From: rwberry@hubcap.clemson.edu (Robert W Berry)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.marching.drumcorps
Subject: Re: Woodwins - bands vs corps
Date: 27 Jan 93 05:22:12 GMT
Organization: Clemson University

scottm@helena.stat.uga.edu (scott mclure) writes:

>DCI's top corps vs. the best marching bands?  You'd have to set some
>restrictions:
>	1.	bands woud only be allowed to march 128 members,
>		which would kill them right off the bat.

Why?  Volume?  I can tell you that not even the *big* HS and college
bands have the same type of sound that drum corps have.  There are
lot's of factors involved here, but simply by the design of the
instruments drum corps produce a *great* amount of sound.  (I once
marched in a 22-person hornline that outplayed a 180+ piece HS marching
band.  And they were a *good* band.)

The visual effect of a greater number?  IMnsHO, I'd rather see a squeaky
clean picture with 128 people than 250 because almost all big bands
suffer from what I call clutter syndrome.  Too many bodies, not enough
field.

>	2.	each group would only be allowed to prepare for a set
>		amount of time.  Be it 6 weeks or 6 months, they would
>		all start at the same time at the same level of pre-
>		paredness.

Once again, why?  One of the reasons drum corps perform at the level
they do is the amount of time spent in rehearsal.  Even the best HS and
college bands don't have the type of time put into a drum corps summer.

The "same level or preparedness"?  How would you achieve this?

>	3.	The rules for competing in DCI would have to be extended
>		over the bands, minus the instrumentation rule.  That
>		means a minimum time of ten minutes, max of 11:30.

This is a little hairier.  A BOA GE judge looks for different things
than a DCI GE judge.  The minimal levels of performance are entirely
different.  I side with you here, extend the DCI rules to the bands.

>	4.	The band members must be between ages 14-21, same as the
>		corps.  Can't have an experience advantage, one way or
>		the other.

Why?  I really think an experience advantage would be unavoidable.
Consider who makes up the drum corps, some of the most experienced
people in the activity, I really don't think any band would be able to
stack up.

>	The results of this would be a total sweep by the corps.
>Remember, the corps are made up of the best members of hundreds of bands
>from across the nation.  Even U of Michigan couldn't compete under the
>same rules as corps do.  Even though I love big bands, straight-out
>competition between them is no contest.

I agree about a sweep by the corps, but mostly because of the level of
design, amount of rehearsal time and attention to detail present in the
drum corps activity.  I have seen HS bands that I think could make the
top-25, and I've seen college bands that sound a *lot* like a good-sized
drum corps (although I've never seen one *march* like a drum corps.)

I think it would also be interesting to pit the DCA corps against the
DCI corps some day.  (I know this has happened a couple of times in DCM
since there are so few senior corps in the Midwest.)

Later,
Bob

-- 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-=- Bob Berry -=- Net-Guru's Inc.        ! rwberry@hubcap.clemson.edu   -=-
-=- Teach them quick, before they think. ! 803-654-7623 || 803-656-1076 -=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-