Drum & Bugle Corps originally started out as youth organizations sponsored by VFW's (Veteran's of Foreign Wars). This dates back to the post WW I era. Just about every town across America had one, if not several.
The bugles of those days didn't have ANY valves and drum sections only had two or three snares, a bass drum and a pair of cymbals. Percision drill moves (lines, circles and other basic shapes) and a very limited selection of tunes were played at competitions (I don't think intonation was discovered yet
)
Later (circa 1950's), these youth groups became huge and the competitions grew bigger. It was about then that these groups traveled out of state to compete.
During the sixties the equipment became more sophisticated i.e. Bugles had two vales; one piston and one rotary. The drumlines became larger, sometimes up to 36 members! Because of the improvement of the instruments musical selections became more varied. By this time there were established organized state, regional and national championships but none of them were consistant with each other ie they all had different ways of judging the corps and whatnot.
The seventies was the eye opening era for drum corps. First of all, there was a need to have consistancy with all of the competitions such as judging, proceedures for starting and ending performances and other stuff like that. So a group of Corps Directors got together and formed an alliance called Drum Corps International. There were still regional organizations that sponsored shows but alligned themselves with the DCI, some them included; DCM-Drum Corps Mid-West, DCW-Drum Corps West, DCE-Drum Corps East (Now it's called Drum Corps Mid Atlantic), and Drum Corps South. Canada has always had a long tradition of drum corps, one of their regional organizations was called ODCA (Ontario Drum Corps Association). England has a organization called DCUK (Drum Corps United Kingdom).
By the mid 1980's drum corps looked and sounded totally different than the old days. Bugles had three vales and looked very much like a trumpet (except it was in the key of "G", not Bb) and the drumlines became more sophisticated by having keyboard percussion and timpani along with an array of percussion instrument normally found in a concert halllike gongs, whistles, tom-toms and the likes.
The musical selections were definitly better to listen to (they had discovered intonation
). Because of the keyboards and the bugles having three vales, even orchestral music selections could be played (Phantom Regiment and the Santa Clara Vanguard were classical music's representatives in drum corps).
Today, no longer are lines and circles and other basic shapes are formed on the field by the corps, it has become an artistic form of mind, body & acoustical coordination. The best drum corps now require that their members are physically fit as well as having advanced knowledge in music and dance. The DCI cahmpionships are every year in August and held at various places Like Miami, Buffalo, Boston, Madison. Kansas City, Philadelphia, Denver, Ithaca, et al.
In the future, I'm sure, drum corps will evolve into something that will be enjoyed by all, not just drum corps enthusists, it won't be on the football field but held in theatres like syphonies and ballets. It actually will be a mix of the two (actually a group called The Star of Indiana has already started this trend). If you haven't ever caught a show of this thing called drum corps, it's fantastic, it has a following much like MTG. It's on PBS around November, check it out
.
