This is one of those philosophical questions that perhaps you have to reach a certain age to answer.
Having reached that age - never won a world championship, the World or U.S. Open; having marched 2nd, 3rd or 4th near the top (except during the era of Circuit Shows which we did win 2 years in a row!)
Having heard some say that had we hung around we would have been a DCI contender, having played some of the hardest most beautiful charts by the baddest-a**ed music arranger of our time in perhaps the smallest horn line ever, who not only made people stand up but hold on to their hats ... but that's only the surface stuff.
Drum Corp in my era (and this will be very difficult for most to understand who didn't grow up with an ATM on the corner or a cell phone on their waist) was meeting people who were different than you.
In New York City in the mid sixties (which if you ask your parents will tell you something very different than I will tell you now - because THEY WEREN"T THERE - they only saw what they wanted to see on TV) there were just about 200 to 300 hundred drum corps to choose from in a 5 borough, 3 state area all available by public transportation and you could get from the Bronx (that's a place in NYC) to march with a corps in Newark New Jersey in a couple of hours.
No, there were no Mini Vans taking us back and forth at that time.
Walking into a Friday night rehearsal at St. Rita's on a Friday night you would see about 100 kids of every ethnicity and race and even nationality; every socio-economic, educational, shade, size, and or ability to express themselves was in attendance. Oh, there were no college grads. The age range was 11 to 17 in 1969 at St. Rita's Brassmen.
Diversity was the first thing to seep into your pores. It lives with you and makes you available to understanding there is a person who no matter what they look like or how old or young they are they just might know something you don't.
Confidence seemed to bubble up from somewhere you never expected it to.
Because of playing in front of thousands when I was 14, a shy skinny kid like me was able to turn that into speaking to a hall full of prospective clients - to sell an idea I developed worth millions to an organization who didn't at the beginning of the day want to even think about signing a check.
Those are the two biggies for me because BITD we as children were not given confidence the way children and students are and have been in the eighties and nineties. vis a vis "we were allowed to fail!" We were not hand held through every single activity in our lives, we learned through actual experiences - we rode bicycles without out helmets, knee and elbow pads, (you know what I'm talking about, here!)we had to actually read books, we had dinner at home and actually spoke to our parents about stuff that went on during our days.
Working 3 times a week every week of the year to put a show on the field allowed an 11 year old to to walk in the door in September and step off the line in April for his or her first show - apparently there was no A.D.D. back then. And then, BTW "hey kid. You're about to learn how to play a little something from the beginning of the third act of a Richard Wagner opera called Die Walküre it's called Ritt der Walküren or The Ride of the Valkyries. You've probably heard Bugs Bunny sing it ... but not like this:
The intrinsic value I learned is immeasurable: I had a stroke in early February this year. I have since then received hundreds of well wishes from alum - some of whom I haven't heard from or seen in nearly 35 years or more!
And lastly on a personal note: Father Dominic Schiraldi and Carmen (not to mention Hy and Eric) were some of the the most well spoken and intelligent people I ever had the pleasure to meet.
They were firm but understanding of your limits; they wanted the best you could give and would only ask for more when they knew you could give it (and they somehow knew!) Never, ever did they talk down to us - we were all equals when given instruction - that is so awesome when you finally realize it is being given to you that way.
It (How marching in a corps has affected me) is how I have payed it forward during my adult life.
Share all you know and know when to share it.
Puppet
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