Here comes a new installment in which I try to explain the intricate subtleties of drum corps using quotations for the movie The 40 Year Old Virgin. I think it's possible to get people new to the marching arts to better understand and appreciate drum and bugle corps if you jexplain it using something they already know and like.
Today's Quote:
There were two sides to that billboard, and they both hurt equally. -Andy Stitzer
What does this have to do with drum corps?:
Lots of recreational/competitive activities can be physically demanding, but you'd have hard time appreciating how much work being in a drum corps is without actually trying it yourself. Those instruments may not seem heavy at first but trying holding them up for ten to twelve minutes straight while maintaining rigid posture and running up and down a football field or soccer pitch. I bet you your arms will start to feel tired if you just hold them in front of you for one minute and that's without any added weight. Scientists have studied the biometrics of someone performing in a drum corps show and compared it to the physical effort required to run a marathon. Everyone who has to practice and perform in the summer sun has a legitimate right to complain, and I'm not making any claims about how drum corps compare to sports or other popular pursuits. I just think most people would have a greater appreciation for what they see a drum corps do on the field if they realized how much it hurts. The common perception is that athletics are all brutally demanding while anything to do with the arts or music is soft and weak. As someone who has lifted a horn and marched around that field I can assure you there is very little soft about it. The practices are generally even tougher than the performance because that's the only way to make sure the performers can survive the show. I hope to bring more first hand accounts of how hard these performers have to work and how much it can hurt to be in a drum corps as the year goes on.
BONUS- Mainstream media luv:
Some news articles out there are pumping up this week's big drum corps event, the Classic Countdown. Movie theaters around the U.S. will be showing some of the best drum corps shows of all time. If you're a fan this is a great way to support the central organization for drum corps in North America, Drum Corps International. If your new to the activity this can be a great way to get introduced to how drum corps has changed over the years. I'm desperately trying to fit it into my schedule, so I can share my experience with you.
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