corps-mudgeon Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I will point out that the Gang of 9 idea is consistent with Mr. Hopkins vision as described by Lamb, quoted by MikeD in this thread: http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/inde...p;#entry2004952 : Lamb's article describing Hoppy's ideas: STRATIFICATION Objectives: Take advantage of the marketability of the top corps throughout the season - A show with four or five of the top siix corps is an "event" that many sponsors and audience members will pay a premium for - Grow the fan base by creating an "evennt" that is hard to ignore. Create a sensible evolutionary path for individual units - Reduce the burden of national touring for all but the top corps - Use membership criteria to allow corpss to move in and out of categories - Emphasize quality as the basis of growwth: experience for the kids, fiscal management practices - Actively help to grow individual unitss (next slide) Recommendation 2 Entry to all levels by application and review Special committee to review membership status on a regular basis Criteria includes: - Organizational Stability - Management Ability - Marketability Judging sheets and standards are changed from Group to Group to better represent what each group is in business to do! (i.e.; entertainment is not a concern of the Babe Ruth League) The Super Corps (The Majors) - No rules - The premium product--offered as a packkage to show sponsors - Touring on a national level - The Promotional Tour Group - #1 through #6 right now - Entertainment Priority #1, Life Skillss #2, Technical Skills #3 (next slide) Recommendation 2 (cont.) The Triple A Drum Corps! - #7 through #15 or so right now - They can set their own limitations - Tour in regions in early season, and tthen nationally--much as now. - Able to marketed in two tours for lessser cash to sponsors. - Sometimes tied to Super Corps - Life Skills #1; Entertainment #2; Techhnical Skills #3 The Double A Drum Corps - #16 through the Top third of the Divission 2 and 3 Corps - Local community-based activity - Limited touring - Build relationships with existing locaal circuits (GSC, ODCA); create new circuits - Sometimes tied to Super Corps - Life Skills #1; Technical Skills #2, EEntertainment #3 (next slide) Recommendation 2 (cont.) The A Drum Corps - Create growth for corps with younger kkids (equivalent to middle and lower ranking Division 2/3 corps) - Not marketed--participatory! - Local Shows - Regional Championships! - Technical Skills #1; Life Skills #2; EEntertainment #3 The Babe Ruth League - Training Corps - Local shows - Music education vehicle for elementaryy and Junior High kids! - Technical Skills #1; Life Skills #2; EEntertainment #3 (next slide) (End excerpt) Implicit in the idea that AAA corps are "lesser cash for sponsors" is the idea that top 9 is "greater cash". I don't want to argue if this is good or bad, but that there is a distinct mindset there. Furthermore, that the Gang of 9 proposal would be one step closer to Mr. Hopkins' vision. Again, this isn't necessarily good or bad, but we have a piece of the roadmap and can make some judgments about whether or not it's the path we would choose to take ourselves if given the choice. Certainly, the bullets quoted above are going to form the basis of some of the background to Mr. Hopkins presentation of his proposal. Personally, I still go back to the idea that having a Gang of 9 oversee the activity of all junior drum corps is a situation fraught with conflict of interest and that the interests of the lower ranking corps are at risk of being poorly represented. His ideas for lower ranking corps are not necessarily bad, but maybe the lower ranking corps should have the right to say so for themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcat Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Without the Washington Generals, the Harlem Globetrotters are just practicing... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I will point out that the Gang of 9 idea is consistent with Mr. Hopkins vision as described by Lamb, quoted by MikeD in this thread: http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/inde...p;#entry2004952 : God help me, that doesn't sound like entirely such a bad idea. It would emphasize development at all three levels (technical, life skills, entertainment) and allow for a rich diversity of performing units at a particular performance. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumCorpsFan27 Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Add one more top 12 corps director responding to my e-mail, and also NOT in favor of this proposal. It's also a top 9 corps. This may not be as popular as some have been thinking, but we won't know for sure until the results of the vote are known.Have you written any e-mails today? The meetings start tomorrow. Garry in Vegas I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScribeToo Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Cavies Aldo is new to this When did they name Aldo Sandoval director of the Cavaliers? If you meant Bruno, well.. saying he's "new to this" would be a little misguided and incredibly off-base. Just because you haven't seen him in the spotlight all these years doesn't, in any way, mean he's "new to this." I'll be interested to see where this all ends up.. but to be perfectly honest, I don't know if I have a big problem with the most successful corps having the ability to make the big decisions about the organization as a whole. Success breeds success -- isn't that what they say? Stef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 However...some of the current corps directors (members of the current DCI board have not apparently been keeping up with their end of the bargain here. Not reading the balance sheets for DCI, not prepping for Board Meetings...sure they are busy with their primary duty...running their department (sorry, corps) but if they want a seat at the BIG table they have to demonstrate they deserve it.DCI Board Meetings should not be the time to educate people on the issues...that information is sent in advance and a corps director that does not prepare themselves before going to a Board Meeting should eat the costs and give up their seat. It's getting more and more expensive to fly these folks in for Board meetings as well. Maybe DCI should explore WebEx or InterCall or some of the other webconferencing tools out there to save funds. And DCI Board Members....maybe some of you should come better prepared for your meetings. I agree with all this ... esp the WebEx idea if they're going to go to quarterly meetings. It's true that ALL the directors need to take this responsiblity more seriously or it's all just a moot point anyway. Maybe these subcommitees that I've talked about earlier would push the board members to participate. Or corps need to give their seat to someone other than the directors -- that is, someone who gives a ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troon8 Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I will point out that the Gang of 9 idea is consistent with Mr. Hopkins vision as described by Lamb, quoted by MikeD in this thread: http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/inde...p;#entry2004952 :Lamb's article describing Hoppy's ideas: STRATIFICATIONObjectives: Take advantage of the marketability of the top corps throughout the season - A show with four or five of the top siix corps is an "event" that many sponsors and audience members will pay a premium for - Grow the fan base by creating an "evennt" that is hard to ignore. Create a sensible evolutionary path for individual units - Reduce the burden of national touring for all but the top corps - Use membership criteria to allow corpss to move in and out of categories - Emphasize quality as the basis of growwth: experience for the kids, fiscal management practices - Actively help to grow individual unitss (next slide) Recommendation 2 Entry to all levels by application and review Special committee to review membership status on a regular basis Criteria includes: - Organizational Stability - Management Ability - Marketability Judging sheets and standards are changed from Group to Group to better represent what each group is in business to do! (i.e.; entertainment is not a concern of the Babe Ruth League) The Super Corps (The Majors) - No rules - The premium product--offered as a packkage to show sponsors - Touring on a national level - The Promotional Tour Group - #1 through #6 right now - Entertainment Priority #1, Life Skillss #2, Technical Skills #3 (next slide) Recommendation 2 (cont.) The Triple A Drum Corps! - #7 through #15 or so right now - They can set their own limitations - Tour in regions in early season, and tthen nationally--much as now. - Able to marketed in two tours for lessser cash to sponsors. - Sometimes tied to Super Corps - Life Skills #1; Entertainment #2; Techhnical Skills #3 The Double A Drum Corps - #16 through the Top third of the Divission 2 and 3 Corps - Local community-based activity - Limited touring - Build relationships with existing locaal circuits (GSC, ODCA); create new circuits - Sometimes tied to Super Corps - Life Skills #1; Technical Skills #2, EEntertainment #3 (next slide) Recommendation 2 (cont.) The A Drum Corps - Create growth for corps with younger kkids (equivalent to middle and lower ranking Division 2/3 corps) - Not marketed--participatory! - Local Shows - Regional Championships! - Technical Skills #1; Life Skills #2; EEntertainment #3 The Babe Ruth League - Training Corps - Local shows - Music education vehicle for elementaryy and Junior High kids! - Technical Skills #1; Life Skills #2; EEntertainment #3 (next slide) (End excerpt) (Sorry for the massive metaquotes!) While I can see some merits in the idea, is there really a market currently of enough participants, staff, fans, & support to sustain FIVE distinct divisions, each with slightly different balancings of the three priorities listed? This seems like more of a long term end goal then a means to get there, although maybe I'm misreading the whole thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corps-mudgeon Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 God help me, that doesn't sound like entirely such a bad idea. It would emphasize development at all three levels (technical, life skills, entertainment) and allow for a rich diversity of performing units at a particular performance.Mike It isn't ALL bad, and that's why I tried to stay away from value judgments in that post. But if Gang of 9 is approved, this might be the template for future change in DCI. Mr. Hopkins probably has had some evolution of thought since this was documented, but the basics are there. If one accepts the supposition that this represents the template (and I wouldn't fall on my sword defending this assumption), there are some things that trouble me, such as if you're not top 6, you're AAA. That if you're top 6, anything goes ("no rules"--ostensibly woodwinds, electronics, and other end of the world stuff). Basically, I'm saying that this weekend's bylaw change proposal wasn't created in a vacuum. It comes with all the baggage associated with its chief advocate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corps-mudgeon Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 (Sorry for the massive metaquotes!) While I can see some merits in the idea, is there really a market currently of enough participants, staff, fans, & support to sustain FIVE distinct divisions, each with slightly different balancings of the three priorities listed? This seems like more of a long term end goal then a means to get there, although maybe I'm misreading the whole thing. I haven't been very concise, but I would suggest that the new bylaw proposal lines up with this past concept in the sense that the Top Nine correlates to the super corps, and then there are all the rest of the corps that will essentially compete at the pleasure of the elite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitedawn Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Is DCI on the brink of death? Just wondering what the relevance of this statement is. i wouldn't say "on the brink of death" but i can't think of a single non-profit that isn't one or two bad years from disappearing. they have the unique charge of anticipating where the market will go. there is no luxury of trying something and waiting for it to fail. that would mean certain disaster. market (my usage): the group of people to whom DCI is selling its product in the areas of (1) participation, and (2) patronage. If the market for BOA-style marching band was any larger than that of drum corps:- why are there only 16 BOA-sanctioned events per year, vs. 140 DCI-sanctioned events? well, first, competitive marching band is MUCH larger than "just" BOA. this comparison is disingenuous. the number of events is irrelevant. there are SO many more kids that participate in competitive band (BOA + USSBA + FMBC + TOB + etc.) than there are that compete in DCI. each band kid has parents, grandparents, band directors, and other people who they bring to the market. this market consists of potential (1) participants in drum corps, and (2) consumers of drum corps. gone are the days of the kid who isn't in their high school band, but do march in drum corps. drum corps is full of band kids -- even the blue devils. - why can't BOA sell their own tickets, instead of enlisting the participating bands to do that? they can sell their own tickets. i buy a few myself each year. - why must BOA force all participating bands to "pay to play", putting up $2000 each for these ticket blocks? i have no idea, but whatever arrangement they have made seems to work for all parties involved. - why doesn't BOA have a fan base comparable to drum corps? most likely because it is difficult to be a "fan" of a high school band given the inconsistency of high school bands from year to year. many bands go to Nationals once every four years or less. many bands are not consistently good. instructional staff turnover is large. further, band isn't designed to be a national attraction. that's why bands don't tour. even further, many bands are stalwarts of their community. their home communities support them in a manner different than drum corps "fans." they aren't comparable because there is no way to compare them. - why did summer marching band fade to near extinction, while drum corps sustains a summer-long tour and four dozen corps? because all the good kids joined drum corps? Now, granted, the participant base for BOA is larger, thanks to the nine-figure tax subsidy that supports these programs. But DCI serves independent, summer programs, and thus can't tap into the scholastic money. So I just don't see your point. drum corps is a way of life. marching band is an extracurricular activity -- one of many that compete for money. competitive marching band serves its purpose. drum corps serves its purpose. the purposes are different. drum corps is slowly, and rightly, changing its product in order to better provide it to participants as well as consumers. this market is growing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.