(...and I love it)
Thoughts from a Saturday afternoon
Has anybody else ever gone down the rabbit hole of thought that is viewing the current state of DCI (and WGI for that matter, though I’ve never been part of that world) from an existential point of view?
It is truly an odd thing that we have collectively developed over the years! Like… what is the point of it? What even is it? Why do people put themselves through that crazy, exhausting, months-long process?
Bear with me as I go through some of the strange and remarkable things about the activity and then ruminate on why it is all worthwhile, even if it is one of the weirdest activities a young person can do in our modern society:
It is truly an odd thing that we have collectively developed over the years! Like… what is the point of it? What even is it? Why do people put themselves through that crazy, exhausting, months-long process?
Bear with me as I go through some of the strange and remarkable things about the activity and then ruminate on why it is all worthwhile, even if it is one of the weirdest activities a young person can do in our modern society:
Drum corps is the only major form of entertainment of its kind in our country today, with young people presenting these extravagant, excessively rehearsed performances that are meant to be enjoyed by masses of people.
They aim to entertain and appeal to popular sensibilities, as opposed to, say, a youth orchestra or ballet performance, or a high-school soccer game, which don't go the extra mile to be entertaining to more than a core group of supporters.
Sometimes being at a drum corps show feels like you could be at a Radiohead concert, if you weren’t also baking in the sun eating a hot dog while watching a bunch of young adults running around on a field blowing into horns.
They aim to entertain and appeal to popular sensibilities, as opposed to, say, a youth orchestra or ballet performance, or a high-school soccer game, which don't go the extra mile to be entertaining to more than a core group of supporters.
Sometimes being at a drum corps show feels like you could be at a Radiohead concert, if you weren’t also baking in the sun eating a hot dog while watching a bunch of young adults running around on a field blowing into horns.
(It may be obvious to you at this point that I've never been to a Radiohead concert...)
A similar strangeness is the high-tech nature of the activity today. While it isn’t produced with million-dollar budgets like modern movies and pop music, they still strive to the highest production value possible.
Change in technology began with simple amplification, which quickly escalated to writing utilizing synths and other advanced electronics. Today we have shows (or segments of shows) that are so ‘produced’ that they sound like they come straight out of Pro Tools.
It is a little weird when you think of the origins of this activity as an American outdoor summer pastime that required only a couple drums and bugles, a group of kids, and some grass or a parade.
Change in technology began with simple amplification, which quickly escalated to writing utilizing synths and other advanced electronics. Today we have shows (or segments of shows) that are so ‘produced’ that they sound like they come straight out of Pro Tools.
It is a little weird when you think of the origins of this activity as an American outdoor summer pastime that required only a couple drums and bugles, a group of kids, and some grass or a parade.
Another unique aspect compared to other activities: the young people ARE the big league in this activity. There is no adult version that represents the ultimate dream of the young members (there is DCA, but that is not the aspiration of the standard Cadets hornline member).
There is no NFL or NBA or New York Philharmonic or Joffrey Ballet or Hollywood equivalent for DCI, though it should be noted that many DCI members go on to be top performers in whatever discipline they enter later in life.
There is no NFL or NBA or New York Philharmonic or Joffrey Ballet or Hollywood equivalent for DCI, though it should be noted that many DCI members go on to be top performers in whatever discipline they enter later in life.
Next up: what is up with the choreography? There is a special form of dancing/movement that has developed around the activity that is unique from the worlds of both music and dance.
Sometimes I see drumlines playing their drum feature in the lot—along with the accompanying choreo—and I can’t help but chuckle to myself about the absurdity of it all.
And then sometimes, I see it and think it is the coolest thing ever.
Sometimes I see drumlines playing their drum feature in the lot—along with the accompanying choreo—and I can’t help but chuckle to myself about the absurdity of it all.
And then sometimes, I see it and think it is the coolest thing ever.
And that is just the drumline choreography...
Then there is the aspect - not so new to the activity but still existentially remarkable - huge groups of young people traveling around the country like some youth circus troupe without the a tent, performing for various audiences—some of whom are hardcore fans traveling long distances to witness the big regional shows each Saturday, some of whom were in the activity themselves when it was a different beast back in the 70’s-90’s, and many of whom simply went to the local 4th of July parade and have no idea what drum corps is, and just are happy to have an excuse to wear red-white-and blue outfits and drink beer in the sun with their neighbors for a day.
There is no better way to realize how strange drum corps is than to try to explain it to one of those clueless people…
There is no better way to realize how strange drum corps is than to try to explain it to one of those clueless people…
Part of what I loved most about the the activity was the intense pursuit of perfection of a single product over a long time period, which is very rare in our society, and therefore existentially quite unusual when you think about it in the context of the rest of our lives.
These kids are working on a single 10-to-12-minute production for nine months, often longer (especially if you count the planning that staff does for months before member auditions even occur):
starting in December with auditions (which normally span several rounds over the course of months);
going through monthly camps during the late Winter/early Spring, during which they rehearse for as many hours as possible over the course of a 3-day weekend;
leading into a Memorial Day weekend camp that is usually the checkpoint after which Spring Training begins, and the members all move in for a grueling month-long rehearsal process perfecting the show before they take it on the road for competition;
and finally touring the country for several months facing off against all of the other groups in competitions large and small, experiencing the beautiful landscapes and varied cultures of our country, performing for locals in small parades and for crowds in humongous major metropolitan football stadiums, and culminating at the World Championships in mid-August.
In the same amount of time that it takes for a baby to grow to term in its mother's womb, this collection of people have gone through a life-changing process to create a product that won’t even exist anymore after it comes to term (well… there are video recordings, but it isn’t the same).
How weird, yet amazing.
These kids are working on a single 10-to-12-minute production for nine months, often longer (especially if you count the planning that staff does for months before member auditions even occur):
starting in December with auditions (which normally span several rounds over the course of months);
going through monthly camps during the late Winter/early Spring, during which they rehearse for as many hours as possible over the course of a 3-day weekend;
leading into a Memorial Day weekend camp that is usually the checkpoint after which Spring Training begins, and the members all move in for a grueling month-long rehearsal process perfecting the show before they take it on the road for competition;
and finally touring the country for several months facing off against all of the other groups in competitions large and small, experiencing the beautiful landscapes and varied cultures of our country, performing for locals in small parades and for crowds in humongous major metropolitan football stadiums, and culminating at the World Championships in mid-August.
In the same amount of time that it takes for a baby to grow to term in its mother's womb, this collection of people have gone through a life-changing process to create a product that won’t even exist anymore after it comes to term (well… there are video recordings, but it isn’t the same).
How weird, yet amazing.
Unlike the genius works of great individuals - the inspiring careers of the likes of Serena Williams or Michael Jordan, the groundbreaking choreography of Martha Graham, the unbelievably perfect symphonies of Beethoven, the masterfully constructed films of Stanley Kubrick, the novels of Marcel Proust, the art of van Gogh, et cetera - drum corps is remarkable because it consists of many people coming together to create something much larger than any one person.
I don't mean to say that any drum corps shows can even compare to the works of those geniuses. Just pointing out that it is the work of a community coming together to create greatness. And actually, if those people were alive today (besides the two that are alive...), they might have been huge drum corps fans, or at least have denied that their work is any better than that of a great drum corps production.
Yes, there are a select few people in each corps who necessarily have more creative control - and we celebrate them within the community - but no individual person gets to put their name on the final product.
I don't mean to say that any drum corps shows can even compare to the works of those geniuses. Just pointing out that it is the work of a community coming together to create greatness. And actually, if those people were alive today (besides the two that are alive...), they might have been huge drum corps fans, or at least have denied that their work is any better than that of a great drum corps production.
Yes, there are a select few people in each corps who necessarily have more creative control - and we celebrate them within the community - but no individual person gets to put their name on the final product.
What other activity is even remotely like this one? It shares individual aspects with many other types of arts/sports/activities, but combines them to create something unlike anything else.
Drum corps, in its unique way, gives many young people the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and completely throw themselves into the process, all while making lifelong friends and companions.
People who might have otherwise felt like the geeks at their high school get a chance to feel really cool about themselves as the crowd goes wild after they play an immaculate triplet diddle roll;
or a brass feature that overpowers your senses and instills a powerful physical reaction in your gut and heart;
or a color guard sequence that comes off without a hitch and adds a perfect accent to create a tear-jerking moment;
or a drill maneuver that, like human clockwork, twists around the field at incredible speed, pushing the players to their peak physical limit (while playing breathtaking music, I should add), ending miraculously in a perfect line.
Drum corps, in its unique way, gives many young people the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and completely throw themselves into the process, all while making lifelong friends and companions.
People who might have otherwise felt like the geeks at their high school get a chance to feel really cool about themselves as the crowd goes wild after they play an immaculate triplet diddle roll;
or a brass feature that overpowers your senses and instills a powerful physical reaction in your gut and heart;
or a color guard sequence that comes off without a hitch and adds a perfect accent to create a tear-jerking moment;
or a drill maneuver that, like human clockwork, twists around the field at incredible speed, pushing the players to their peak physical limit (while playing breathtaking music, I should add), ending miraculously in a perfect line.
Anyway, I will stop ranting now, though I think I could go on for a while if I allowed myself to… Let’s just end it by saying: drum corps is awesome.
To all the folks out there who are in the process of preparing for next summer (many probably even hard at work at their corps' February camp at this very moment), enjoy this process, and maybe take a moment this summer to stop and laugh to yourself about how crazy the whole thing is.
To all the folks out there who are in the process of preparing for next summer (many probably even hard at work at their corps' February camp at this very moment), enjoy this process, and maybe take a moment this summer to stop and laugh to yourself about how crazy the whole thing is.
What do you think of the activity? Do you ever think about how strange but fantastic it is? Leave a comment and let me know!
Hindsight: I forgot to mention the crazy uniforms, which was part of what got me thinking of this in the first place. But this turned out to be pretty long so I don’t want to go back and make it longer. But I’ve always thought that was a strange part of the evolution of the activity. Thanks, Carolina Crown! But then again…the old school uniforms were pretty strange too, if you think about it…