perc2100

I wonder what the hours of DCI CEO vs other similar jobs are like. I would think for most of the year at least DCI CEO is pretty 9-5 but maybe during the tour it's a bit more arduous timewise (if that's the case, I could see why a non-DCI alum would not necessarily be into that aspect of the job). Of course like anything else, any operation needs good chemistry with the leadership team to excel, and one could have been "fine/serviceable" in the DCI CEO job but if they don't mesh well with colleagues you're not going to be a good fit. I wonder if "plays nice with DCI corps directors" is super integral, sub-thought how long of a career in DCI would the DCI CEO have if he didn't get along with certain corps directors.

"Look, you pampered whipper snappers don't have to worry about the canon balls speeding at you to separate your legs from your hips while you signal the troops to advance; THAT is real drum and bugle corps!"

At the end of the day creatives are still scoring percussion to support a large brass section in a giant stadium: there are only so many instruments that can acoustically support that type of arrangement (hint: it's the drums that manufacturers have spent _decades_ designing and tweaking to be able to balance with a large marching brass section). I'd argue designers and Perc Caption Heads are "making it their own" with personal arrangement style/techniques + how they teach their groups to approach the instrument. When I was far more active/involved/fanatical about the activity I could tell you in seconds who was writing and teaching any given Top 6 percussion section, front ensemble and/or battery due to characteristic sound and arrangement style. Just casually following the activity nowadays we still have the same thing: Boston Crusaders percussion vs Bluecoats percussion vs Blue Devils percussion vs SCV percussion are four WILDLY different marching percussion units with their own unique sounds and styles thanks to arrangement characteristics, drum tuning, group approach to playing, etc.

IDK, but I think only fools at this point would presume this is an EZPZ thing for anyone to accomplish. I was told in the 1990's that local businesses are super hesitant to donate/financial support the local drum corps because there's not really any sort of tangible return on that investment, when there are a myriad of other things a local business can donate to/financially support that would pay off higher dividends for the business. DCI/drum corps feels 100% like an activity that hast to rely on corporate involvement to excel, but is kind of diametrically opposite of what a good corporate investment would be. I'd really love to know how much of Cook Group's financial involvement with DCI or Star of Indiana had any sort of tangible positive financial impact on non-drum corps businesses; maybe creating companies that worked for the corps while also being able to financially grow/profit in the off season, like starting a bus company or something, could maybe work.

Would that be mostly the individual corps' responsibility? Like if a corps is struggling paying for gas that's on them not DCI, I would presume (though obviously if DCI could step in on that emergency to help they should). That's what I would've thought: like, this happening maybe in February would be bad for this summer, maybe? 🤷‍♂️

I think any give DCI show in 2025 had plenty of "actual marching," but also had plenty of "not traditional marching" visual components. I think when dinosaur fans/old-timer alumni (those of us, like me, who marched way back in the 1900's!) want to pine for the good ol' days of whenever we each individually want to specify as the "good old days," we run into dangerous grounds. We disregard the myriad of changes that have happened in the last several decades, which is like what 1970's alumni did with 1990's marching members, and what 1950's members likely did with 1970's marching members. When I marched I legit heard an old-timer complain about modern (in the late 1990's) drum carriers, saying straps were the only way to go to "keep it legit." They said we were being babied for traveling in coaches that didn't break down and had functional AC, that we were spoiled because we had a gook truck and ate well. This all sounded insane to us, and I'm sure complaining about 'modern' designs (that, again, have been around since Star of Indiana's 1993 visual program) sounds pretty silly to current marching members.

Yeah it almost feels like Education Administration: you can get a applicable degree (say, Business) but it won't even remotely prepare one for the myriad of different tasks necessary for any given year/season! I don't have any answers here, if a non-DCI person is better or worse for DCI CEO job, but I sincerely wish the new CEO and the organization luck moving forward!

I know! That's what's comical to me, I think

You are, if you're saying: If you're implication is "why don't we change sheets to reward shows from some decades ago that are more 'traditional' then you are suggesting the sheets devolve in some way. If you are saying designers should step backwards to, IDK whatever era you think is a "full-on traditional drill show" or something, then the sheets would devolve. You imply, what, not giving credit for body movement or choreography, and just "traditional drill?!" Those days are long gone: like, at least pre-1993 when Star of Indiana changed visual design for ever. And again, who's goofy ideas of "traditional drill show" do we go with? Something like Cavaliers 00's or Cadets 80's-90's would be blaspheme in the 1970's symmetrical drill days. That's why the activity doesn't go backwards. Heck, SCV went with a throw-back type show in 1992 and got blasted so bad they had to radically change their show design mid-season to try to kind of placate judges. Madison Scouts tried to kind of go retro when management changed, under DCI Hall of Fame designers no less, and still really struggled for a myriad of reasons. To be blunt, I don't think the masses what a "full-on traditional drill show" nowadays, and I'd think those that do are well off to enjoy their favorite old school VHS/DVD/Blue-ray recordings of said old school traditional shows.

Years ago, at a concert band and orchestra festival, my wife's band was doing "On A Hymnsong of Philip Bliss." She was nervous to do the piece, knowing she'd be judges on interpretation. At the time, Holsinger was a college professor, and I reached out to him and asked for his opinion; he sent a video of him rehearsing his group, explaining exactly why he interpreted each phrase the way he did. My wife did exactly that, and got raked over the coals by one particular festival judge (out of three) who gave her an Excellent. During lunch (my school hosted the festival so I was around all day and had zero qualms chatting with judges), I asked the judge about that (I don't think he knew it was my wife's band). He went on and on about how "wrong" she was, and after his spiel I said I think she was spot-on. The judge said, "what makes you say that?" and I replied "because when we talked to Dr. Holsinger about how to interpret the piece that's exactly what he said to do and I'd like to think he's the authority that matters." The judge was not good generally, and I may've handled that situation differently with a judge I respected. But his colleagues obviously lol'ed at him, mentioned how they loved what she did, and the guy was generally grumpy the rest of the day. As for "who decides what's musically appropriate," the only thing that matters are the judges' opinions of what's appropriate (when it comes to DCI, at least). Right or wrong, their opinion is all that matters in the context of DCI.

I don't mean this in an antagonistic way, but: Why in the holy eff would we want the sheets to _devolve_? Why would we want design to _devolve_ back to previous eras of design?!

For comparison's sake: * Max ad free = $179.40 for a year ($119.88 w/ads) * Prime = $139 a year * Disney+ = $119.88 Basic - $203.88 w/the Hulu/ESPN Bundle * Apple TV = $155.88 Price on the above are cheaper if there are offers of paying annually vs paying monthly. Flow is charging slightly less than the above average for the Premium services. Obviously "is Flow worth the price" = your mileage may vary. I'm a big movie nerd so I have most of the popular services (all of the above) so it's worth it for me; for Drum Corps fans the $155ish a month for Flow is a heck of a lot cheaper than tickets + travel expenses to all the regionals so Flow may be worth it for you by a lot

Curious what you mean specifically about this: how did "designers run the activity into the ground." If we're talking less corps, designers did not have much to do with financial viability issues with the majority of lost corps; or legal issues with others. DCI seems to be relatively healthy given its Regional and Championship attendance. I'd like to know exactly what you mean by designers running the activity into the ground

Mary Wilson, I think! She definitely has some stories from BITD, as well as trying to keep a drum corps alive/on the road. IIRC, she started Bandettes because she wasn't allowed to march in other drum corps that had male-only rules!

As a fan: awesome drill w/white or cream pants looks more impressive to me than black pant/shoes As an instructor: black all the way to make my job/life easier *edit* amused to realize this was from a loooooong time ago 🤣