LegalEagle50 Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 while you are blaming all those other things blame colleges too. a good school today wants to see a well rounded kid, not one who solely concentrated in the "arts" as many had back in the day of the local junior corps. in some ways these corps of today which get together once a month are better for kids because it does leave them time open to do other activities besides just drum corps. i know that is going to anger some folks, but those are the basic facts. competition to get into college is greater now than ever. showing you tried a bit of everything (sports, volunteering, arts) carries more weight with the admissions committee than showing you concentrated on solely one area. this is why you see parents shuffle their kids today from one activity to another at rapid pace. i don't blame DCI for that. nor do i think DCA is the saviour either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Tix-A-Lot Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Power outages, the savior of DCI...... and my eardrums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron H Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 This topic has been beaten to death yet again, but hey, who am I to keep quiet? :) So I'll repeat an observation I've made many times before: I think we have to get over the fact that DCI has changed it's product and changed it's focus. You now have to think of the DCI product in the same way as a Broadway touring show. That is their intent. They simply want to have 18-20 corps that they can "package" and send off around the country to make money for the parent corporation, which then distributes money back to the member corps. They are long since past the time when they cared about expanding the activity. They do not necessarily want expansion. They want top-quality performances that can be marketed to a wider audience on ESPN and other entertainment outlets. Don't take this to mean they are only in it for the money however. I do believe DCI when they say they are still very concerned about the educational aspect and life-changing experiences available to those who participate in their product. And they still support - albeit weakly - the idea of Div II/III as a way of allowing future products to move upward through their organization, if they can survive the test of time and quality. DCI is moving much closer to "Blast" than it is to the DCA model. DCI and DCA are apples and oranges that just happen to both contain some Vitamin C. DCI is no longer community-based though they may claim to be. It is a touring production based nowhere that uses corps from different cities for the purpose of claiming competitive drama. And I wouldn't even be surprised to eventually see the elimination of competition in favor of a broad notion of "entertainment" if the rules of competition constrict DCI's view of what appeals to a mass audience. I doubt that will happen though. There is nothing wrong about DCI's path. But it is not a path I would like to follow and I simply prefer DCA's approach to drum corps. DCI is almost too perfect, rehearsed and polished for me. I prefer to see the real struggle among competitors that succeed in spite of all the challenges that face a senior corps today. Competitors that have personality, history and pride that extends back through generations of participants and that are actually from somewhere. I don't need to see a corporate product that has all the depth of the latest marketing campaign for designer jeans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 this DCI/DCA crap is childish and pathetic However, there can be no doubt that as DCI passes rules that change the basic nature of drum corps to "drum corps" (or as so many on here say "Drum corps is what it becomes.", which is well...we'll just let that go for now.) that DCA is going to be offering something that is its own animal. Right now, for the most part DCA apes DCI. Not totally a bad thing. But, do we see amps in a few years here? Electronics? Woodwinds eventually? The closer DCI takes itself to what the marching band enthusaist that its trying to draw as a fan wants, the more we'll have this argument. Brand identity is an important selling point; so DCA needs to decide in the near future if they put themselves out there as junior corps "want-to-bes", or if they decide bell front brass, drums and guard is enough. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 but DCA isn't (currently) heading down it's own path - it's just "DCI-lite" or "DCA-late" depending on the issue. The "lite" is the time available for program design, teaching and rehearsal. The "late" is the fact that DCA follows each and every major DCI change - just a couple of years later... Re DCA being the "savior" in terms of numbers of corps - it's important to note that historically speaking Senior Corps has PLUMMETED as a vibrant activity to a much greater degree than junior corps. Senior Corps used to be the end-all end-all both in numbers and quality. DCI has major faults. DCA is copying DCI. You be the judge as to which is more silly. DCA is growing again. DCI has been addressing it's faults. IMO that's a good thing in both cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 but DCA isn't (currently) heading down it's own path - it's just "DCI-lite" or "DCA-late" depending on the issue. The "lite" is the time available for program design, teaching and rehearsal. The "late" is the fact that DCA follows each and every major DCI change - just a couple of years later...DCI has major faults. DCA is copying DCI. You be the judge as to which is more silly. DCA is growing again. DCI has been addressing it's faults. IMO that's a good thing in both cases. I agree completely with your first paragraph...I just wonder if and when we'll see a deviation from what the juniors are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmarnl Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 (edited) sorry, triplicate Edited August 16, 2005 by kmarnl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmarnl Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 (edited) sorry triplicate Edited August 16, 2005 by kmarnl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmarnl Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 especially when it is coming from people who have not spent one red cent on a junior show this year. Or perhaps not for several years. what are you even talking about? Do you read to "respond" or to "react"??? this DCI/DCA crap is childish and pathetic <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegalEagle50 Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 (edited) especially when it is coming from people who have not spent one red cent on a junior show this year. Or perhaps not for several years. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> as you just recently joined how do you know who has spent what or when they did so? or are you really not all that new here? Edited August 16, 2005 by LegalEagle50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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