Leaderboard

I’m not answering your question, and I’m sure you don’t need a snarky comment, but I can’t help myself. When “show designers” have to make YouTube videos to explain what we’re seeing......it sums up the state of modern drum corps.

Taco night here.

Controlling costs, like raising revenues, is also a trait of organizational leadership and strength. The idea of refusing to use your arms (i.e. soccer) lost its cultural relevance back when our species learned to walk on two legs. Yet there are more than 50 soccer teams in my town.

I really don't know the answer to ur last question. It does not appear there are ANY Cadets2 Models waiting in the wings like everyone had hoped for just a few years back. The Electronics issue makes it really hard for a start up corps to get going on a grassroots budget without some serious funding or corporate backers. Not to many of those waiting in the wings now days. Bingo is pretty much a dead source of income for most so that's gone too. . . So it appears DCA in self destructing before your very eyes. DCA had the chance to expand and grow back in the mid 2000 when there were lots of smaller to mid size corps up and coming that were enthusiastic about the activity and were making their way to shows. . It chose it course to stay a niche activity in the NE and not foster growth. Now when the alarm bells are sounding people are starting to listen to all that crazy talk that I had about having championships in Indy along side DCI Championships several years ago. Everyone said I was crazy,,that it would not work. That you could not possibly change the date from Labor day. That you could not possibly alienate the Alumni Corps. That there would be no room for I@E or Mini corps. They said to mind my own business to stop the noise. DCA remains a DYING NE Niche activity. They got EVERYTHING they wanted and are still fighting for it. Its like driving 100 miles per hour strait towards a brick wall knowing your going to hit that wall but you don't let up on the accelerator knowing where the brake is at.

Perhaps some corps look at it that way...? But in practice, I think that we can observe that contending shows are generally pioneering something rather than emulating. So it's not really all that plausible or even possible to beat the Joneses at THEIR own game. To compete with the Joneses you have to play the game differently... and I'm pretty sure that this isn't really an electronics issue at all in the end.

Mod hat: I just hid a few posts. Please refrain from making comments about individual posters.

You lost me at "easily". Even your explanation serves to prove that coping with these expenses does not come easily. Actually, you lost me at "iceberg". It is the continual addition of more such toys that grew this iceberg from what was once only the tip.

Sadly, Drum Corps is almost gone in the northwest. I stopped traveling to Indianapolis, because it is such a boring place to go. I sure wish DCI would move its championships. Including DCI finals as part of a summer vacation is not an option anymore.

Remember when the sound systems were supposed to replace having all the redundant marimbas?

I hear there is some great hard workers here.

Just back from Neato Burrito and see they are hiring (12 weeks until I retire). They say you need “food experience” but not sure if they mean serving it or eating it. 😜

Oh I understand that Mike, used to get 3 or 4 donation requests from my college (MB, IT Dept, etc,etc) a year until I told them to pick one or no money from Jimmy. To be clear I’m thinking of posts claiming that a corps needs $$$$ NOW or can’t finish the serason. Or maybe it’s we need the money NOW to fix the food truck or something else (I forget). Either way sounds like corps management has not planned for emergencies like this other than “depend on the kindness of others” to continue on.

I hear ya, Mike, and I agree the corps want to keep current. Can't blame them at all. I just wish there was a tad more "truth in advertising" on the rollout of any of this stuff. Instead of saying "well... you don't have to give up your G instruments"...as I remember hearing during the rollout period... perhaps "the sooner you get on board with any-key, the better off your corps will be." LOL

A lot of similarities with his piano concerto - delightful!

Uuhhhh... I beg to differ. There's LOTS of complaining about "the gear". They like the effects because they think it's expected and there's always a better way to do it well. Make it less expected and watch the spending and effort decrease.

Do me a favor: When I hear this, I think of Mandarins and Academy but are they "contending"? Please clarify so I understand your use of the word "contending". There are lots of nice shows, but only a few "contending" in my mind. This is a hard point to argue from a financial perspective, so you'd better bring your A-game. There is a direct correlation between budget and placement that shows up in the 990's. Brilliant! It's not an electronics issue at all in the end. It's a judging issue and nothing else, and one specifically the result of the emphasis on GE in the matrix. Now my stomach is growling and I'm thinking about Chic-fil-a...

As has always been the case, corps believe they should remain current with the activity. Corps added contras, mellos, multi drums, marching timpani and later mallets, 2- and then 3-valve horns, etc.....and just about everybody followed suit. Would a corps sound inferior today without electronics? IMO yes. I know from the band I taught that when we did not micc the mallets in early rehearsals or when there was no source to plug into (practice field), the sound suffered greatly.

DCA screwed the pooch limiting A class finals to 4 corps when they had several years of 10 or more coming to championships too

i would say every show in finals this year made sense to me. I just like getting a deeper look, and seeing things I missed

PBS is not bussing my kids across the country, depending on donations to cover the return trip.

Modern Drum Corps? I remember way back in the 70s corps did hand outs into the audience. Cadets and PR come to mind

I don't disagree with you one bit. But there are consequences to a lack of cost control that isn't being demonstrated in most drumcorps programs... therefore the cost controls seem to be pretty okay right now. Again, none of the corps are complaining about electronics. I personally can't stand soccer. That's all I have to say about that.

You responded to “competitors to live beyond their means” with “working correctly”?

Really? Do you need to assemble a BOD, apply for and obtain 501(c)3 status, and run several fundraising programs to buy gas for your car? What... is that supposed to prove something? A corps director complaining about the cost of competing would essentially be throwing a bucket of chum into the shark-infested waters in which they swim.

The discussion is partly about electronics and their cost. That's the part that I went after. Your general argument about cost is applicable to the entire budget... not at all exclusive to electronics. And that gets to my original replies on the issue in stating that drumcorps make their own budget decisions year to year. If they choose to budget for electronics, then it can easily be done considering the size of the operating budget and the much more costly areas where upgrades aren't always necessary in a particular year. As I said, this has already happened. It's done and nobody with skin in the game seems to be complaining about it.

"easily" refers to the small amount of budget that adequate amplification equipment can consume in relation to the rest of the budget (which is the "iceberg"). Unless there are systemic organizational flaws, a corps budget will inflate with time, and it isn't necessarily because of rise in cost. Corps can EASILY plan to purchase some sound equipment. It's just not that expensive. It CAN be expensive... but it doesn't have to be. Consider what the needs are... how many channels of sound?... how many amps for stereo and where can they be placed? It CAN be a rabbit hole, but it doesn't have to be in order to play the game and play it well. Again, what I am talking about isn't theoretical. It has already happened. This argument is about a time gone by. All I have to do to support what I am saying is present the list of current DCI members.

Yes, if the corps themselves decide that a particular item is ok to use.

I've gotten into Poulenc a lot more since his music was originally announced as being part of Phantom Regiment's 2015 show. This tune has some fun segments.

If I remember correctly, it was the end of April this past season.

edit: expected that video to be a bit longer but it's broken into 3. here's the playlist:

especially any constructive comments about how to construct the props for under $$$ if props be used in the future.

Himself at his best...

If you look at the last few pages of the monthly Drum Corps World online issues, you'll see they have a cd with the Royal Coachmen from the 1973 U. S. Open.

Just returned from Cadets camp. It was a good experience with some nice surprises.