups with
divergent ideals and objectives.
There were multiple judging
systems and rules. There was
no clear national champion at the
end of the season. Was the
champion the winner of the VFW, US
Open, CYO, or American
Legion? Opinions
varied. Even more
importantly, under the old system,
external political views were
sometimes used to pick the winner
instead of the merit of the groups
performance. The notable
example of this was during Viet
Nam when the Garfield Cadets
marched a Peace Sign, earned the
highest score, but lost Nationals
when the show director altered the
score sheets. Under the
rules it was his prerogative and
he made no apology. The activity
was funded by his Veteran's group
and they didn't want a peace sign
to win. That kind of nonsense
doesn't happen with DCI. In
DCI, the drum corps rule.
Victor
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