There are three different styles of marching band: military, show, and corps. My school performs using the corps style marching show. There are, of course, some variations in this style depending on where you are along with other factors, but the fundamentals remain basically the same for the most part.
My marching band has had an average of around 150 members for the past few years. This number has been slowly increasing for the past five years or so though. We typically consider marching season to begin in early August and go through the end of October. Our competition season usually starts around mid to late September. Prior to competitions, we still do many performances. Our band performs our half-time show at every home football game. The environment is not as pleasant, but it is still good practice for the real deal. Unlike most college bands, we learn and rehearse one show the entire season with the same music and drill throughout. College bands typically learn one show per week and perform using flip-folders to read the music. Once all the music and drill has been put on the field, we clean it and rehearse it over and over to make it better every time we perform. We also add in visuals to make our show more entertaining. Now that you have a basic overview of my band and high school corps style marching, it is time to discuss what distinguishes this style from the others.
As I previously mentioned, corps style marching bands typically march on football fields using drill. Drill is the movements or pictures that are created while the band is playing. The music is sent to drill writers and they create moving pictures that align perfectly with the music to produce an entrancing and effective performance. Each member of the band is assigned a number or letter that they keep the entire season. This is how each person knows how to move and where to go. They look at two different sheets of drill and see where they need to go next in order to fit the picture. Because each set of drill is different, each move will also be different. The number of counts, direction, step size, and step style are different for each picture. This is drastically different from military style marching, in which the members form straight lines and simply march forward the entire time down a street during a parade, for example.
Corps style marching bands also incorporate the use of a color guard. Members of this section use different styles to spin flags, rifles, sabres, and/or dance during the show. Color guards add an extra level of entertaining visuals and flare to the performance. The guard routine is choreographed to fit the music as well as the drill. During competitions, there is a specific color guard judge who watches just them and gives them a score that contributes to the overall score of the performance. Oftentimes an award for best color guard is also awarded to the band with the most outstanding guard.
Another addition to corps style bands is the use of a front ensemble, commonly referred to as the pit. Since the band performs on a football field, it is acceptable to have stationary instruments at the front that do not move throughout the show. Pit instruments consist of percussion instruments that cannot be strapped onto the body and carried around. These would include: all keyboard instruments, a concert bass drum, auxiliary percussion, timpani, and sometimes a drum set. Electronic instruments such as synthesizers, guitars, and basses are also sometimes placed in the pit. The front ensemble adds the icing on the cake to the band.
The corps style of marching is constantly evolving due to contributions from high schools and colleges all across the nation. I love the way my band is run and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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