3 ways to improve the activity (Jr wise)

[Blackstar]

1- Add woodwinds or let bands participate but as a seperate division. Keith Hall mentioned this in another thread. Who says drum corps HAS to add woodwinds. This would increase unit participation. You could have 2 drum corps divisions and 3 band divisions, college, large and small band divisions or by talent.

2- Reduce the cost to show sponsors. Many shows are ran by corps or large bands with equally large booster groups. Cut the upfront fee in half but give the corps a piece of the ticket price. I contacted DCI a couple of years ago and they wanted $10,000 upfront. Reduce that to half. have a staduim that holds 3-4000. If they sell 3000 tickets at $15 and the corps get $5 per ticket and there are 7 units thats comes to almost $2150. I understand that there is a tier payment system but I would split it evenly. Several things happens. A smaller band or several bands might group together and put up the 5k as opposed to 10k. (smaller risk) meaning more shows. The corps get more monies meaning more stability among all corps. Which leads to item 3.

3- Regional touring. National touring is killing the activity. With more shows there a better chance to perform locally or within 5-900 miles of home base. More units either drum corps or bands to fill shows means better marketing. Local units are or become better known which leads to better recruiting which of course leads to a stronger activity.

Right now all we're talking about is painting the wagon when we really need to change the wheels.

Please excuse any misspellings, I've been up since 3am.

[BozzlyB]

I am opposed to the combination of MB and DC at competitions. They are distinctly different activities for multiple reasons, keep it that way. I realize the obvious similarities, but IMO these similarities are only skin deep.

No objections to your second and third point, but I would say all of the reigional competitions would need to be kept and have required attendence if corps would only be seing a small group of competition for the rest of the touring shows.

[JamMan]

1- Add woodwinds or let bands participate but as a seperate division. Keith Hall mentioned this in another thread. Who says drum corps HAS to add woodwinds. This would increase unit participation. You could have 2 drum corps divisions and 3 band divisions, college, large and small band divisions or by talent.

Do you mean "unit" as in groups? College and high school marching bands already have enough competitions to compete in. And I don't see schools shelling out thousands more to send them around the country.

Or did you mean "unit" as in musician? All marching band woodwind players learn to play a brass instrument if they want to march. Or they do guard. Or percussion. Being tired to just one genre of horns can get pretty dull and drum corps offers a great opportunity to learn a new musical instrument.

[ouooga]

I kind of like number 1, but how do you work with programs that don't compete in the summer?

[Rifuarian]

I'm not sure what marching bands you could get to perform in the summer, even in exhibition. There aren't many summer marching bands left, and pretty much all corps-style bands (the kind of band that might actually be interested in this type of show) have their season in the fall. Most of them don't begin rehearsals until halfway through the drum corps season.

[Dave_G]

Biggest issue I have with #1 is that a significant amount of the ones who are some of the best performers for various HS and College bands are also typically members of corps as well. There's really no way to balance it, and you'd likely have directors/caption heads pushing a good portion of those individual members to go one way or the other. I'm not against competition in the least, but that seems like an unnecessary stress to put on the performer.

Numbers 2 and 3 I actually fully agree with, especially number 3. Possibly a regional tour to start the season with more of a national aspect after the first 3 or 4 weeks of the season, coinciding with the first major regional.

[Tom Brace]

1- Add woodwinds or let bands participate but as a seperate division. Keith Hall mentioned this in another thread. Who says drum corps HAS to add woodwinds. This would increase unit participation. You could have 2 drum corps divisions and 3 band divisions, college, large and small band divisions or by talent.

2- Reduce the cost to show sponsors. Many shows are ran by corps or large bands with equally large booster groups. Cut the upfront fee in half but give the corps a piece of the ticket price. I contacted DCI a couple of years ago and they wanted $10,000 upfront. Reduce that to half. have a staduim that holds 3-4000. If they sell 3000 tickets at $15 and the corps get $5 per ticket and there are 7 units thats comes to almost $2150. I understand that there is a tier payment system but I would split it evenly. Several things happens. A smaller band or several bands might group together and put up the 5k as opposed to 10k. (smaller risk) meaning more shows. The corps get more monies meaning more stability among all corps. Which leads to item 3.

3- Regional touring. National touring is killing the activity. With more shows there a better chance to perform locally or within 5-900 miles of home base. More units either drum corps or bands to fill shows means better marketing. Local units are or become better known which leads to better recruiting which of course leads to a stronger activity.

Right now all we're talking about is painting the wagon when we really need to change the wheels.

Please excuse any misspellings, I've been up since 3am.

1. Ok.

2. Many of the shows are no longer run by sponsors. Those days are long gone. Most shows are sponsored by corps and/or DCI.

3. Regional touring only works in the Midwest. Only viable in the Midwest. This is why DCM is so frequently mentioned and was the last circuit to die off. Regional touring is NOT the answer.

In fact, drum corps DOES NOT have a good answer.

1. It will never have broad appeal...IT NEVER HAS.

2. Drum corps is a small niche within a very small niche. Most people go get hot dogs at halftime.

3. Traveling is more and more expensive. Drum corps in the past did it on the cheap and not always safely. Safety and liability issues have made drum corps more expensive.

4. Drum corps instructors are music educators, not by rote tutors from the VFW Hall. No more 2, 1, 1-2, 1, O, O. Now there is real music. This has grown the curve to where now musical knowledge is a prerequisite to joining a drum corps. Drum corps is an opportunity for young people to perform with other supremely talented musicians in one of the highest level ensembles in most of their lifetimes. Drum corps is about having some of the finest instructors on the planet teaching. And for those doubters out there...I would urge you to watch one Michael Klesch session with a hornline. I did. It quickly changed my mind about the level of instruction.

5. Drum corps is pricey. Drum corps is losing the battle with attrition. Drum corps will not ever exist as it did in the past and no amount of honor guards, posting colors, spats is going to bring a new/old audience back. That ship has sailed.

6. Drum corps is a great summer activity to participate in and to watch and admire. It is not life, just like summer camp is not life. It is away from life. You find that out when rotten parents show up mid season to tell their daughter they are getting a divorce and she is a wreck for the rest of the season. You find that out when your #2 bass drummer gets word his grandfather died suddenly and has to leave tour for a week to attend the funeral and comes back way behind. Drum corps is definitely NOT life.

7. The world will survive without drum corps just like the world will survive without enough oil. We need food, water and shelter. We will survive without drum corps. It will be a more dismal planet, but we will survive.

8. I've come to terms with people who have continually said to me that drum corps needs to take a step back to go forward. You know what, you are right and I am wrong. I agree. Drum corps and the leaders involved need to take a step back and reflect. Not take the activity back 40 years, but pause a moment or two and reflect. Where's the sweet spot? Where is it and how do we duplicate it? Is it Cavies 1996? Madison 1995? Is it Regiment 2008? Where is it? Can each corps go out there and perform...as immaculately as we all know they can perform....shows....shows that cause us, the fans, to rise from our seats way before the polite time to do so...way before our slow meager standing to salute the hard working kids coming off the field. I don't need encores, trooping the stands, honor guards...I need to be excited by your show. Because, I am vain enough to believe...if I am really enjoying this show on the field...the kids got to be digging on it, because they love standing Os in the middle of the show, I know they do. And if the kids are digging it...and a majority of us in the stands are digging it...then it's going to last a little longer for all of us.

So, and not to DCP...this is for George and Dave and Rick and all the rest of you heading to your fall and winter meetings...WHERE'S THE SWEET SPOT?

[mgarside83]

1. Ok.

2. Many of the shows are no longer run by sponsors. Those days are long gone. Most shows are sponsored by corps and/or DCI.

3. Regional touring only works in the Midwest. Only viable in the Midwest. This is why DCM is so frequently mentioned and was the last circuit to die off. Regional touring is NOT the answer.

In fact, drum corps DOES NOT have a good answer.

1. It will never have broad appeal...IT NEVER HAS.

2. Drum corps is a small niche within a very small niche. Most people go get hot dogs at halftime.

3. Traveling is more and more expensive. Drum corps in the past did it on the cheap and not always safely. Safety and liability issues have made drum corps more expensive.

4. Drum corps instructors are music educators, not by rote tutors from the VFW Hall. No more 2, 1, 1-2, 1, O, O. Now there is real music. This has grown the curve to where now musical knowledge is a prerequisite to joining a drum corps. Drum corps is an opportunity for young people to perform with other supremely talented musicians in one of the highest level ensembles in most of their lifetimes. Drum corps is about having some of the finest instructors on the planet teaching. And for those doubters out there...I would urge you to watch one Michael Klesch session with a hornline. I did. It quickly changed my mind about the level of instruction.

5. Drum corps is pricey. Drum corps is losing the battle with attrition. Drum corps will not ever exist as it did in the past and no amount of honor guards, posting colors, spats is going to bring a new/old audience back. That ship has sailed.

6. Drum corps is a great summer activity to participate in and to watch and admire. It is not life, just like summer camp is not life. It is away from life. You find that out when rotten parents show up mid season to tell their daughter they are getting a divorce and she is a wreck for the rest of the season. You find that out when your #2 bass drummer gets word his grandfather died suddenly and has to leave tour for a week to attend the funeral and comes back way behind. Drum corps is definitely NOT life.

7. The world will survive without drum corps just like the world will survive without enough oil. We need food, water and shelter. We will survive without drum corps. It will be a more dismal planet, but we will survive.

8. I've come to terms with people who have continually said to me that drum corps needs to take a step back to go forward. You know what, you are right and I am wrong. I agree. Drum corps and the leaders involved need to take a step back and reflect. Not take the activity back 40 years, but pause a moment or two and reflect. Where's the sweet spot? Where is it and how do we duplicate it? Is it Cavies 1996? Madison 1995? Is it Regiment 2008? Where is it? Can each corps go out there and perform...as immaculately as we all know they can perform....shows....shows that cause us, the fans, to rise from our seats way before the polite time to do so...way before our slow meager standing to salute the hard working kids coming off the field. I don't need encores, trooping the stands, honor guards...I need to be excited by your show. Because, I am vain enough to believe...if I am really enjoying this show on the field...the kids got to be digging on it, because they love standing Os in the middle of the show, I know they do. And if the kids are digging it...and a majority of us in the stands are digging it...then it's going to last a little longer for all of us.

So, and not to DCP...this is for George and Dave and Rick and all the rest of you heading to your fall and winter meetings...WHERE'S THE SWEET SPOT?

You make some great points here, but you are very pessimistic about everything. This isn't the first depressed economy that drum corps has seen. I believe enough people care enough about it to ensure its survival. I agree with your assessment of finding the sweet spot, but that doesn't fix the total problem. Costs have to be cut, the doors have to be open to more new marching members. They are the new fan base.

[Blackstar]

My toughts on item 1 is that many schools are getting closer to being year round, How much harder for the bands that compete in the larger ciruits to do 3-5 summer shows. Say a band in PA decides to compete in the Midwest tour. The kids get to see a little of America. I know when I marched way back when my band definitely would have done something like that.

As for college bands, you don't have to have the full 200-300 members for a summer program. It could be a freshmen thing or optional program. I understand all bands are set up for touring but since its regional I would partner them with a corps and work out cost. The more you buy the more you save.

I think regional touring will increase revenues for corps.

The instrutor issue, I think there are enough instructors to go around. We know of the big names but there are many people out there that teach many successful band programs. You might have to pay alittle more to keep an instructor if it comes down to it.

We need to find a way to reduce cost. Adding equipment is not it.

[Kansan]

There is interest in Regional Touring especially among small Junior and All Age Drum & Bugle Corps.

I would go as far to say there will be a circuit in the next 5 years or earlier that will cinsist of different regions with regioanl touring and a Regioanls competition in each region to decide who competes in the Circuit Finals. Somthing like the top 3 Corps from each of the 4 regions will go to finals.

In this economy, and what probably to come, this makes the most economic sense.

I don't really think including woodwinds in Drum & Bugle Corps is any help at all. I wouldn't mind a Fife and Drum division or a Pipes and Drums division though.

Look at that European competition where Top Secret the Swiss Drumline competes. Very much a coolness factor there.

I think kids like doing something different than Marching Band for the Summer. Playing a G bugle and performing to very high levels used to be that different thing. Now they still have the chance to play at very high levels with maybe a better quality horn than they have at school.

I was a woodwind player in High School and College and I craved that "something better and different" than marching band and I found that in Drum and Bugle Corps. I would not have been interested if it was more marching band.