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Yes, you need to hang on to cash. And I would contend that if the directors didn't demand that more and more cash be paid out to them, that DCI would have the opportunity to hang on to more cash. Instead of promoting that DCI is incompetent in their cash management, perhaps a more apt target would be those corps that demand that cash be paid out to them.

Why was this post given negative marks? People are supposed to have their posts marked negative for a job that anyone can do on corpsreps.com? There are more tools on this site than there are in American politics.

Note that John said Open Class...the division within DCI in his statement. He said nothing about the individual corps. It is the open class division that does not support itself financially; WC revenue subsidizes Open Class operations. Groups that join DCI do not sign away the rest of their organizations when they sign up with DCI. Can you show me the contract clause that states that DCI owns the rest of a separate 501c3 corporation's assets when that 501c3 decides to participate within DCI with one or more of their ensembles?

I saw DCI's financials (not 990's). All I know is that many companies have fired management teams for less... and I was pretty shocked. Hiding behind a non-profit cause-driven excuse is weak. Business is business and fundamentals are fundamentals. Cause cannot justify any deviation from fundamentals, as it is not sustainable, and nullifies the cause-driven argument (if you are cause driven, you are in it for the long haul... you might have to adjust the scale of delivery... but goal is sustainable delivery). Also, using arbitrary valuations for in-kind donations to inflate figures on books is amateur and intentionally misleading. Real men book these at zero.... as that is the actual cash impact.

Please - we hear enough baseless fearmongering from the political class these days. It already is subsidized by outside revenues. It always has been, and it always will be. Did you just come to this realization this week? No wonder you are in a panic! The same was said a few years ago. But look - DCI is still here!

There's no reason why DCA couldn't host a Championship weekend for "juniors" at a date earlier than Labor Day if there were enough participants.

Basslines get my vote. I think basses are a little disadvantaged in that they don't have the visual flash of snares and tenors. My earliest memory of a great bassline feature was Suncoast Sound 1985.

YEA! already supports a lot of kid-oriented activities...The Cadets, Cadets2, USBands, and through the Urban Arts Center...Xcape Dance Studio, the Lehigh Valley Youth Drumline and the Community Hand Drumming Project.

..........and you just might be " old school " if, knowing all this, you'd still go back and do it all again if the Good Lord would allow it.

No. Most fans don't care who hosts a show or why. They care about two things (not counting ancillary issues like ticket cost): City/venue, and what corps are in the show. That's it. None of the rest really matters.

Easy. Not the hardest day in the corps, per say, but hardest day for me. We're having one of those "legendary" Garfield-Death-Camp rehearsals in '86' when, in the last number, Thom Hannum gets the idea to get rid of this little call-and-answer two bar break where th horns play and instead have just the drumline play the roll-off from the 20th Century Fox fanfare. It's supposed to be cute. Well, you know how muscle memory gets the best of you? At that point in the show I know what I'm supposed to play, 'cause I've been doing it for 4 months. I play lead baritone. I heard them say for the horns not to play. I heard them. But when we ran it... I honked the crap out of my part. I'm the only one. "WHO PLAYED?" (Crap! That was me!) "Uhh, I did!" "WHAT ARE YOU, AN IDIOT!? AGAIN!!" So we do it again I'm beating myself up a little bit. We run it. I honk the crap out of my part. "WHO PLAYED!! WAS THAT YOU!!?? RUN A LAP!!!" (What the hell's wrong with me!? Get it together!" I run a lap just in tme to run it again. I absolutely NAIL the part. "RRUUUUNNNN!!!! RUN 'TIL I GET TIRED!!!!!!" I must've run +10 laps. It's 95+ degrees. I'm hallucinating. All I can see at the two lines on either side of me on the track. Finally Hannum tells me to get back in line. I'm physically toast. "IT DOESN'T WORK. DO IT LIKE YOU ALWAYS DID." All that for nothing. We played it like we did for finals. You know what? I didn't play it for 4 shows. I was too friggin' scared. True story. That was my longest day.

The academy just posted on Facebook that they have baritone openings

danielray, Please further explain your belief that Dan Acheson is not what DCI needs right now. Thanks.

danielray, I have no idea. I am upset when you, or anyone else, claims Dan A. is wrong for DCI without providing specific examples to prove your assertion. So far, you have not done this. Till then, you are just another blowhard. OK, a blowhard just like me!

So, by that, I take it you have: 1) strongly counseled Hopkins, Gibbs, Fiedler, et al that they are incompetent (quote: "The reality here is that the talent and experience required to maximize the potential of the DCI brand does not exist within the sphere of drum corps"), and 2) also counseled them to get completely out of the business of producing events and media, and turn the entirety of the business side completely over to other people who do have, what did you write, oh yeah "... the talent and experience required to maximize the potential...".

danielray, unless you provide many more SPECIFICS, I can't buy the view Dan A. represents a problem for DCI. Until YOU, sir, can describe exactly what problem Dan presents, AND offer a better solution, you are nothing more than a "hit and run" artist, in my mind .

Here is the reality... DCI confuses their own brand by mixing major and minor leagues together and pretending they are on the same level. There is also some need for an acceptance of reality when it comes to kids not only spending their time, but hard earned money on the drum corps experience. It actually costs more for kids to participate in Pioneer than Vanguard. Think about that for a second... a kid has to spend more to participate in Pioneer than one of the top corps out there. This is no slight to Pioneer, they do great stuff, but the type of experience is not exactly comparable... and many kids would rather save their money and practice for the next season. To pretend that kids are willing to spend the same amount of money to participate in Pioneer vs. Vanguard is disconnected from reality. If Pioneer were free, however, or even considerably less than the cost of top tier corps... then there is a valid argument there. Anyway, DCI is not the one that should put emphasis on getting kids to join other corps... those corps should do this. If kids don't go there it is the fault of those individual organizations, not DCI. DCI should focus on producing events and media.... period.

First point... I do not think that DCI can be fixed from within. There is no proposed solution that I have seen that is actually viable or that is anything more than simply a bandaid. The reality here is that the talent and experience required to maximize the potential of the DCI brand does not exist within the sphere of drum corps. Strange as it may seem, the people with the greatest opportunity to impact the future of the DCI brand have no connection to it. Over the past couple of weeks I also spent a few days in meetings a sports related project. It was pretty fascinating seeing the difference between what they thought was practical and achievable vs. drum corps. These are the kind of guys that send a text to a guy about broadcast stuff and have other guys from EPSN calling him minutes later... called him 3 times during the course of a simple meeting. These are the kind of guys that casually set up one on one lunch meetings with CEO of one of the world's largest sportswear companies in order to talk sponsorship. This is the world that DCI can play in (and should... it has every bit the potential... how many millions of band kids are out there that can be influenced by DCI?). No one connected with drum corps is ever going to get them there though... and this is something that needs to be recognized and accepted internally. This is one of the things people can't seem to get over. About giving Dan more control? That is exactly the opposite direction of where this needs to go if it is going to survive, let alone thrive.

February camp i believe begins today looking forward to new updates and hopefully a video.

Creating and administering a new division would have to be a cost greater than zero, I would think. Not sure it would be a hardship, but I would guess DCA would have to at least consider what the cost might be, esp if it would be a nationwide network to support Open class all over the US.

...instead he chose to support a variety of marching, dance and music activities for thousands of corps/band kids around the country and provided access for urban kids in the Lehigh Valley to activities they would not be able to participate in otherwise. I'll take this over your false statement.

which fits the model that the G7 envision...that DCI does not provide 'service' to the Open class corps, that they are best served outside of DCI. the G7 see it as regional circuits, but DCA would also fit the bill as a weekend-only option, if DCA is able to logistically (and financially) accept the idea.

You know what edge dressing is. If you wore black shoes, they probably once belonged to your dad. Your color guard had the same uniform as you. Except for the skirts and boots. You bring rolls of quarters on tour. For phone calls. Only the rich kids and bus drivers had cots and air mattresses. "Snack" either came from a vending machine or McDonald's. Roughly half the males in the corps had beards and looked 30. Your socks went up to your knees and had colored stripes. Your shorts were made of satin and came down just past your butt. Everyone smelled like coconuts. And Off. From an aerosol can. If you wore jeans, your back pockets were probably torn off. Your corps "mom" cussed like a sailor. Your sister was a fireman. Ok...that last one is timeless.

Turns around, sees DCI staring at me, yells in panic because I didn't realize it was there all this time, watching me Google the latest cat videos.

Oh, geez...you just gave me a recurrent nightmare. The Cavaliers' drum line used to rehearse inside the wrestling room of a junior high. It was horrific. I can't imagine how much worse it would have been without all the wrestling mats soaking up some of the din. I couldn't hear myself play the xylophone. Then we joined the horns inside the school cafeteria, which was lined on one side by huge windows that reflected the volume. We thought we must have sounded awesome until the first drill rehearsal outside, and then it was, "Where did all the volume go?"

Disagree. I'm not sure anyone can claim on what Hop could have done and what you feel he attempted to do is really all that relevant to what is currently being done. I don't believe you or anyone can receive a complete analysis of a restructuring plan from the couple sentences presented in proposal 3 years ago. And I don't think you can say where the potential "savings" from reducing Open Class DCI management would go and even if that would go to the pockets of G7. I mean, you assume an awful lot.

Actually, no. According to this article on 501c3 website... it doesn't say that wages and salaries should be minimized. It says that they should be reasonable and says that compensations over 250,000 for executives are not uncommon. But the article also speaks about regulations on executive pay (Due Diligence and Arms-length) but it does not say that compensation should be minimized.

What to do this weekend? Fusion Core will be recruiting at the WGI South Brunswick Regional this Saturday, 2/23. Stop by and meet some of our guard members and support the winterguard activity. Matt Steppe, Recruitment Manager will be holding another Rifle Raffle for everyone who fills out a form. As an added bonus, anyone who stops by the Recruitment Table and says "I Love Fusion" will get a small gift from the Core. There is only one catch, you have to say it with enthusiasm!

But, you see, there is another way it can continue to exist and thrive under the current model, and that is to grow the activity organically by getting kids interested in performing and marching. DLB and SS are the first solid ideas to do so in many years. Grow attendance organically, grow participation organically. The only solution is not from the top down, trying to force a product into regional buckets that intend to draw fewer fans at a higher price in glitzy stadiums that are accessible to a small portion of the consuming public. Is DCI in the "kid" business or in the "return as much money as possible to the corps" business? The world of drum corps is not a closed system where only so much money is available and the argument is how it's to be divided. Corps can be returned more money if the focus is placed on getting kids involved instead of how to split up the existing pie. If something "radical" needs done, I'd suggest the least invasive procedure would be best first. Put the emphasis on getting kids to join Pio, Mandarins, Surf, Open Class, where they CAN make the cut, and the activity can grow organically, grow the size of the pie to split, and re-emphasize the importance of and satisfaction of marching a corps that doesn't necessarily come with a ring.

no, domes suck.

except WGI is on pace, even in this economy, to have their largest number of participants ever

I thought it was the only part of the thread that made sense.

There have been many conversations about the changes in drumcorps, over the past few years. Since my humble beginnings in this activity in 1968, I have lived through most of them. The ONE change that has been detrimental is not the key of the horns used, the addition of a grounded pit or electronics or even narration. It is the touring model and it's cost! It's just my uneducated opinion folks, but what if drumcorps were not forced by circumstances to move 3 or 4 busses and two semi tractor/trailers halfway across the country, in order to compete? There are apparently 7 or 8 DCI corps who can sustain that expense on a yearly basis. (sarcasm implied) In the meantime, corps are dropping off the map, as the circuit in question increasingly becomes a "rich mans game". Somebody here with more knowlege and experience than I have, may have a different take on things. I'd be interested in reading their opinions.

no argument with that lick

To be honest, I'm versed in the MiM/DCI stuff up to my eyeballs - and I *still* pick the shows I want to go to based only on ticket price and lineup. Mike

DCI needs Madison Scouts...now more than ever.

That's because the lineup this year is not as good as it was last year. :ph34r:/>

I have been saying this for years, and no one ever listens. The second the lower corps accept the fact that they are never going to compete with the big boys, and then STOP TRYING TO, this activity will be on the path to recovery.

You had a OTL Stop time. American flag squad. Phantom w/ 10-12 extra members above the regulated 128 standing on the end line. Drum corps News. US Open International Open Nothing on the front sideline except a drum major, possibly a podium, maybe one photographer and a small table and tabulators Trooping the stands PB&J your only choice for lunch and dinner 75% of the time on tour. Box trucks as your equipment truck (if you were lucky) Inspections Real fist fights with other corps Drum downs w/ other corps Trips to Canada Arbella, St Ignatius and the other all girl corps. Truman Crawford Tymps w/ cranks School Bus corps Skokie Imperials VFW and American Legion shows and their different procedures.

Your shoes were called "bucs." (I never knew why.) If you were on the actual performance field, it meant your show had already started. The biggest decision any drum staff could make was marching Ludwig Challengers or Slingerland TDRs. If you heard the word "Olds," you didn't think of a car. Your color guard actually guarded the colors. You took a three-day weekend tour and never made it outside your city's suburbs. Breakfast was doughnuts and weak orange juice off the equipment truck. Dinner was something out of an industrial-sized can heated over a Coleman stove. Water breaks? We didn't need no stinkin' water breaks! Of the seven corps that played "Battle Hymn" in the same contest, your mom liked your corps' version the best. One of the guard members dropped a rifle inside a school gym and a couple of the floorboards had to be replaced. Kids from one suburb wouldn't even think of marching in a corps from a neighboring suburb. Your corps trousers were made of scratchy, itchy wool that created a sauna effect during the summer. A big container of salt tablets was always open during hot weather rehearsals. At least two dozen corps with satin jackets and shakos were unidentifiable from each other in black and white photographs. If you were friends with members of other corps, you kept it a secret from your corpsmates. You had two choices of snare stick manufacturers, and maybe two choices of models from each line. One was Ludwig...the other wasn't. The screamer sopranos each owned at least to "Rudy Mucks." A flag penalty could cost your corps a national championship. It took up to two weeks before you heard about show results from other parts of the county. News about scores from shows in your same region only took about one week. Many drum solos were about as musical as listening to bacon frying. New guy games were never as bad as legend made them sound to be. Sometimes they were worse. If you lived in Chicago, you thought Don Warren could be elected President of the United States. If you lived in Chicago's suburbs, you swore you wouldn't vote for Don Warren for dog catcher. You thought the girls in other guys' corps were always cuter than the ones in your own. The guys in the other corps thought your girls were much cuter than theirs. Any corps girl dating a guy from another corps was considered to be a spy by both corps. You wondered how you would ever make $100 to pay for tour. Your corps played the same closer year after year. Dr. Beat was the corps' resident beatnik tenor player. Gold Bond powder was available only in New England. Members of east coast corps never let on about their favorite regional product. When you heard there were a couple drum corps in California, you laughed. You remember band directors going to contests with sketchbooks in hand. You thought Don Warren was old.

Corps busses were both driven and pushed.

The lowest ranking NFL team gets the first draft pick for the next season. If the lowest ranking corps got first choice among the top instructors from the top corps each year, things would get shaken up. As for a draft for new talent, can you imagine what would happen if someone wanting to march Blue Devils was told they had to go to a corps that was typically at or near the bottom of the rankings in order for corps to achieve parity? It's not going to happen. But since that does happen in the NFL, you'll see teams near the bottom surge to near the top over relatively few years when they make good picks in the draft and out-trade other teams.

For flash, skill, impressiveness.......tenors all the way. Crossovers, scraps.....totally bad azz. I will say nothing beats a beast bass line in the lot, but the bass stuff is better up close than from the seats. It's gotta be at least four tenors too, three guys killing it just doesn't have the same panache. Snares get all the glory anyway, they shouldn't win the DCP polls as well!

I'm still rather new to drum corps things...thanks for that info.

A tidbit from Blue Knight camp this weekend.

Weird, I never saw any changes to DCI in the announcement yesterday.

NoBeginningNoEnd

I wasn't necessarily putting BAC's drill down when I said it was slow. It just looked slow following Crown. Crown's drill was a disaster tonight, and speed kills quite often. Apparently Crown thinks that hitting a dot with one reached out foot counts.

Watching now. Blown away by crowns brass but they seriously new to clean the drill!!! Clean the ending Boston was alright. They have pitch And drill issues As well. Cadets.....do you hear what I hear? Is beautiful. The best visually so far of the show. The bluecoats bore the $$$$ out of me

Hey guys, a soloist fracked one of his solos so Phantom should have won.