From: dawson@willard.UUCP
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: RFD: rec.marching vs rec.arts.marching
Date: 9 Oct 92 03:07:03 GMT
Organization: Willard's House BBS, Atlanta, GA -- +1 (404) 664 8814

SFINE00@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU (Fineman, Stephen Elliot) writes:

> In article <1992Oct4.151911.16327@vdbsan>
> dawson@vdbsan (Willard Dawson) writes:
>  
> >continue to foster this misconception?  Drum and bugle corps are, in the
> >simplest of analyses, just one of many kinds of marching band, which are
> >in turn a flavor of military musical performing group.  To what degree
> >they are military is another matter, best left for later discussion...
>  
> This is exactly the kind of attitude we drum-corps types are trying to change
> On the surface, both marching bands and drum corps consist of a bunch of peop
> running around on a field (with varying degrees of precision) playing music.
> But experienced fans can definitely tell the difference.

Yes, one can tell the differences, but experienced fans should also be able
to distinguish similarities.  It is only the most obstinate who would claim
that there are more dissimilar aspects than similar aspects between drum and
bugle corps (as we know them today) and marching bands (likewise).  Please
don't forget that there are many corps that don't fit the top-12 mold, and
that there are many bands of similar ilk.  Some bands rehearse much more
intensely, and offer much higher levels of performance, than corps of like
size.

I'm not convinced that any blanket assertions about "drum corps do this"
while "bands do that" have any place in this discussion, i.e., the choice
of some Usenetters for the names of groups to hold forth talk on the
subjects at hand.

> This is why I support the
> creation of     rec.[arts].marching.drumcorps
> and             rec.[arts].marching.misc
>  
> --             Steve (sfine00@ricevm1.rice.edu)
>                Crossmen '92 - Invading the top six!
>                Crossmen '93 - Songs for Comet Kohoutek?

I'm not disagreeing with you in this one iota.  I only presented my views on
the relationship of drum corp to musical organizations in general, and to
marching bands in specific, so that others on news.groups would have at least
a minor exposure to the topics at hand.  I'm sure that many of the readers of
alt.drumcorps are more than familiar with the sorts of statements I've made,
and the LAST thing I'm looking for is agreement from that readership.  Neither
am I likely to be convinced that my opinions are misinformed by any comments
that might be offered in this newsgroup.

Anyway, I would like to say that I do agree with the selection of these
newsgroup names:

       rec.[arts.]bands.misc
       rec.[arts.]bands.marching
       rec.[arts.]bands.marching.drumcorps

These choices agree with one other statement I've seen elsewhere, and with
which I'm in total agreement:  that the MUSIC is 90% of drum corps.  It
certainly is not the MARCHING that draws me to the activity.  Given the
relative numbers of marching bands vs. the relative numbers of drum and
bugle corps, it is much more likely to find persons who have participated
or have in some other way been involved with marching bands.

However, given that there has been little discussion from proponents of
marching bands (perhaps because they feel they can have their 'say' in
a drum corps group without the need for their own group), there is little
reason to create a separate group for the discussion of marching bands...
and so, I would assent to the following:

       rec.[arts.]bands.[marching.]drumcorps

This would illustrate to the 'netter immediately that drum corps are
indeed a type of marching band.  They would then learn, from reading the
group, that there is a lot more to drum corps than they might otherwise
have suspected.  If they are not interested in even marching bands, I don't
believe they will be interested in drum corps; at least, this is my own
assessment of the opinions of those I've spoken with...


-- 
dawson@willard.UUCP (Willard Dawson)
Willard's House BBS, Atlanta, GA -- +1 (404) 664 8814