Ha! A recent post thread talks about being a drum major. That's cool ... we always needed a drum major to lead us.

But, the real workers were the drummers! Providing the BEAT .. the rhythm.

It was always fun to do this ... and we never had a break.

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What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

I wouldn't want to pick between the two. I loved being DM for the two years I did it in Norwood. But being in a snare line, at least in the 70s, was the primo spot to march. And the bigger the line, the more fun! I marched in everything from 3 snares (Cadets, 73 Imperials) to 11 (1980 Spirit of Atlanta), and being in the center of that many snares, looking both ways and not seeing the end, was a real trip! It was snares in the drum line, first sopranos in the horn line, and rifles in the guard.

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

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

So true Bob. The bigger the line, the more fun. In the 60's we never had big snare lines. But we would get together with RA and Vanguard and others and play something everybody knew or could pick up in a flash.

And today when somebody tells me to "stick it", I ask "backstick or Swiss?" and they just look lost.

What did you do in the Corps? Tenor Drum, Snare Drum

What years were you a Corps member? 60-69

John, I remember doing the same thing with drummers from other cops. That was fun.

Thanks for the "stick it" idea! Of course, most people will be clueless!

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What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

It seemed like we got together with other lines before parades. Find a nice tree...

What did you do in the Corps? Drum

What years were you a Corps member? 60-69

We did it a few times at Northwestern, if we knew that the other school had some drum corps guys in it. Non-corps people weren't really interested.

That didn't happen later in the 70s or 80s that I knew of. But imagine putting just two lines together when everyone was marching 10 or more snares!

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

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

Bob, you mentioned Northwestern. I used to love watching their Percussion and Mallet Ensemble - especially around the Holidays when Terry Applebaum was in charge. He always would close with something from the Nutcracker - can't remember the name of it. It was evident that the entire ensemble loved that piece - I'd love a recording of it. YOu wouldn't happen to have one - would you? FYI the ensemble is not as much fun any more with the new gal in charge.

What did you do in the Corps? Drum

What years were you a Corps member? 60-69

yes, the NU percussion ensemble was always fun. Terry Applebaum was a great director for that group. I went there often and took my kids too .. they enjoyed it.

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What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

John,

You're remembering the "Dance of the Disco Plum Fairies", and I was there when that was being performed (I don't know how long before or after me they did it)! It was a great piece, and lots of fun to play. In fact, that group was always a blast, and Applebaum was very creative - but a jerk! He hated drum corps with a passion, so obviously he and I didn't get along very well. He told me I'd never amount to anything when I left after my sophomore year to march my last year with Spirit of Atlanta. I guess I fooled him (unless he considers a Principal nothing). He was an expert at the "do as I say, not as I do" school of teaching.

My first concert with the percussion ensemble as a freshman I was in the back corner of Pick-Staiger concert hall, playing rocks. My Dad almost pulled me out of school right then and there!

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

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

I had heard that about Applebaum before. Fellow CSJA judge Dan Spalding was a music student at NU too.

Another great piece they did was "The Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor".

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What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

Speaking about college drumming, there is a circuit which has indoor "marching" percussion ensemble performances in the area. It is mostly high school stuff, but sometimes colleges participate.

A few years ago, the drum lines from Michigan State and Illinois participated locally. WOW! Really great. Very innovative and also rudimental. Michigan State's line was awesome.

Turns out, there were a lot of drum corps drummers there!
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What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

Those competitions were big in the 90s - I even hosted one at the school where I was band director. Then they joined the drum lines with the winter guard programs.

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

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

It almost seems sacrileges for a non-drummer to post on this thread, but as Bob can testify I have never been adverse to treading where I don't belong.

Bob, I can't believe you have gotten so old that your memory is failing you. Your comment that you don't remember drum lines being combined in the 70's is evidence of this as you were the instigator of it happening, as least once in Grand Haven, prior to the parade. I know I am right on this as I had to answer to a lot of irate Corps managers who wanted to know why the Imperials were holding their percussion sections captive when they were due to step off in the parade. The impromptu concert went on until the only ones left were Imps. I don't know if it happened in the 80's since we were both gone by that time. I can only surmise that the reason you don't remember is that Grand Haven may have been a case of Bourbon Street revisited. Kidding aside, It was truly an impressive display of what drum corps was all about.

As the comparisons made about Drum Majors and Percussionists, with the exception of Bob, are being made by drummers it seems that they are a little predjudiced. Without editorial comment I can only relate a statement, made by a noted horn instructor, that the only thing wrong with Drum and Bugle Corps was that they had drums. Hope this doesn,t burst any ones bubble and I can,t imagine anyone thinking that any single element was more important than the whole.

1. The Grand Haven "drummers concert" sounds great. Lots of fun.

2. I have heard "anti-drum" comments like that before. A former brass instructor of our corps once mentioned that the "ideal" drum corps would be 50 horns and a bass drum! I think NOT!
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What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958 -1963

First of all, great to see you back Jim! I know you're glad to be home.

And as has been mentioned somewhere else, I don't even remember going to Grand Haven, so I obviously wouldn't remember holding other drum lines "hostage," although it does sound like something I would do.

And concerning one element being more important than the others - nobody ever called it a "bugle corps"...

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

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