New Era Drum Corps

For a large swath of my connected circle, and most everyone else that knows me - summers are rooted in the marching world of drum corps. It started in 6th grade and has followed me my entire life. This next week begins the final stretch for those corps competing in the DCI Championships as their season ends. I check my updates daily and will be in the theaters to watch!

Back when I marched, it was still the golden era of the activity where every corps was community based with VFW's and Scout troups fielding a competitive unit. With the advent of Drum Corps International, it raised the bar of the design and competitive side of the activity. But it also started the decline how difficult it was to maintain an organization and each year since, the number has eroded on a downward spiral. Many fingers have been pointed - the lack of solid community organizations to fund and support them, band programs eclipsing the need for drum corps, gas and touring expenses, cuts in school music programs, the influx of WGI and the winter arena..... The lists go on and on without any solid solutions or answers. Major champions have disappeared like extinct dinosaurs; Etibocoke Crusaders, Bridgemen, 27th Lancers, Guardsmen, Suncoast Sound, DutchBoy, Magic, Southwind, Glassmen. Like tombstones in a drum corps cemetery. There have been a fortunate few like Troopers, Crossmen, Cascades and Spirit of Atlanta that have morphed themselves into a new existence by sheer determination like a phoenix. And even a few "new" others that have managed to thrive in impossible circumstances like Carolina Crown or the Academy.

But this year I am surprised to find there may be a turning point. In spite of the dominant G-7 "elite" World corps that have remained invinceable, there is a new crop joining the activity after decades of blight. It is the first year in recent memory that a corps has not sadly folded in the early summer when it found that funds had evaporated. Even Music City out of Nashville had announced closure but a resilient membership fought hard to maintain and they are having a banner season with a full unit. There are 6 new Open Drum Corps which is unprecedented in a single year. And they are not starting at the bottom of the pack as is custom. Both Louisiana Stars and Guardians came to the field ready to play against major teams. In my lifetime, I don't think LA has ever had a notable drum corps - and this a Southern state with likely very little money in school music programs.

For my thought, I think DCI's new SoundSport is genius. For all the name calling at becoming big bucks business in Indy, it seems like a great effort at opening doors to the activity. I have never felt like DCI was in it for money despite some heavy political alliances with the Top corps. I think it is ego driven and not for wealth. The premise of this new branch is allowing new units to compete on a small scale. Literally 20 X 30 yards of a field rather than a whole stadium. They can decide what elements they want to field to create a show and it lets them build a program that suits the talent they have at hand. Some are destined to become a full competing corps in the next season, some have sights on evolving as an All-Age corps in DCA and others are parade units that want a challenge of rising to the next level. The parameters are flexible. This removes the financial demands of touring and major staffing. I was amazed when I searched the DCI link and found at least 20 new units in the states as well as world units from Brazil, Colombia, Ireland, Guatemala & China. This truly puts the International in DCI. It is heartening to see familiar names reemerging like Southwind, Railmen & Lakeshoremen. Creative new names like Oklahoma Roughnecks, Maelstrom, Resistance & Phenom. I am guessing like any new businesses, not all will thrive and flourish. But how very fortunate to have this new arena which gives opportunity to so many and again puts the drum corps experience back into small communities where they began. In 25 years, maybe there will be new dynasties like the LaCrosse Blue Stars or Dubuque Colts coming from a small town and yet a contender among the elite in the final week of the season. I know from days with the Erie Mavericks how ambitious and daring that quest is!