r/drumcorps

This is sort of a follow up to a previous post I did.

I'm a music major and my primary instrument is Tuba, so I would march Contra. However, the last time I marched anything was my senior year of high school which was 2 years ago and will have been 3 years ago by the time of auditions for 2027. I really want to march 2027 because that will be my age out year and DCI is something I've always wanted to do so this is my last chance. Doing Soundsport or anything else marching related this summer is off the table, as I have to work full time in order to pay for marching in 2027.

For my playing ability: I am principal (the only) tube in my university orchestra and first chair in the top wind ensemble. I've also played in a brass quintet.

My dream corps are Crown and Blue Stars. I'm also looking at Music City and Spirit of Atlanta but I want to march top 12 if I can.

Hey all, in celebration of drum corps starting up again soon I made you this cool Angine de Poitrine/Blue coats mashup. I dare you to play along with this.

How often does it happen? What is it like, and why have I not seen it?

I have a few that I rely on that can always give me chills but I know there are a few out there that I’m missing. Here are a couple of mine, what are yours?

Bloo - creep (even the version with the vocalist in the auditorium)

PR - 2011 Juliet closer, 2025 opener, all versions Elsa’s precessions, all canon in d’s

Cavies - 2000 closer, 95 Jupiter, 96 closer, 2002 vocal counting build up to fight club until the end of the show

SCV - 2018 from the wall of sound to the end, 2000 adagio, 2009 simple gifts

Southwind - 2000 legends of the fall (find the video of the 2000 performance on the field, the ballad is just breathtakingly beautiful, if anyone has a better recording than the one on TikTok I would love you forever for a copy)

Cadets - 2000 from the first snare solo until the end

Crown - 2013 tuning sequence, 2017 opener, 2011 opener, 2013 closer, 2014 closer

BD - warmup into Duel of the Fates

Hey Everyone! The Crossmen Alumni Association is hosting an event on May 16th and we'd love your support! If you are in the PA/NJ/NY/DE area and would like to hang out with some great drum corps people and support Bones we'd love to have you! Tickets are $60 each up until 4/25 so be sure to purchase them now to lock in the best price!

https://www.facebook.com/share/18YGyoPP7U/

https://givebutter.com/crossmen-alumni-beef-beer-rsqqap

I know admin hawk these threads, but I have to share my experience 2025 about what went on and what the Colt Cadets and Colts organization as a whole acts and treats their members.

I will share firsthand experience and not add any speculation so they have no reason to blacklist me.

The amount of floor time we have was absurd. We got 6 and 1/2 to 7 hours max. 8 hours occasionally. They lied to us at CC claiming we get the most floortime out of any corps. That is a blatant lie as bus "Lights out" was counted as 1/2 an hour of floor time so they could reduce how much we got to get good sleep.

They really try to push the concept that other corps do not provide good experiences and Colts is 1000% the best corps to be in. Of course understably they try to make their corps more appealing, but their inate nature is to talk down about all other corps.

There was a huge issue with physical exercises. They drilled us. Hard. Mile runs, 5 minute planks, three sets of 15 pushups, more planks, setups and other workout routines with zero stretching. I mean zero and at one point when a staff member was mad made all the injured students join in with the rest of the group resulting in more injuries. At one point 18 members out of around 70 were out with injuries. It was horrid.

There was a student we called out for not showering and he did nasty things like clipping his toenails on the tour bus. Wish I was making that up, but he did not listen and when he got annoyed of the constant reminders he claimed he was being "Bullied". He made up a bunch of lies about members he didn't like that had nothing to do with the situation. Our corps director than proceeded to put half the corps on clean up crew and they also were not allowed to eat a meal. He publicly shamed them in front of the corps and half of them didn't do anything and it made me feel absolutely terrible for them.

The overall culture from the students was decent, but the culture from the staff was just not it. The constant lies and poor admin choice making makes for a horrible experience. Glad I did it, but never recommend going to Colt Cadets and to stay away from the Colts organization as a whole.

If you have ever experienced abuse and insults from a shitty staff member (Please no names) what is your greatest comeback to a insult that shut them up?

Basically title. From my understanding they both rehearse on the weekends and have a shorter season than open/world class

I made a post the other day asking for packing advice, and a lot of people mentioned a roll out mattress over an air mattress, which I definitely wouldn’t want to deal with the weight and all the pump garbage. But I don’t know what makes a good mattress or not. If yall could share anything from Amazon or Walmart that worked well for you, that would be appreciated.

Hey everyone! I'm looking to get my chops ready for the next season, and I'm looking for some technical/lyrical etudes to help with that. Anyone have any recommendations? If you could provide a link with your suggestion, it would be AMAZINGLY helpful.

Thank you so much!

Hey! I need some advice. I know it’s VERY late in the game, but I sent in a snare video audition to River City on April 1st, and they said they would respond within two weeks. A couple days before I submitted my video, I got an email that asked for all videos to be submitted by April 12th for priority review because they have a camp coming up May 1-3.

I emailed them last Thursday (16th) as a follow-up to see if they received my video, but have gotten nothing.

I also know that Dayton just happened for WGI and that might also be a factor. Like I said, I know it is very late in the game to still be auditioning, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice or knowledge for moving forward, or if anyone else is having the same problem?

I also have a band conflict on Friday May 1 and would like to be able to know if I need to work that out.

Thanks for reading!

Something that has always bothered me about (marching) band merch in general is that, well, it looks like (marching) band merch.

I'm a big believer that if you want a piece of merch to actually do its job, the buyer should wanna wear this shirt over and over, and not just on the occasion you're at a Drum Corps show. Otherwise, that shirt just becomes another one that just sits at the bottom of your dresser. Corps logos and names go a long way, but it'd be great if there was more merch that reached that level you find from outside of the marching arts world. Something that strikes interest outside of the drumcorps world.

What are some Drum Corps shirts that you feel are genuinely well designed, aesthetically pleasing shirts? Is there an era of the drum corps shirt you wish you could bring back (I think of the Spirit '76 shirts)? And most importantly, what musician has the greatest merch in the game, and why is it Billy Strings?

https://preview.redd.it/umg23wp16wvg1.png?width=580&format=png&auto=webp&s=0c9f90a7d35cae538e8c36cf7c9dcb22cc9d7272

I am looking for a suggestion for a YouTube video that is a good comprehensive introduction to drum corps for someone that is curious but has a no idea. I am looking for one with samples through the decades from the 70’s to modern times, explains the structure (brass, percussion and guard, auditioning, camps, touring, life on the road, etc.) I’d also like it to not be too long (this guy has a short attention span, haha). This guy is an old guy like me, so the curiosity isn’t in the context of wanting to march.

I know that checking all of these boxes is a lot to ask, but thought I’d check anyway.