Running head: MUSIC, DRILL AND HISTORY

Music, Drill and History

Student Name
Hallyburton Academy
English IV
1st Block
M. Vitrone
September 19, 2011

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Music, Drill and History

Early Corps History

Drum and bugle corps comes from a rich American military history, separate from other
marching musical activities. Beginning after World War I through the 1970s, corps and
competitions were often sponsored by the VFW and the American Legion. Owing to these
groups' roots, corps was traditionally militaristic. By the late 1960s, many corps wanted more
creative freedom and better financial compensation than was offered by the sponsors. Some felt
the prize money structures, based on how well they scored, were not fairly compensating all
corps for their appearances. Additionally, some felt the current judging rules were going against
musical and theatrical possibilities. At the peak of American drum corps participation, several
corps decided to band together and form their own organizations, which ultimately led to the
formation of Drum Corps Associates (DCA) in 1965 and Drum Corps International (DCI) in
1972. By this time, many corps had already lost their church or community sponsors. For the
corps that remained, longer travel times were necessary to attend the contests, adding to the
financial and time demands on the organizations and their individual members. At the same time,
costs for the increasingly complex field shows mounted, and creative and instructional demands,
led many competitive corps to quit. By the late 1990s, only half of the corps that existed in the
60s and 70s remained; although several new corps, some of which have become very successful,
did start up along the way.
Modern Corps
Non-competitive classic-style corps saw a renaissance beginning in the mid 1980s, and
they continue to organize, members often remain vigilant about the traditions and virtues of the
drum corps activity. Freed from the traditional and more restrictive judging rules of the late

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1960s, corps began making innovative changes such as the use of multi-valve horns, wideranging tempos, intricate asymmetric drill formations, elaborate guard costumes and props, and
the use of stationary percussion instruments. A common criticism of drum corps is that it has
become too close to marching band, although in truth the two activities have evolved together
over the years. The most apparent difference between the two is the fact that corps uses only
bell-front brass instrumentation. Some corps still utilize the traditional G Bugle which is very
rarely found in marching band. The competitive season for corps is in the summer rather than
fall, with auditions and initial ensemble rehearsals actually beginning as early as late October of
the previous year. The top-tier competitive drum corps programs are often far more difficult and
more professional than marching bands, as members in full time touring corps have no
distractions outside of corps during the season and you can only get in with a strict audition.
Marching Band Instrumentation
The size and composition of a marching band or drum corps can vary greatly. Some
bands have fewer than twenty members, and some have over 500. American marching bands
vary in their instrumentation.
Woodwinds.
Some bands omit some or all woodwinds, but it is not uncommon to
see piccolos, flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, and tenor saxophones. Clarinets, alto
clarinets, bass clarinets, and baritone saxophones are less common, but can be found in some
bands. Bassoons and oboes are not found on a field due to the risk of incidental damage; the
impracticality of marching with an exposed double reed, and high sensitivity to weather makes
these instruments unusable during marching season.

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Brass.
The brass section usually has trumpets or cornets, horns, alto horns,
or mellophones, tenor trombones, baritone horns or euphoniums, and tubas or sousaphones.
Soprano cornets are sometimes used to supplement or replace the high woodwinds. Some
especially large bands use flugelhorns and bass trombones. Specially designed versions of the
lower brass have been created for use while marching. These are typically wrapped in such a
way that allows the bell to face toward the audience at all times and makes the instrument easier
for the player to hold. Bands my also modify their instrumentation to remove slide trombones
completely and replace them with another instrument, such as a valve trombone or marching
baritone.
Percussion.
Marching percussion typically includes snare drums, tenor drums, bass drums,
and cymbals and is responsible for keeping tempo and is employed for its percussive impact. The
front ensemble which is on the front sideline consists of: guiros, and chimes or tubular bells,
concert bass drums, and gongs, as well as a multitude of auxiliary percussion equipment. Drum
sets, purpose-built drum racks, and other mounted instruments are also placed here. Until the
advent of the pit in the early 1980s, many of these instruments were actually carried on the field
by marching percussionists by hand or on mounting brackets. Some bands have eclectic
instruments too as synthesizers, electric guitars, and bass guitars, along with the
requisite amplification. Unusual percussive instruments are sometimes used, including brake
drums, empty propane tanks, trashcans, railroad ties, stomping rigs, and other cool sounds. Drum
Corps International (DCI), on the other hand, like the name suggests is a drum and bugle corps,
so it consists mainly of drums and bugles. In addition to drums and bugles, it also contains the

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color guard and a front ensemble, but it has no woodwinds or other brass instruments. Some
drum corps are male only corps as well, like The Cavaliers and Madison Scouts (Drum Corps
International website, 2011).
Rules for Formations
There are a few simple rules when it comes to marching band or drum corps: play your
music, know your choreography, and get to your dot. When I say, Fit the form, I mean that if
there is a curve or a circle or a straight line, the players should stay behind the person in front of
them, keep their intervals the same to their left and right, and front to back. Players should stay
the same space apart; that way, the band gets a good general affect on the audience and judges.
The formations should appear as a big picture and not marchers getting to their dots, their set
coordinates.
Technique
When players start setting drill for a marching show or a DCI show, they get drill sheets,
and this gives them coordinates, such as Side 1, 2 steps outside 45 yard line, 7 steps in front of
front hash, and that is their dot, their spot on the field. There are two sides to the field; side A and
B. Side A is to the left of the 50 and side B is to the right of the 50. Since a football field is laid
off in sections of 5 yards, band members have some common practice steps to learn how to
march. The common steps to practice marching include: an 8 to 5 count, a 6 to 5 count, a 12 to 5
count, and a 16 to 5 count. However, when players are marching a show, there are some steps
that are smaller, some steps that are bigger, and if the players are lucky, sometimes they do not
have to move at all.
As visual programs have increased in complexity, corps have developed and formalized
various movement techniques, the goal of each being the achievement of fluid, consistent

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movements that allow for precise musical technique at all tempos, step sizes, and directions.
Given that instrument-wielding members most often face toward the audience, marching
technique must not affect the motion of members upper body. Horn players may twist their
lower bodies in their direction of movement, but members of the battery cannot do that because
of their drums. This hindrance led to the invention of the crab step, where the legs cross over one
another to move side to side. Being visually oriented, color guard can face any direction at any
time, as long as their movement matches the choreography. The most common backward
marching technique requires that the band members balance on their toes and sort of drag them
across the ground; another technique instructs the members to reverse the heeltoe roll step,
allowing for heel and ground contact.
Marching technique programs have largely been inspired by dance technique, and
members of the color guard and horn-line often jazz run in order to maintain upper body stability
when marching at fast tempos with large step sizes. In addition, choreography has permeated all
sections of the contemporary drum corps, so not just color guard has visuals, but the horn-line
and battery and even front ensemble do as well.
Drill formations have become very sophisticated in modern corps. While traditional
blocks, company fronts, and symmetrical formations may still be used occasionally for impact,
they have largely given way to abstract formations and intricate developments aided by the use
of computer assisted drill writing programs. Drill writing is an art form unto itself, and is very
carefully written to keep instrumental sections together, to put featured members at the center of
attention, to visually reinforce musical phrasing, and to create the most interesting and
innovative shapes and movements (Drum Corps International Fan Network website, 2011).

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Band Members Mentality and Dedication
It all winds down to how well band members want to do. Players will practice the way
they want to perform. Excellence is a habit, so band members who want to excel will practice
excellence and get used to doing it, every time all the time. Whether it be marching the show at
world finals or at their rehearsals, they will treat every run through like it is finals night.

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References

Drum Corps International Fan Network website. (2011). http://dci.thefannetwork.org/

Drum Corps International website. (2011). http://www.dci.org/corps/
Drum Corps Planet website. (2011). http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/