Drum and Bugle Corps

[Panda]

I am looking for members of any Drum Corps International Drum and Bugle Corps members! I was wondering what corps are you a member of, what years you marched, who is your favorite corps and what is your favorite memory? If you are not a member, have you ever heard of Drum and Bugle Corps?

In 1991 I marched with the Marauders Drum and Bugle Corps based out of Longview, Washington. We went on tour and traveled around the country competing in different states. The DCI World Championships that year was in Dallas, Texas. Anyone who is a member of a corps will tell you that there is nothing more exciting that being on the field performing infront of 30,000+ people!

My favorite corps is the Phantom Regiment. I loved their '91 field show where they performed the Bacchanal! My corps, the Marauders, had a pirate theme and we performed "Captain Blood" and "Victory at Sea". I think what made it the most exciting about going on tour was that this was my first adventure on my own without my parents! Everyone in the corps was between the ages of 15 and 21. The staff was a little older but there were 240 members in the corps to keep track of!

If you have the musical talent to join a corps, I highly recommend it! :D

[Sir Kyle]

[SIZE=1]Well, I can't say I was ever (or ever will be) part of a drum and bugle corps. The time investment is something out of this world and the art is hardly appreciated enough in this country to merit me ever trying out for any of the different corps.

This doesn't mean I don't admire every single person who is a part of these organizations. In fact, I think you people are some of the hardest working people of any profession, and I do know what it's like since I've been a member of marching band for 5+ years now.

The reason I say it isn't appreciated enough is the fact that though these events can draw relatively large crowds (like you said, 30 grand +) there are still a majority of people around who either don't care for it or don't even know it exists. It's too bad, too, since this is one of the most exciting things to go and watch when you have a free weekend. I have personally been to a DCI competition tour that was held in the Omaha area and I was thoroughly impressed by the clean fundamentals and wonderful sound produced by each corps. I was a drum major in my high school's marching band at that time (last year I believe) and though I knew a thing or two about marching, these guys blew me away. Very impressive.

Oh, and you haven't lived until you've performed for 80,000 fans. 30,000 is great, but nearly triple that is even better. I'm part of the Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band and every saturday on gameday in the fall, we march and play for the massive sea of red that fills Memorial Stadium. The sight is almost too much and the sounds of the crowd cheering is so loud that you can hear it literally for miles. You should try it sometime, you'd love it. ;) [/SIZE]