Show themes

[kusankusho]

For the record, outside of the shows that I've marched, I've never attended a DCI show. Pour gasoline on me if you must, but I'm just not terribly interested,

Interesting - what made you want to march?

[kusankusho]

Do you know for a fact that shows now don't appeal to the regular guy on the street?

They don't appeal to a lot of us here and I'd dare say we have rather more exposure to different kinds of music than the average Joe.

[bawker]

but I still wouldn't exactly call band people the musical elite. When you have musicologists and Joe Ph.D posturing about the Blue Devils while dining on wine and cheese, then maybe you'll have some first class elitism on your hands ;-)

Well, I wasn't referring to William F. Buckley regaling Dan Acheson as so:

"Nnnnnyessss . . .The Blue Devils presentation of absurdity is positively Wittgensteinian in it's execution. I do believe they should recite from the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus next year alongside a show based exclusively on Pythagorean tuning."

. . .although that is funny.

More along the lines of elitism defined as catering to a particular subset of peeps . . in this case, band folks.

[Minimaster]

Who marches the shows for the most part?

-White kids from moderate to well-to-do backgrounds, who mostly come from a background that has either pushed them towards music education/performance in college or is doing so in high school. DCI's own numbers support that.

Who designs the shows?

-The self-same designers of WGI and BOA for the most part, all controlling their little subset of pageantry arts and stealing from one another if it suits their needs. Insular, and in many cases, elitist, in its "who's hot, who's not" mentality. What was the last new design face you saw at a Top 12 level?

Who is in the stands?

-It's music educators who take their bands along (at a discounted rate from DCI) to larger regionals shows. Kids who are along for the ride and get exposed to the very same things they see in most of their band competitions each fall, albeit executed at a higher level.

Where does DCI center its advertising?

-Pay attention to the between show announcements at regionals. Note the Music Educators tents that are set up, and the people that DCI is looking to reach.

DCI, for better or worse, puts all of its eggs into the basket of riding the coat-tails of members who skew primarily towards music education and performance. . .using instructors and designers that the band (BOA) and guard (WGI) world are comfortable with and easy to move across the idioms, that design shows to please judges in the stands that are themselves music educators and performers.

If that isn't elitist in at least some regards, I don't know what is.

You have a better idea? Have shows designed by people who have no experience or interest in the Activity?

Let's see, we have this activity that has a bunch of kids performing music and a bunch of adults teaching the how to do it.

Now who do we think might be interested in this? Hmm...

[jeterbeater]

Interesting - what made you want to march?

I wanted to have the "complete" performance experience. I loved performing in drum corps, the physical combined with the musical, and I was able to do all of this with people who's company I enjoyed and all for a common purpose. However, I wouldn't consider myself a "drum corps junkie", I simply like too many other things, I certainly don't listen to drum corps stuff on my free time, I'd rather listen to Elton John or Varese. I take drum corps for what it is, as far as watching it is concerned, just marching bands. Aside from the Blue Devils and various other shows of a much higher quality, I don't pay attention to drum corps outside of the summer (just because it's interesting to see how everything's going, that and I'm extremely bored, I'm in the middle of no where right now, otherwise I'd be hanging out with good friends)

Well, I wasn't referring to William F. Buckley regaling Dan Acheson as so:

"Nnnnnyessss . . .The Blue Devils presentation of absurdity is positively Wittgensteinian in it's execution. I do believe they should recite from the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus next year alongside a show based exclusively on Pythagorean tuning."

. . .although that is funny.

More along the lines of elitism defined as catering to a particular subset of peeps . . in this case, band folks.

Hahaha, very funny

[bawker]

You have a better idea? Have shows designed by people who have no experience or interest in the Activity?

Let's see, we have this activity that has a bunch of kids performing music and a bunch of adults teaching the how to do it.

Now who do we think might be interested in this? Hmm...

I didn't say that anywhere in my post. It's not as black and white as "full interest/no interest", and I figured that I'd probably hit a nerve on here with some of the music educators.

Point being of where I was going was . . . who's to say that someone out there, hypothetically. . .let's say a graphic designer . . has some ideas about what show silks could look like. Or maybe someone who is a mathematician has an idea for a drill based on a repeating mathematical construct. Maybe they don't have any experience. Maybe they have the interest, though. How do they get a shot?

How will we ever find anyone new when we continiously go back to the same well time after time, have the same people handing down the same lessons, with the same people parroting them back to a new generation in some regards?

I'd like to have shows designed by people from all points of view, especially thematically. The same people control the same things year after year, with just about the same results from the same judges.

Why let Michael Gaines or Jay Bocook or anyone write for more than one corps? Think you're going to get their best the second time around? Hardly. Look at what Spirit got a few years ago. They've been searching for visual identity ever since.

I do have a better idea, IMO; and it involves not looking up the standings or at the last Grand Nationals for your only inspirations. Do for yourself, create your own identity.

. . .not that it'll ever get picked up on, though.

[kusankusho]

I wanted to have the "complete" performance experience. I loved performing in drum corps, the physical combined with the musical, and I was able to do all of this with people who's company I enjoyed and all for a common purpose. However, I wouldn't consider myself a "drum corps junkie", I simply like too many other things, I certainly don't listen to drum corps stuff on my free time, I'd rather listen to Elton John or Varese. I take drum corps for what it is, as far as watching it is concerned, just marching bands. Aside from the Blue Devils and various other shows of a much higher quality, I don't pay attention to drum corps outside of the summer (just because it's interesting to see how everything's going, that and I'm extremely bored, I'm in the middle of no where right now, otherwise I'd be hanging out with good friends)

This is going to sound personal, and it isn't meant to be, but I guess coming from teaching a Div 3 corps, it bugs me that a kid that had given heart and soul to drum corps for 4-5 years of their life in a Div 3 corps might lose out on a spot in a World Class corps to a guy like you that really doesn't have any emotion invested in the activity. Perhaps you were the better player, but if I was on the selection committee I'd give it to the kid who has the activity truly in his heart.

[BigSnareline]

This is going to sound personal, and it isn't meant to be, but I guess coming from teaching a Div 3 corps, it bugs me that a kid that had given heart and soul to drum corps for 4-5 years of their life in a Div 3 corps might lose out on a spot in a World Class corps to a guy like you that really doesn't have any emotion invested in the activity. Perhaps you were the better player, but if I was on the selection committee I'd give it to the kid who has the activity truly in his heart.

Word

[Minimaster]

I didn't say that anywhere in my post. It's not as black and white as "full interest/no interest", and I figured that I'd probably hit a nerve on here with some of the music educators.

Point being of where I was going was . . . who's to say that someone out there, hypothetically. . .let's say a graphic designer . . has some ideas about what show silks could look like. Or maybe someone who is a mathematician has an idea for a drill based on a repeating mathematical construct. Maybe they don't have any experience. Maybe they have the interest, though. How do they get a shot?

How will we ever find anyone new when we continiously go back to the same well time after time, have the same people handing down the same lessons, with the same people parroting them back to a new generation in some regards?

I'd like to have shows designed by people from all points of view, especially thematically. The same people control the same things year after year, with just about the same results from the same judges.

Why let Michael Gaines or Jay Bocook or anyone write for more than one corps? Think you're going to get their best the second time around? Hardly. Look at what Spirit got a few years ago. They've been searching for visual identity ever since.

I do have a better idea, IMO; and it involves not looking up the standings for your only inspirations. Do for yourself, create your own identity.

. . .not that it'll ever get picked up on, though.

If someone has an interest in drill writing or designing that isn't in the activity they can start by practicing and getting their ideas down with pyware or on paper. They can go to a small marching band that doesn't have a lot of money to use for top level drill and ask if they could write it for free, if it's interesting and works, they can show the video of the show to a corps' staff or a large competitive band looking for a writer, etc.

The design of shows is constantly evolving, but there are many constraints and rules that need to be followed in order to make an effective show, just like any

other art form.

[bawker]

The design of shows is constantly evolving, but there are many constraints and rules that need to be followed in order to make an effective show, just like any

other art form.

Here's question along those same lines, regarding the Blue Knights (and, not that I'm disagreeing with your thoughts above, I'm just playing devils advocate in the thread, it's what I do. ):

How did the artist (her name escapes me) get the gig for painting the corps flags?