June 2, 2010

Drum Corps: Amplification Not Required

This video's being passed around various drum corps alumni over at Facebook. As the junior corps activity slowly fades away due to the excessive tinkering of drum corps directors who can't leave well enough alone ("If it ain't broke...") and the exorbitant costs from corps needing to tour coast-to-coast each summer, I thought it would be nice to share a video from a time (1979) when the junior corps activity was still robust and the brass instruments were still bugles, which are designed to project sound outdoors, instead of using wimpy B♭ horns that require amplification for the audience to hear the music.

The corps in this video are the Santa Clara Vanguard, Phantom Regiment, 27th Lancers, the Bridgemen, Blue Devils, and Spirit of Atlanta.

2 comments:

rlrr said...

1979 - one of my favorite years for drum corps...

JDsg said...

This was the season after my last year marching ('78). I graduated from HS in '79, and needed money for college that fall, so I was lifeguarding at a city swimming pool that summer. Got a great tan, but didn't see any corps (that I remember).