Drum And Bugle Corps

Drum And Bugle Corps
By Allee ( 17 y/o - Georgia - USA )
June 26, 2003

Hello and welcome to drum corps! I am a proud member of the Court of Honor Corps of Excellence. What is drum and bugle corps? you ask.

Drum corps is an outstanding youth arts organization. There are three types of corps:
Division I Corps (they tour all summer and have more than 100 members),
Division II Corps (tour part of the summer and have less than 100 members),
Division III Corps which has less than sixty members.

The Court of Honor is making it's first year tour. Our show title is "A Brand New Day". We will be playing selections from the Wizard of Oz, such as, "Don't Bring Me No Bad News", "Believe In Yourself", and "Ease On Down the Road".

We look forward to this season! We hope to see you at one of our performances!

Introduction to Drum Corps

Hey, you. Yeah, you. Well, I must be talking to you...there ain't no one else here. You think you're tough? Do you think you're really tough? You wanna prove it? No no no, put your fists down, not that way. Don't make me smack you. If you really want to prove it, come with me. Yup, that's right, follow me. There.

You see them? You see those 128 kids out there? That's where you prove you are tough. Pansy band geeks? I beg to differ, mon frère... What time do you get up in the morning? 8 AM? Luxury! And that's after, what, about 7 hours of sleep?

Ha! You've got it made. Those kids out there get up at 6 AM, after sometimes as little as 4 hours of sleep. What do you do all day during the summer? Play a few computer games? Watch a little TV? Nicalodian has an all day Rugrats marathon on today's schedule? That's nice.

You know what these kids do? They practice. All day. Rain, shine, wind, calm, day, night these kids are practicing. You see that big thing there? That's a contra. Looks heavy, don't it? You see that girl marching with it? She'll do that all day. In the hot sun. You see that big bass drum there? How much do you think that weighs? About 50 pounds? Well, that guy will carry it all day long. What do you carry all day long around your house? The shirt on your back? A nice little BLT you made yourself to tide you over until mommy comes home to make a nice big sirloin? Yeah, you're tough, kid. I can see from your pale complexion and innocent Bambi eyes that you're tough. **** yeah, that's sarcasm son...

Those 128 kids will practice all day long, in the hot sun, carrying around those heavy instruments, marching their tails off. Then they'll get a break tonight, and have to get into uniform for a show tonight, where they will have to do their entire show in full uniform. You wanna know what they'll do after that? They'll get on buses. They'll get on buses and travel anywhere from a hundred to five hundred miles or more to the next city. They'll sleep on hard gym floors with nothing but a sleeping bag. They'll take cold showers, and they will love it. They'll eat whatever the corps directors can scrounge up, and they'll like it, or they won't eat at all. They'll get some sleep on the bus, but in the end, they'll probably get in sometime around 3 in the morning. Then they'll have to get up at 7 AM and do it all again. For three months, son.

No ESPN. No mommy and daddy to hold your hand. No Nintendo, or computer games. No Jerry Springer, or HBO, or bad reruns of "Friends". No skateboarding, no trips to the beach unless you're lucky, and no telephone. What's that you ask, why would they want to submit themselves to that kind of torture?

**** son, take a look at them. Look at that girl there, twirling that flag with that huge smile on her face. Does she look like she's miserable? Take a look at the drummers, hauling around that heavy equipment do they look sad? See the one laughing there? Does he look like he's having a terrible time? They love it, kid. They love it, because it's the largest brotherhood they'll ever be a part of. They'll see each other on the streets, and reminisce. They'll keep in touch with each other through thick and thin, despite that Johnny there is from Indiana, and Pete there is from New York, and Melissa is from Missouri. They'll come back to see each other at shows long after they have finished their time in the activity, and it will be like they never left. They will make lifelong friendships. They will come back lean, mean, and tanned to the bone. They will be better marchers, better players, and in most cases, better people. They will learn responsibility. They will learn pride, a sense of belonging, and they will even learn how to do laundry. They will learn about friendship, loyalty, trust, spirit, and tradition. They will learn all this, all the while putting in only a few months of practice and sweat, but oh, the reward they will reap.

And they will do it all while you sit at home, in air-conditioned comfort, watching daytime talk shows, and eating anchovy pizza. Here, have an Altoid. No, it's not too late. They could probably use someone like you. Are you sure you're ready for it?

Yeah, there's a show tonight. I am sure that at least one of the corps performing will have a spot open. Go on kid, run on home. Pack. Tell your mom you're going to expand your horizons, learn new things, and make great music. Tell her you're going to make lasting friendships, and learn the value of hard work and commitment. Oh yeah, let's not kid ourselves...tell her it's going to cost some money. But ask her if she would rather have you sitting on your tuckus all summer long, eating all the food in the house, and running up the electricity bill.

**** son, you're offering her a bargain! Go on, get out of here! Have fun, and be a free spirit. Remember, your whole future is lying in front of you...you'll have plenty of time for TV, junk food, and summer laziness when you're older..or maybe you won't, because, I have to warn you kid...once this activity gets in your blood, it never lets go. I think you made the right choice. I'll see you on the field at the end of the summer. And your life will never be the same again. Believe it!

Visit their website: http://www.courtofhonor.org

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