The recent "Cadet corps" thread regarding Colleen Ryan's hoped for corps start-up made me think about the idea of community drum corps and DCI.

It is clear that the Division I DCI corps are NOT community based corps. An example is the Cavaliers (but they are all the same). The Cavaliers website includes a segment where the curremt members are listed. I looked at the drum line, 27 members. 6 are from Texas, 4 are from Kentucky and there are 1 each from California, Florida, Tennessee, Delaware, Missouri, Arizona and Louisiana. (11 members were not shown). This makes me wonder WHY these corps even exist. Sounds like a business to me.

BUT .. there is (community) hope in DCI at the Division II and III levels! Perhaps this is where REAL drum corps (as I look at it) has a future?

If so, MAYBE we should encourage DCI to "split off" the Division I actvity from the rest and let each go it's own way!

What did you do in the Corps? tenor & snare 1958-63; quartermaster 1964-66; asst. drum instructor 1964-70i

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 1963

There have been some posts on the "favorite corps" thread about corps like the BRIDGEMEN and ST. VINCENT'S CADETS (and there were others) which existed for the primary purpose of having something POSITIVE for local youth to do.

Often, these kids were disadvantaged, from poor backgrounds and homes, etc. Often delinquents and trouble makers. This is certainly true of the Briddgemen and of St. Vincents, maybe the Muchachos.
In fact, there was a corps from the Boston area called the Cambridge Caballeros, and the members all were residents of a reform school! But, on the field they were very good!

Actually, MOST corps in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80's had SOME aspects of this as their purpose. Even the Cavaliers started as a "neighborhood youth activity".

Garfield was the Holy Name Cadets .. a Catholic parish youth group .. as was the Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights.

We know that the behavior of some of the corps named was poor off the field .... the REAL question is "what would they have been like .. and doing.. WITHOUT the corps influence?"

Now, we hear that there are so many OTHER youth activities that we don't NEED community drum corps.
I wonder if that is true.

AND, do we really NEED the super corps that DCI provides in Division I ... which are really training grounds for music majors and band directors? Oops, there is a Borck opinion showing again.

What did you do in the Corps? tenor & snare 1958-63; quartermaster 1964-66; asst. drum instructor 1964-70i

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 1963

A recent discussion thread on "Great Instructors" brought out some interesting points:

From Rich Biver:
Dave, in response to your reply about how a bunch
of kids off the streets could be transformed into
marching unit,playing musical instruments,kids
that didn't know their left foot from their right
foot,not knowing what they where getting
themselves into when they joined Norwood or for
that matter some other Drum Corps,but after weeks
and months of long practices,a lot of effort,the
result was finally realized,when you lined up on
the starting line for that first contest,shaking
in your white bucks.

That's what made Drum Corps so unique during that
time,"it was kids off the streets".The majority of
the membership.And this created some of the best
Drum Corps of all time,both junior and senior.
Email: rjb6116@sbcglobal.net
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From Bob Shreffler:
And you have to wonder what might have happened to some of those kids if they hadn't had drum corps.
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From Jerry Davidson

You're right Bob. What might have happened to many of these kids hadn't they had the discipline of drum corps to teach them how to be a good citizen? Quite possibly that is one of the problems with today's kids. They don't have activities like drum & bugle corps, baton and bell corps, drill teams, etc. to help mold their character. That is one of the sad commentaries of today. DCI, in it's haste to forward the quality of the drum and bugle corps within their membership completely forgot WHY the activity was there to begin with.

For the above reasons it is extremely important to support any of the groups that are trying to build the activity back from the bottom up. Groups like SCDA and even Steve Vickers who is trying to start independent drum corps need our support. It might be a way to restart the activity independent of any DCI influence or interference. Something to think about.
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Some additional thoughts:

1. Is there still a real NEED for community corps as described above? With all the youth programs available, do we need more? (I think yes, because drum cops is unique))

1. MAYBE a solution lies in the Division II and III (oops, now called "Open Class") corps?

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

Bob Turner recently posted this comment on another discussion, but it applies here!
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Just recently we were talking to our grandson about
our days in drum corps (my wife and I both marched and met thru this activity). . . .In telling him about some of our experiences his comment hit it right on the head when he said "So that was like your gang, huh Pops". Out of the mouths of babes. Maybe if there was more street level drum corps there would be less time for gang involvement. We could only wish. . .
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Wow! How true! Drum Corps was "our gang"!
We were together for friendship, community and for "hanging out"!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

So... what IS a "community" drum corps?

Bob Shreffler recently noted that the thought the LAST "community" drum corps he knew about was the Joliet Kingsmen. Local, off the street kids, taught to play instruments and do something positive.

That is the kind of "community" focus which started most drum corps in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

That includes Norwood, Cavaliers, Royal Airs, Vanguard, Garfield Cadets, Blessed Sac, St. Kevin's, etc, etc.

Might even include the current Santa Clara and Blue Devils organizations, since they each have several units in their community.

While DCI has a right to exist, there is still a need for local, community based youth activities, including drum corps. I hope that the activity can rebound.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer: later: Quartermaster, assistant drum instructor

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

An interesting announcement from YEA (Youth Education in the Arts) .. the organization which runs the Cadets:
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Youth Education in the Arts is proud to announce the formation of Cadets2, a drum corps for young men and women ages 16-22 that will operate and compete within the Drum Corps Associates circuit beginning in the summer of 2012.

Based in the Lehigh County of Pennsylvania, Cadets2 will include 128 brass, percussion and colorguard performers who will function as a ‘weekend-only’ corps while gaining the same life-changing skills and experiences that are a benefit of participating in The Cadets.

Auditions for Cadets2 will be held this coming November with monthly weekend rehearsals to be held from December 2011 through April 2012. The rehearsal pace will pick up in May 2012, with a full summer performance schedule ending at DCA World Championships in Annapolis, Md. Students can audition for The Cadets and Cadets2 but at different times.

For more information please contact Justin Heimbecker at justin@yea.org or (610) 821-0345, Ext. 112 or Melissa Barlow at Melissa@yea.org or (610) 821-0345, Ext. 115

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Not sure that this is a real "community" drum corps, but it is NOT a touring DCI corps ....

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What did you do in the Corps? drummer; quartermaster 1964-66, ass't drum instructor 1964-70

What years were you a Corps member? 1958 -1963

This will be interesting to watch.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare; Drum Major; Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

More about the new Cadets corps .. the Cadets2 ... from their website

Cadets2 is a program we are thrilled be able to provide,” said George Hopkins, director of The Cadets and CEO of Youth Education in the Arts. “This DCA participating corps will be part of the YEA! curriculum that assists in supporting young people along their personal road towards greatness. It is a different approach than The Cadets, due to the level of time commitment, but the corps will be managed very much the same as The Cadets. There will be an expectation of excellence, the clear intention that the image of The Cadets is maintained, and there is a promise from the organization that Cadets2 will operate with the same degree of quality expected of all YEA! programs."

“For so many, the time commitment and cost of a World Class drum corps just isn’t possible,” said Heimbecker. “Cadets2 will allow brass, percussion and colorguard performers a place to experience being part of The Cadets, but in a different capacity. They will still learn from some of the best teachers in the activity, they will have the infrastructure of YEA!’s team to provide much needed support, but of course, there are less financial pressures and less time concerns. A DCI presence was considered but touring costs drew YEA! to request of DCA that Cadets2 be allowed to participate in their arena. And yes, there is the possibility we will loosen the age restrictions to 23 or 24, depending on demand."

Teachers will be able to contribute to both corps, equipment can be used by both, and instruments, vehicles and even uniforms will be passed between the two corps. Of note, Cadets2 will NOT wear the official Maroon and Gold uniforms of The Cadets, said Hopkins. A different uniform, similar in style but not in color, will be discussed in mid to late May.

“This news is exciting for the YEA! organization as for years we have given thought to finding ways to provide the drum corps experience to more youth but through an avenue that was affordable and perhaps not so time consuming. After a few months of discussions and planning, it was realized the time for version two of The Cadets could be now, as we lay out the foundation to Cadets2, you can be assured this corps will have the best we can offer its membership in uniforms, equipment, staffing and of course, a creative edge,” said Hopkins.

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What did you do in the Corps? drummer; quartermaster 1964-66, ass't drum instructor 1964-70

What years were you a Corps member? 1958 -1963