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I Marched Drum Corps so You Don’t Have to: What I learned from my experience with an all-age drum corps

Angelo Kortyka

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Why I decided to march drum corps

In the fall of 2022, I decided I was going to march drum corps for the first time. I had seen a local All-Age Corps (Rogues Hollow Regiment) perform at a local OMEA show and I was impressed. After years of wishing I had partaken in the drum corps experience for the educational value and expertise it would have provided me as a director, I found a group close to home with a schedule that could fit my adult life. I also hoped it would be a great learning opportunity for me and maybe a little bit of fun in the process. After talking it over with my family, I decided to attend their second camp of the year in December.

Since I hoped to learn a lot about teaching competitive marching band as a member of the corps, I also planned to use the experience as professional development hours. I went into my first rehearsal with the hopes that I would be able to become a better instructor, designer, and organizational manager. On a personal level, I hoped to push myself as a musician, stay physically active, and forge new relationships with people of shared interests.

What I learned as a member of the corps

When I signed up for the corps, I originally requested to play my main instrument, tuba. They asked if I would be more comfortable on baritone, as their tuba line was already pretty full. I happily obliged and on the very first day of rehearsal I was extremely happy I did. The physical demands of standing at attention while holding any horn are easy to underestimate when you are not standing at attention. The rehearsal days were long, but well structured. We spent time on warming up our bodies and on our instruments in a careful and responsible way, so as to be able to sustain the physical demands of the long rehearsals. The staff did an excellent job of making sure members remained safe and well-hydrated throughout rehearsals with frequent breaks and I quickly learned the power of a short break, even just to put your arms down for one second. Because of this experience I began to re-think how I would structure my rehearsals into smaller, high-intensity chunks of instructional time with more frequent breaks. I found that more frequent breaks gave me the energy to perform to improve rather than survive and kept me in a better mood throughout the process.

In addition to the physical demands and how to manage them, I paid close attention to rehearsal techniques and how we were taught to move and play. Throughout the process I found many analogs or similarities to things I taught while teaching competitive marching band. The biggest difference in my experience with the corps was the attention to detail that was paid to every aspect of the music. No detail was left unaddressed or unrehearsed. Their staff also worked tirelessly to have every aspect of the show carefully crafted. It was a reminder to me to be patient and continue to teach my students to work on the smallest details to create great music. The instructional staff was very collaborative, allowing a variety of caption heads to work with the members of the corps. This was a reminder to me to let staff and students work with my ensembles to provide a variety of perspectives whenever possible.

With regards to program management, I felt that the time spent was well used while we were at rehearsal. Breaks were frequent, but short, and longer breaks often combined with a transition. Stretch block, warmup block, visual block, sectionals, full ensemble, and brass ensemble were great changes of pace throughout the day and focused on a variety of fundamentals consistently throughout. The staff and leadership went out of their way to make sure everyone participating felt welcomed, included, important, and comfortable in their corps experience. They did a fantastic job of making the corps a safe place for a positive experience for members as young as 14 and as old as 44. I would say the biggest hardship for anyone would be the amount of travel to get to rehearsals and shows, but the corps worked to help people find rides and carpools to events throughout the season and would charter a bus to far away shows. Members participated from Detroit, Erie, West Virginia, and throughout Ohio. I found that to be a testament to how powerful the experience was for many members, some returning year after year.

The switch from Drum Corps Associates to Drum Corps International All-Age

At the end of my first season with Drum Corps Associates (DCA) it was announced that DCA would become a part of Drum Corps International as the All-Age class. I am not well versed enough in the history of either organization so I can’t speak to all the differences between the two organizations, but I would like to address some of the impacts of this change before I talk about the potential value of the experience for you and your students.

As most people know, the DCI Open and World class has always been limited to members under 22 years old. Those shows are prevalent throughout the country in the summer, ending in early August, right around the time most high schools start band camps. This makes it possible for students to march drum corps in the summer and be back just in time to march the season. I always found that my students who marched DCI were excellent examples and inspirations to their peers when arriving late, and always quick to catch up. DCA operated on a different schedule, rehearsing primarily on weekends. A majority of DCA shows were in the Eastern Pennsylvania and Northern New Jersey region, with finals being held in Rochester, New York the weekend of Labor day. Despite only rehearsing on weekends, this schedule made it hard for high school and collegiate members to be able to participate in their own marching bands as football started in August. Now that DCA is a part of DCI, they can attend DCI shows for ratings (more shows to participate in across the country) and finals are the same weekend as DCI finals. This makes the schedule much more appealing for students who are unable to commit to a full tour schedule throughout the summer or who need to be present for their summer band camps.

Should I encourage my students to march drum corps? Should I?

Based on the experience I had, I would encourage anyone to try All-Age corps if they are looking for a competitive marching experience that will challenge them musically and physically. The rehearsal and performance schedule for most All-Age corps is two to three weekends a month throughout the spring and summer and one or two weekends a month in the winter, allowing participants to go to work or school throughout the week. Because of the lowered time commitment, the cost of All-Age corps is substantially less than Open or World class making the experience more affordable as well.

While I can’t speak to the experience of every corps member in every all-age corps, as music educators, you can tell a lot about an organization by watching them in action. If you’re curious about an ensemble, reach out and ask their director if you can observe a rehearsal. My observation was that everything taught was pedagogically sound, in the best interest of the membership of the corps, and that they genuinely tried to give every member a first-rate experience. It was also a really fun experience for me, getting back in the saddle again after my last competitive marching experience at the OMEA State Marching Band Finals 25 years earlier in 1997.

Coda

I’m so happy my family and school supported me to pursue this performance opportunity. I grew as a musician and was amazed at what I could do at age 43. As a result, I have some great memories of great performances in beautiful settings I’d never visited before. I saw some amazing performing groups that I had never seen before. I made professional and personal connections with many members in the group. I hope to see more music educators and their students become a part of this activity in the coming years!

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