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Ron H

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Everything posted by Ron H

  1. With all due respect to the terrific eastern corps. You are tone deaf. The last several pages of this thread had everything to do with the eastern corps and nothing to do with MBI, which is the subject of this very thread. I'm sorry, but so many of you have good intentions but are completely deaf to what is really happening in the "All-Age" world. The All-Age drum corps are very, very much a localized circuit. And it has little or no influence in the larger drum corps community. And it has virtually NO influence in the marching band world. (From which ALL of our future members come from.) I've said it a couple of times and I'll say it again. While I believe that DCI is severely shortsighted in focusing on exclusively being a "youth" activity and blindly ignoring the adult "continuing education" aspect of drum corps , DCI right now is the only viable model of a national drum corps circuit. DCA ain't it. So what happens next?
  2. I'm not surprised, though I am surprised. :) MBI's participation in DCA was untenable in the long-term. Why? Because DCA is ultimately a local circuit. It is concentrated in the NE, and will remain so. A truly "National" All-Age Circuit won't happen anytime soon. Spending $30,000 to travel to what amounts to a regional show on Labor Day Weekend just isn't worth it. I've said it before and I will say it again: Minnesota Brass' organization is stellar and their ability to raise money is amazing. Now, what do you do with that? If MBI truly commits to their drum corps mission statement, there is really only one viable option. They convert their drum corps operations to DCI Open Class, then eventually move to DCI World Class. (This is not easy, because it would require a change in the charter of the organization.) DCI has proven itself to be the only model for a nation-wide drum corps organization. DCA has not. And given that MBI's finances would already put it among DCI's top 12 is a strong argument for that course of action. I am a former Corps Director of MBI, but I haven't had much contact with the corps in recent years. I once believed that MBI could sustain itself within the realm of the DCA model. But I just can't see that anymore. DCA doesn't work beyond the 5 or 6 state model centered around New Jersey unless it is radically re-designed to accommodate reciprocal traveling arrangements among member corps. As it is now, DCA is destined to be a nostalgia circuit.
  3. I only submitted Annapolis because it is the closest stadium to the dozens of Midwestern stadiums that could also host DCA that are decent, beautiful, acoustically great and relatively inexpensive.
  4. Honestly, it may be the fact that this forum has become mostly irrelevant. The same dozen or more people posting the same thoughts over and over has become tired. If this forum is truly the voice of All-Age drum corps, then that activity is on life-support.
  5. I was Drum Major that year in '99 when MBI beat the Cabs. It still holds a special place in my heart. Standing on the front sideline with the other esteemed Drum majors during the finale, and the scores were announced, I really couldn't believe that we had finally topped the Caballeros - a corps that for decades had personified the elite of DCA. And don't get me wrong. I still admire the tremendous Cabs. A corps both resilient and commanding! But not to hear your corps' name while the countdown to 1st Place is going on is an excruciating experience. And one that just gets your adrenaline going. At that moment on the front sideline in 1999, I had to cry a little that this scrappy corps from Minnesota had broken into the top ranks of DCA. I think a lot of us MBI members celebrated a little too much that night after the finals. :) It was a moment that (I hoped) told the drum corps world that Minnesota Brass was a serious corps. And it was (and still is) to the credit of people like Joel Matuzak, Gavin Burnham, Dave Whitaker, and alums like Frank Lozar (RIP) and Dick Maki (RIP) who sustained the corps throughout it's long history. Personally contributing thousands of $$ to help the corps through the worst times. After 1999, the corps was still tentative with ups and downs for a few more years. But then came 2008, when MBI took an unequivocal 2nd Place at DCA Championships. And that was the first year I felt that MBI could do any show it chose, regardless of a particular "style." It established itself as a truly mature corps that could experiment with just about anything. Even though it's heart remained with its jazz tradition. It's been a great ride! All for the love of drum corps.
  6. Being in the audience last Saturday, I thought MBI's hornline was dreadful. That said, their guard and percussion did not seem one bit off their game at this time of year (in fact I thought the guard was even better than last year). And the sizes of those sections were quite typical of the corps - nothing has changed there. I have little doubt those two sections will still be in the top 3 at DCA, as they were last year. It's just the hornline that needs major work. And yes, that's a big task. Their staff is comprised of a smart group of people. They know their issues and are taking steps to remedy them.
  7. I'm not sure you guys are responding to the obvious issue. This is NOT a "one year" blip. Go back 10 years and the pattern is still plainly clear. There is no room for "interpretation" of numbers reported to the IRS. That would be illegal. Because there are strict rules in place that define the legal parameters of a 501© 3 Non-Profit Organization. One corps is worth several times the value of the top 10 DCA Corps combined. That's an effin big deal. And MBI is clearly the geographic outlier of DCA. There is a serious disparity here. We're not talking about some minor "skewering" of numbers. This is a magnitude of difference. That said, if MBI can be financially successful a thousand miles away from the heart of DCA, why the hell aren't the "traditional" DCA corps doing their part to bolster their own finances to ensure the future of All-Age corps? Is DCA really "one paycheck" away from oblivion?
  8. These numbers are 2015 public information based upon required disclosures of ALL 501 3c Corporations You can search ANY 501c3 Non-Profit here There are some serious issues here. Issues that impact the health of DCA for years to come. And there is one obvious, tremendous imbalance. One that puts one DCA corps in the range of major DCI corps. So what's going on? Why is there such a striking discrepancy? Net Assets at the end of 2015: Minnesota Brass, Inc. $654,956 Corps Vets $28,010 Govenaires (Note: Only 2014 Data is available) $27,214 Fusion Core $5,750 Cadets Unclear - Subsumed under the Cadets Organization Bushwackers (Note: Only 2014 Data is available) (- $1,764) Reading Buccaneers (-$49,303) Hawthorne Caballeros (-$75,931)
  9. An interesting organizational structure! Hopefully this allows further opportunities for MBI to expand its already diverse arts activities.
  10. And C2's placement doesn't matter one bit. Because you just can't - can't - place MBI accurately in that group.
  11. I'll say that Minnesota's show this year is very reminiscent of the great shows by Empire. There is a degree of "cheeriness" and fun about it. It doesn't take itself too seriously but is really #### good. And though the show is lighthearted, their horn line is a freakin' killer.
  12. Also a big move from Minnesota Brass. 91.65. And don't forget the Govenaires are competing in Open Class this year. 83.80 for them last night.
  13. MBI and Govenaires tonight on DCI Sheets. Minnesota Brass 75.8 Govenaires 62.05 Given a 10-15 point deviation from DCA sheets, it is consistent with the last couple of years. MBI is easily in the upper 80's on DCA sheets. Govies in the mid-70's. Both corps from my point of view are - at the very least - as good as last year. I do think MBI has a better hornline than 2016. Govenaires' percussion is bigger than many Open Class corps
  14. Yeah. those Mankato scores for Govies and MBI are laughable. Both corps are ahead of their game from last year at this time.
  15. Back to the main topic.... DCA is, at best, on life support. It's plainly obvious. And DCA exists today as a very minor player in the world of the Marching Arts. I am no longer affiliated with MBI. But if I were, I would advise the organization to abandon DCA because DCA no longer offers sufficient opportunities to perform relative to the effort it takes to sustain a competitive All-Age corps. MBI has arguably the best organization to sustain a competitive drum corps that DCA has ever seen. Their bank account is bigger than all of the Open Class AND Class A DCA corps combined. But all of that effort is spent on just 8 shows a year. To me, that's not a great return on investment. Minnesota Brass has the funds to transform itself into a DCI Open Class corps. That would give them the performance opportunities that DCA currently lacks. I have no idea whether they have ever thought of that possibility, but it's clear that something must change in the very near future. I am NOT arguing for the abandonment of All-Age drum corps. In fact I truly believe age restrictions are an artificial barrier to the entire activity. In my ideal world there would be one circuit that administers the marching arts. But it is a circuit that is not based upon ageism. It is, instead, a circuit that has various divisions which allow for every possible expression of the weird world of the marching arts. From kids to adults. From scrappy neighborhood groups to sophisticated non-profits. From experimental dance-oriented arts to Traditional Color Guard. DCA ain't it. But neither is DCI. Nor is it WGI. It's time to think bigger.
  16. That's a problem with today's culture. If a 16-year-old is "creeped out" by someone who is 35 then that 16-year-old (and especially their parents) need to get a grip on real life. Because i am more creeped out that a 16-year-old is creeped out by anyone more than 10 years older than themselves. That's honestly disturbing that today we must isolate "The Children" - wait, I must clasp my pearls in horror! - from those so-called "creepy" adults. And yes, I understand the age thing. But to cater to the fear of intermingling adults with teens is truly detrimental to the very heart of the philosophy of ALL-AGE corps.
  17. Then why is there any point in any corps to even obtain reproduction rights? If the performance is unobtainable or unsellable, then why even bother? Why not just rely upon the renegade "fan's posts" of individual performances on the Web? I'm not talking about YouTube. Because there are plenty of other sources of videos online.
  18. Minnesota Brass will be on System Blue horns in 2016. Story is available here.
  19. Minnesota Brass continues its proud association with System Blue. System Blue has been an integral part of Minnesota Brass' ownership of the DCI Minnesota Regional competition since its inception. It's good to see the two organizations expanding their affiliation!
  20. And in the spirit of Halloween, Minnesota Brass makes two of the top 25 costumes in the Marching Arts... http://marching.com/photos/halloween-worthy-costumes-from-the-marching-arts/
  21. So, your argument is that corps need not produce compelling marketing materials. Got it. Their limited appearances at shows with crowds of - at most - a couple thousand is sufficient to generate a long-term sustainable model for All-Age Corps. Thanks.
  22. I agree. But I also think that is just an excuse. Countless hours are already devoted by members and staff to making a corps great. So why do so many corps ignore marketing? I guess my point is that perhaps DCA corps need to pay more attention to the outside world. These kinds of videos can do a world of good for DCA. Does ANY other DCA corps produce compelling content that might make, for example, a marching band member consider his/her future as being part of a DCA corps?
  23. Why the hell do other DCA corps not produce such brilliant and compelling online content such as this??? Why is it so hard for DCA corps to have an exciting presence on YouTube or other sites?? Won't videos such as this help the activity?? (Edit) - Go full screen and crank the quality to HD...
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