kusankusho Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 You would be surprised that kids that dont make a top 12 corps DONT care to join ANY corps, whether it be a lower DCI corps or especially a DCA corps. So DCA does not fill that "void" whatsoever. Most kids that dont make the corps of their choice do not march in a DCA corps to get their drum corps fix. They stay home and make money to try again next year. They may go to a DCI showin their area during the summer and buy souvies of their faves. True - but it's a really lousy decision. You can work while marching DCA and going to one show as a spectator does nothing for your chops or experience. Go march! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I'd agree with all of that <gasp!>, except for the very last part, about which I am ambivalent.In going through the DCI recaps, you see names appear, maintain for a while, then drop out, to be replaced with new names ("Who the heck was that corps!"). As you move closer to present day, the old names drop at a continuing pace, but the new names keep getting rarer. Maybe the pace of the current corps folding can slow too, as more people get and stay serious about running corps on the up-and-up, with a closer eye on the bottom line than in the past. (I know that many of you say that the new toys are irrelevant to that mentality, and we all hope that the honest director will say "no" to the new toys and "yes" to the new cook truck, no matter how much the creative staff begs. However, before amps - and now electronics - there were N things to spend money on; now there are N+2 things, so DCI - aka "the directors" - has made life that much more complicated for these selfsame directors. And that's all I have to say about that.) Yes Dale, and now there are robots to sweep my floors if I want. I'm not forced to buy them just because the neighbors own one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny Drum Corps Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Also at the Atlanta regional the CorpsVets perform every year, and they are on last. Those DCI directors have their corps on the bus and out of there well before CV performs. CV is not at all like they are in late August from a performance standpoint, so when kids that march BD or PR see them, they are not at all impressed. DCA is still a weekend only north east circuit with buds intead of branches in other areas of the country. Those shows outside the NE US are not very well attended. I appreciate your efforts here Joey, but it is not as viable as you may think. We know about it because we lived in Rochester NY not Sioux City...LOL. Kids from Sioux City march DCI if they can make it...but would NOT join a DCA corps, because they dont even know what it is. Donny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Also at the Atlanta regional the CorpsVets perform every year, and they are on last. Those DCI directors have their corps on the bus and out of there well before CV performs. CV is not at all like they are in late August from a performance standpoint, so when kids that march BD or PR see them, they are not at all impressed.DCA is still a weekend only north east circuit with buds intead of branches in other areas of the country. Those shows outside the NE US are not very well attended. I appreciate your efforts here Joey, but it is not as viable as you may think. We know about it because we lived in Rochester NY not Sioux City...LOL. Kids from Sioux City march DCI if they can make it...but would NOT join a DCA corps, because they dont even know what it is. Donny Wow...just wow. Donny, do you see a possible void if folded DCI corps looked at DCA as a possibility for their future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I'd agree with all of that <gasp!>, except for the very last part, about which I am ambivalent.In going through the DCI recaps, you see names appear, maintain for a while, then drop out, to be replaced with new names ("Who the heck was that corps!"). As you move closer to present day, the old names drop at a continuing pace, but the new names keep getting rarer. Maybe the pace of the current corps folding can slow too, as more people get and stay serious about running corps on the up-and-up, with a closer eye on the bottom line than in the past. Oh, there were corps starting up...but fewer and fewer as time went on, and I really am looking at the many many small corps who were not all that involved with DCI, if at all. I taught and judged in the Garden State Circuit from the mid-70's to 1980'ish, and the attrition rate was very high at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 True - but it's a really lousy decision. You can work while marching DCA and going to one show as a spectator does nothing for your chops or experience. Go march! Look at it from the POV of the students. If the DCA corps they might see are, as Donny says, not really very good yet, what incentive is there for the student to want to spend their time and $$$, esp if they are with a decent level competitive MB? Even a DCA corps puts a good size time requirement on the member, if nowhere near that of a touring DCI corps. Plus you have the issue where the DCA season extends into September. A good chunk of the country starts school in August, and even those that do not may have band committments around the peak DCA season. It's a tough one...we here on DCP know marching IS a good idea, but that doesn't translate automatically to what a potential member might think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kusankusho Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Look at it from the POV of the students. If the DCA corps they might see are, as Donny says, not really very good yet, what incentive is there for the student to want to spend their time and $$$, esp if they are with a decent level competitive MB? Even a DCA corps puts a good size time requirement on the member, if nowhere near that of a touring DCI corps. Plus you have the issue where the DCA season extends into September. A good chunk of the country starts school in August, and even those that do not may have band committments around the peak DCA season. It's a tough one...we here on DCP know marching IS a good idea, but that doesn't translate automatically to what a potential member might think. The DCA season extends into labour day weekend - most folks would have that day off school. Time commitment is weekends. As long as those are free DCA is the most do-able option around. As for the quality level - same goes for a DCI corps - if they don't like what they see why would they march DCI? Besides, if the point is just to keep your chops up..... And as for being in MB - I thought that was just in the fall? How would that conflict? The problem, as stated before, is that a lot of DCI age marchers (along with a few DCP posters) have never really seen DCA to understand what a great alternative to the touring corps expenses and time commitment it really can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny Drum Corps Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Wow...just wow.Donny, do you see a possible void if folded DCI corps looked at DCA as a possibility for their future? Again I have actually thought about this extensively concerning Pioneer from Milwaukee. Roman loves to keep the corps rich in tradition, which sometimes affects the more modern approach in judging....etc. But it gives kids that cant make the Phantom Regiment (yet), a place to march and tour with the World Class corps. However looking this over carefully, I found that most of the drum line is from Texas, Kids in the horn line are from Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Florida, Michigan. and a couple from Wisconsin. If the corps went to a DCA format on weekends only, would these kids from Texas and Florida still be in that corps? I really doubt it. They want the DCI touring experience, and Pioneer gives them that opportunity. I honestly dont like the fact that many of these students use Pioneer (and corps like them) for a stepping stone to a higher level top 6 corps, but there are the few that actually stay at Pioneer to age out in a green uniform. I dont mind teaching there because someone needs to show these kids what the experience is, and help them get to a popint of achievement they can feel proud of. If Pioneer would go to the DCA model, I wonder where the membership would come from. There are competitions available in the midwest, but the members are NOT from the midwest, or if they are, they are still hours from Milwaukee and 16 years old. Tough call on this one... Donny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeM Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 And as for being in MB - I thought that was just in the fall? How would that conflict? Band camps are usually mid-August here in the Northeast. Also, weekend rehearsals usually start around this time for the competetive Marching Bands, so there's your conflict. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Bari Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 The DCA season extends into labour day weekend - most folks would have that day off school. Time commitment is weekends. As long as those are free DCA is the most do-able option around.[snip] And as for being in MB - I thought that was just in the fall? How would that conflict? [snip] Most competitive MBs, and a lot that are not, have camp in August, before school starts. Usually those are weekdays, but some may not be. I do know that the band I used to work for had a Saturday parade sometimes in August. The way the Pittsburgh and PA sports work, the football teams usually have their first games on Friday of DCA Weekend, and no band director will let their kids miss the first field show of the season (halftime). And that Friday is usually a required day for DCA corps - it's the biggest practice day of the year. So, yeah, there can be lots of conflicts with MB kids in DCA corps. DCI doesn't have that particular problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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