Weaklefthand4ever

Might be an apples to oranges thing, but would it be correct to assume that most DCA corps boards have less experience in those roles than a board at a DCI corps? Maybe the top 3 or 4 corps have board members who have served in a capacity beyond being an MM of a DCI corps but experience in running a corps? I don't know the answer...I'm simply asking.

The Midwest was alwaya great for the activity. It's tapered off a bit in the South. I would love to see discounts for streaming for high school band directors if nothing else.

I would have to look to see what travel cost for CV to go up north once a year. I would be willing to bet that they would love to see more NE head to head competition. I agree I'm the point that it really would come down to getting butts in seats. Smaller DCI shows don't draw huge numbers to my understanding, but they probably draw more than the DCA shows down south. Now of there was a connection to some of the high schools, discounted ticket pricing, local advertising etc, I would think the draw would be more.

I'm not certain. Given the push back that corps aparently gets in the HS world, I wpuld doubt there's a tremendous ampunt od recruiting. But I could be off base as I don't go to HS band competitions.

That's fine as well. As long as an actual score is given and the corps are judged like for like against other DCA corps.

Some valid points. I do believe that DCI would be able to better manage a schedule that would benefit a DCA type of activity. The Labor Day thing has been a topic of discussion for a LONG time ans you're 100% correct that it works against the activity. DCA corps would have to be willing to flex to meet a DCI schedule. DCA corps often perform at DCI shows. The butts are already in the seats and id DCI is, in fact, starting to attract a younger audience, then you already have a ready made platform of sorts. Judge the DCA corps on DCA sheets and let those numbers stand. Advertise a little and let the young folks know about DCA as a stepping stone or an after age out type of deal. I think the corps could possibly afford it given the audience numbers will be stronger. But I don't know how that works. The biggest problem I see is that the DCA corps could probably only do weekend DCI shows with maybe 1 or 2 weekday shows sprinkled in. I know in the South, there are at least 5 or 6 shows within easy traveling distance of Atlanta. That's a far smaller financial burden then say a trip up north for a southern corps. Just a thought. And some very valid points Poppy.

It is a starting point. And it's shown some success. I'll admit that. Do I feel it's somewhat apples to oranges...yes. It doesn't make it bad or invalidate the product at all. I'm certainly not opposed to DCI or to Soundsport. I do, however contend that DCI has done very little to move the activity forward regarding the topic that I was discussing which is to broaden the base level. Their PR is pretty poor and advertising the activity to the masses to get butts in seats has been negligeable. DCA for their part has done less. Do I know how do fix it? Absolutely not. Do I bash DCI and corps on a regular basis? No I don't. Am I howling at the moon about the demise of the activity? Nope. (And for the record I don't believe that to be the goal of the OP's original thread) I believe that DCA will still be around in 5 years. I also believe that maybe...just maybe...DCI and DCA should be part of the same governing body. DCI has access to staff and revenue that DCA doesn't. I think both organizations care significantly for their members and the product which we see. So how do they/we move it forward?

I'm ok that you disagree. That's what opinions are all about. I don't happen to find my logic flawed at all or negated by Soundsport. But thanks for sharing your opinion, it's duly noted.

Oh I wouldn't either. I would say for me, it's a case of REALLY wanting them to win. It's easier to see from the outside than it ever was from the inside. As a vet of the corps, I'm probably over critical because I want to see them win. Long gone are the days of "We finish 9th so you don't have to."

Yep. I'm not too far off myself at 47. But DCA is doing nothing PERIOD to recruit, showcase or even maintain their audience. DCA can be captivating just as is DCI. But it's going to take work that I don't think they're willing to put in. That's why I think DCI should take over the day to day operations of DCA. But that's just an opinion.

That's one thing I will say about Cavies. They didn't try to hide the fact that they were sliding and needed to do something new. They embraced it. Other corps would do well to learn that lesson so that the armchair sharks on places like DCP wouldn't have as much to feed off of. Be transparent and open to change and people...especially younger people, will buy into it.

It's hard to imagine that an organization can be WORSE at PR, Advertising and moving the product forward to the next generation than DCI. But...uh....yeahhhh...DCA sucks at it.

We were STILL doing that in DCA when I left it. Never had that in DCI though LOL.

True. And as you know, in the South, there are very few performance opportunities regardless of the year. I hope it survives as well. But without enough business acumen to even have an office staff, I don't hold much hope for good business decisions.

We've been discussing this as well in a different thread. I would agree with what you're saying here. Apparently though, the majority of directors and school boards aren't willing to make accommodations for people marching corps. I marched HS band and corps and college and corps and NEVER had an issue.

Normally I would say it has something to do with the grip pressure in the left hand. It could also be if the left hand is turned too far outwards away from the head in the old "east coast style" kind of grip that Marty Hurley taught early on. I could see both of those things causing that type of pain.

I have several Atlanta CV ones and some vintage Corpsvets ones from when I marched. I guess they would be "vintage" (just like me according to Britt LOL)

And there it is LOLOLOL.

My first show there was 1984. I leaned over to my father and said "I'm going to do that." I think he replied something along the lines of "Then you best get busy." I went to my first audition camp in 1986 and marched my rookie year in 1987. We share a similar experience and I would agree...don't change a thing. What I don't like, I'll find a way to find the good in.

True. Oddly, in the south, we have about a zillion WGI groups but VERY few DCI / DCA groups. But the revenue is quite good. I think there's something to be said for the model for sure. I would LOVE to see more localized DCI / DCA shows.

Horn players have it rough it seems. Judging by multiple threads over the years, there appear to be definite performance differences between brands. At least in percussion, for the most part it's always going to sound pretty similar from 40 feet away (tenors have projection differences once you get to around that distance.) Snares all sound like a tabletop at this point. Though the System Blue snares have bonus "extra table-topy" sound AND you get the added benefit of them weighing 20% more! A bargain at 1/2 the price!

I wouldn't change much except I think Cavies could actually pass Crown if they keep all the design staff in place. I would like to see SOA jump into the top 12, but as was said in another thread, they'll need a 10h place show design and execution wise to get 12th at finals. I'm curious to see if the Mandarins can maintain.

Yep. "Dirt" is present and has always been present in every caption no matter what era. You hear the same complaints from some of the percussion community complaining about stick heights, body carriage, ramming 16.27 million notes into 4 bars, etc. Granted we didn't have kevlar but we also didn't play inverted flam flucky 3's on a left hand lead behind our backs. The cats doing this stuff now across all captions are doing more whether we like to admit it or not. That doesn't mean they're more talented...but I would agree that they do more. EDIT: Just to add this so there is no drummer confusion - I am well aware that there is no such said beastie as an inverted flam flucky 3. I made that #### up because it does sound like something that we would invent as a new hybrid rudiment. I did, however, have a fellow drummer describe to me what was clearly a simple diddle hybrid that he stated was called a "Husqvarna." THAT #### made me LOL.

My one "old grumpy former drum corps guy" complaint LOL. Screaming guard moms (and dads...sisters...brothers...groupies...) should be designated to a specific section which is then soundproofed and insulated with foam walls and nets (in case one of them flips their #### on a missed catch and tries to jump.) Yeah we had beach balls flying around the stadium...but beach balls don't scream "THEY'RE ALWAYS READYYYYYYYYY!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Very true Mike. But Star also had the best model for drum corps that could have existed at the time. They were already sustaining the corps with revenue from Star Tours. I don't think anyone would argue that Bill made Star possible with his financial clout...but also with the model he created. ####### brilliant if you ask me. Raising money is always the elephant in the room. I know some corps can manage the bingo gig. BD set themselves up for success by cashing in on their status as a world champion group over and over again. Camps, secondary companies and performance groups, etc etc etc. The key to both Star and BD is that they have run their corps LIKE A BUSINESS rather than like a niche activity.