Drum and Bugle Corps
If I could turn back the hands of time, one thing I would have done differently would have been to pester my parents more than I did to join our local drum and bugle corps. Instead, I settled playing both trumpet and drums for my high school (which was still cool I guess). For the Willingboro, NJ area, our corps was Black Watch.
I remember hearing them rehearse certain nights during the summer from my bedroom window. The drums were always tight and so were the horns. The best thing about it was that it broadened a person’s exposure to the world of music.
Sorry about the trip down memory lane. This article just brought back some good memories.
Waving the Flag for the Drum and Bugle Corps
By Edward A. Dalton
Special to The Washington PostWashington was once synonymous with “Washington drum and bugle corps.”
The various corps were defined by interested young inner-city musicians, band members or aspiring drummers, buglers and flag bearers. What distinguished us from other cities was the diverse areas of the city that drum corps members came from. They eventually congregated into the 11 drum and bugle corps that were in the Washington area between 1960 and 1975. We came together with our varying talents and desires for the same purpose: to don our favorite drum corps uniforms and show off our ability to sound good, look good and perform before crowds of our fans.
I was one of those aspiring young musicians who trained (learned to read music) in the D.C. public school system. I went to Terrell Junior High School in Northwest and Anacostia High School in Southeast. I can remember how the city was bustling with school band competitions during the school year and drum corps competitions during the summer, with months and months of evening rehearsals and practices in preparation for the summer competitions. These activities didn’t leave much time for trouble. (more…)
