SynthLine09 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Yeah, they're called college bands. And when the kids realize that they can get the same amount of education and performance opportunities from college band AND a degree out of it, DCI will empty. Either that or they will do like Spirit has done and partner up with some major universities. Then they will just be folded into the music programs of those universities.DCA will hang on, but they have to some hustleing to keep the membership coming in. We've depended on DCI to help us recruit. People come into the DCA ranks to train to go into DCI. Once they're done there, they come back to us. Without that influx of people, we may not be able to be as big as we were. Either that or we're going to explode with all kinds of new people who come to us simply because we're different. Maybe it might be somewhere in the middle? I don't know. Only time will tell. I can tell you of at LEAST a dozen high school bands, that far outclass a college band in terms of sound, drill presentation, show design, and definitely colorguard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonesBari08-13 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 No Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SynthLine09 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 No yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Here I am...I had....um.....band practice tonight. All this talk about the pros and cons of synthesizers, how they will ruin Drum corps, or save drum corps has gotten me thinking. The arguments that synthesizers have been used in BOA with great success led me to do a little research, so I’ve been checking out Ronald Reagan and others on the internet, and WOW, very impressive (I mean that). It is possible to use these new tools in a tasteful way, and they really add another dimension to their shows.That being said (and I know a lot of you are going to stop reading now) the other thing I noticed is the performances seemed a little, well, immature. They lacked the raw power, emotion and excitement that I usually associate with a drum corps performance. And the level of technical excellence while impressive, did not seem (to me) at the same level as a DCI finalist corps. Then the light bulb went on as I realized why. THESE ARE KIDS! They are only 13 to 18 years old! They aren’t as mature as the “kids” who march DCI, so they aren’t going to have the same level of maturity in their performance. We should not expect the same power, emotion and excitement from a group of kids this age, no matter how good their show design, their instruction is, or how much they practice. It’s like comparing apples to oranges (or minor league to major league). Which brings me to my true revelation, how good would these bands be, if the kids were 18 to 21 years old, instead of 13 to 18? What if they didn’t have all the distractions of high school during their marching season? Just imagine how much better they would be! THEY WOULD RIVAL DCI! Absolutely agree, 1000%...and I have said exactly that before, many times. You can see where I am going with this. DCI has for a number of years now been incorporating changes into the rules that have changed the activity to be a little more like marching band. Grounding the pit. 3 valves. B-flat. Going out of bounds (that one actually freaked me out when I first saw it). Amplifying the pit. Amplified vocals. Electronic instruments. Even proposals to allow woodwinds. And why not? These are all things that add new musical colors and free up the designers of the shows, loosen constraints. This is an art form, and why should we limit ourselves? Add to that the many changes made for 20 years or so before DCI and I'd agree. BECAUSE VERY SOON IT WILL NO LONGER BE DRUM CORPS!I (for one) LIKE the sounds of drums and bugles. (I really miss the sound of bugles in DCI.) Don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of types of music. Classical orchestra, Jazz bands, Rock bands, symphonic bands, marching bands (of all types). I’ve even played in all of these at one time or another, and would be very distressed if one genre or another disappeared. But if DCI keeps going down the path they are, that is exactly what will happen. This sub-genre of marching band we call drum corps will be gone, replaced by “marching music’s major league”, distinguishable from BOA only by the level of performance excellence, and the performers age. And the marching band people will be happy because they will have what they want, marching bands that perform at the level that up until now only drum corps has achieved. And those of us who love drum corps will be sad. I do disagree that 'corps will be gone'. The Blue Devils would still be the Blue Devils, even if the added a sax section. There will still be DCA. They will still have bugles (some of them). They will still be exciting, emotional, powerful. But they will never achieve the level of excellence of DCI. Here is why. Marching music is a niche activity. Only a limited number of people have the time and resources to devote to an entire summer of rehearsing, travelling, and performing. Not to mention the limited number of fans of marching music (believe it or not, marching music will NEVER have a fan base the size of NASCAR, the NBA or even the NHL). So “marching music’s major league” and DCA will have to split the number of available members, split the number of available fans, it will be impossible for them both to thrive in today’s world, and eventually one of them will die. Since marching bands are often associated with educational institutions, my money is on them to still be around when it is all said and done. Which is really sad, because I really like the sound of drums and bugles. I still like drum corps today, even with all the changes since “back in my day”. I don’t care for some of the changes though, and I am really skeptical about the changes that are looming for next year (and beyond?). I will really be surprised if I think they make drum corps better. What they will do is bring the activity closer to BOA, and bring drum corps one step closer to its demise. Some people call it evolution. It looks a lot like extinction from where I sit. There are probably very few people who lament the loss of the Dodo Bird. Perhaps if everyone knew how beautiful, magnificent, intelligent or tasty they really were, you might miss them (OK I’ll admit, they may not have been any of those things, but you get my point). I do miss the sound of bugles in DCI though. I have loved the sound of drum corps ever since I first started marching in 1964 as a 10 year old drummer in a little feeder corps. That has not changed through the current day, and I will still love it when they add the rest of the missing instruments. That's MHO, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drum Korps Fan Man Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 I am truly just spitballing here... no clue if it will fly or not in the real world (that is why I ask you, a group of my peers!!!) Is it possible that a corps would (after woodwinds/electronic int.s become available) simply ignore the rule change and keep at it? would they be successful? Not trying to hijack the thread- this is just a quick question and answer... (although make a thread if you want... I'd be in). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrothgar15 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 (edited) Here I am...I had....um.....band practice tonight. Absolutely agree, 1000%...and I have said exactly that before, many times. Add to that the many changes made for 20 years or so before DCI and I'd agree. I do disagree that 'corps will be gone'. The Blue Devils would still be the Blue Devils, even if the added a sax section. I have loved the sound of drum corps ever since I first started marching in 1964 as a 10 year old drummer in a little feeder corps. That has not changed through the current day, and I will still love it when they add the rest of the missing instruments. That's MHO, anyway. To you did drum corps in 1964 sound the same as they do now? Edited October 23, 2008 by Hrothgar15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 To you did drum corps in 1964 sound the same as they do now? Um...no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SynthLine09 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 To you did drum corps in 1964 sound the same as they do now? Thankfully not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 (edited) I am truly just spitballing here... no clue if it will fly or not in the real world (that is why I ask you, a group of my peers!!!)Is it possible that a corps would (after woodwinds/electronic int.s become available) simply ignore the rule change and keep at it? would they be successful? Not trying to hijack the thread- this is just a quick question and answer... (although make a thread if you want... I'd be in). My first thought was: How long would it be before any of the items you listed are part of the score sheet? IOW - no new item = zero on that part of the caption sheet The pit used to be an option too but understand not having a pit would hurt certain caption scores. Had a thread on this years ago but forget the details. LOL, back before my time contrabasses were an option too. Edited October 23, 2008 by JimF-3rdBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dash Fieldpaint Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 I've said it before, drum corps is not marching band. Marching band, competitive corps style marching band is drum corps. The same people are fueling the evolution of both activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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