Properly called Drum and Bugle corps, drum corps is an uber marching band. As the name would indicate, it began with drums and bugles and usually an honor guard to display the colors. I mean bugles here. The no-valve kind. And these corps were usually started by or associated with a VFW club.
It is now a youth organization with scads of kids 15-22 involved. At 21 or 22, depending on how your birthday falls, you "age out." You are no longer eligible to march. It is against the rules to march someone over 22.
The organization that checks these things is called DCI (Drums Corps International) and is headquartered in Indianapolis. DCI oversees 2 divisions of corps--world class and open class. World class means the corps has no more than 150 members and travels all summer--Memorial Day to mid-August, meeting other corps for competitions all over the United States. Drum Corps does thrive in other countries, but all of the 24 world class corps are American.
The evolution of the sport has been incredible. I have gone to shows for about 40 years, and my how it has changed. When I first became aware of the activity, the performances were still very military and the instruments very limited. The color guard had increased from the original honor guard, but they carried flags and marched like the other performers.
Now the color guard dances and changes outfits and generally adds color and movement to the show. A front ensemble has been added with any number of percussion instruments. The brass players perform on trumpets, mellophones, baritones, and tubas. And the effect is amazing. The sound, the color, and the movement keep the audience enchanted for 11 minutes.
Being a geek does mean talking to other geeks about performances from the past. Some corps are no longer in existence, but were part of making drum corps what it is today. 27th Lancers and the Bridgemen each leap to mind. The Lancers really pushed the envelope of guard work and uniforms and generally creating entertaining and melodic shows away from classics or military music. The Bridgemen added humor. Lots of it. Putting a pin in the pomposity of music and competition was their specialty. I really miss them.
Drum Corps has now become a Broadway show on a football field. And the most amazing thing from the stands is remembering that the oldest kid on the field is 22 and performing in this astonishing and complex way. The kids all memorize drill--their positions on the field. Of course a marching band means that in 11 minutes, any given kid is all over the field. How they do it I will never know. And the drill can change as improvements are made over the course of the season. So yesterday you ended halfway through on the 35 yard line and today you end of the 40. The fact that so few collisions happen shows the kids' dedication.
All over America, come summer, these kids are on the road in your neck of the woods. They will probably perform at a football field near you. Give 'em a look. You can be a geek, too.
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