MikeD Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 The thing is, it doesn't do us or the activity any favors to paint a big smiley face on everything and pretend everything is hunky-dory within the drum corps world. Unfortunately, it's not, and the number of corps that have vanished is just part of that. Now, don't read this as some sort of attack on DCI because of that, because it's not. I'm simply saying that moving forward to the best possible future requires more than saying "Everything's great! Stop being critical!" It's true that nothing but bad tidings does us no favors, but likewise noting only the good as though it stands alone does us an equal disservice. I don't see that the OP is doing anything remotely like that. He said this to sum up his post: I think there is room for a bit of optimism in drum corps, and I am looking forward to summer 09! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickhaltsforlife Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I'm kind of happy that this thread didn't turn out too happy... it started to feel like I wasn't on DCP hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 DCI does not live by World Class alone, though sometimes it seems that way. Maybe it seems that way because it’s true. Maybe DCI does live by World Class because World Class provides the bulk of the revenue and the goodwill. I’m not denigrating Open Class in any way. Open Class corps are noble and good. What Open Class corps are not, however, is the future of this activity. That’s as true today as it was 15 years ago and 15 years before that. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn’t been paying attention to our society. This society eats at Applebee’s instead of mom’s restaurant. It shops at Home Depot, not pop’s hardware store. It won’t pay for the local newspaper because CNN is on the air and online. Drum corps too. Fans and players both want the big time, which means mostly the big corps. Much like mainstream music where we’ll pay $80 for a ticket to the “star’s” concert but won’t afford $25 for a chance on some local talent, we buy the Cavies and the Cadets, not Open Class. The OP is right. The expansion of World Class is a great thing for drum corps. Expanding Open Class would be good too, but Open isn’t going to save the activity by itself. The OP is right as well to tout the recent accomplishments of corps like Crown. If Crown, Bluecoats and maybe others can crack the top three some more, World Class will likely feel even stronger. In my view, Drum Corps needs the small corps, but it needs the big and best corps the most. HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bersurkman Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 (edited) Edit: Changed mind after posting. Edited December 22, 2008 by bersurkman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom D'Bomb Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Agreed - but it needs the small corps too. The local corps; that's where the big corps can recruit. AND factor in the scholastic/collegiate component... I would bet the "big" corps get a lot of college kids who've never marched in ANY corps. AND small corps kids have parents; they buy tickets and gear. IMHO college programs are saving DCI (for now)... a lot of us thought the death of DCI would come after the cannibalization of the Royal Brigades and Fulton Gauchos of the world. The Guard world and the Percussion world have a strong "bottom up" base, but we need more kids playing instruments. Maybe it seems that way because it’s true. Maybe DCI does live by World Class because World Class provides the bulk of the revenue and the goodwill.I’m not denigrating Open Class in any way. Open Class corps are noble and good. What Open Class corps are not, however, is the future of this activity. That’s as true today as it was 15 years ago and 15 years before that. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn’t been paying attention to our society. This society eats at Applebee’s instead of mom’s restaurant. It shops at Home Depot, not pop’s hardware store. It won’t pay for the local newspaper because CNN is on the air and online. Drum corps too. Fans and players both want the big time, which means mostly the big corps. Much like mainstream music where we’ll pay $80 for a ticket to the “star’s” concert but won’t afford $25 for a chance on some local talent, we buy the Cavies and the Cadets, not Open Class. The OP is right. The expansion of World Class is a great thing for drum corps. Expanding Open Class would be good too, but Open isn’t going to save the activity by itself. The OP is right as well to tout the recent accomplishments of corps like Crown. If Crown, Bluecoats and maybe others can crack the top three some more, World Class will likely feel even stronger. In my view, Drum Corps needs the small corps, but it needs the big and best corps the most. HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayormccheese Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I'm simply saying that no one, neither DCI, nor its constituent corps, nor the fans, are done a good service by a call to draw a smiley face on everything and ignore problems. There is good, but we must seek to preserve the good in the face of the bad, not hide our faces from the bad. Is your glass half-full or half-empty? I think the OP was a half-full kinda guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiBoyinLA Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I’m not denigrating Open Class in any way. Open Class corps are noble and good. What Open Class corps are not, however, is the future of this activity. The Academy, Carolina Crown, Blue Stars, Cascades, Jersey Surf, Mandarins, Pacific Crest & Pioneer. More than one-third of the current World Class corps were open class (or Div 2/3) corps in the fairly recent past (i.e., the mid 1990s). Going back to the 1980's, add Bluecoats and Glassmen. The activity NEEDS a vibrant group of smaller corps to grow up and periodically replace World Class corps that fall by the wayside. Otherwise, eventually we'll be lucky to have 12 corps total to fill the Finalist spots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pearlsnaredrummer77 Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 In my view, Drum Corps needs the small corps, but it needs the big and best corps the most. HH Actually there is a symbiotic relationship between the larger and smaller corps. It's not really a matter of needing one type the most-they should complement each other. If you look back to the time that drum corps was at its healthiest in terms of corps-like in the 1970s, when 64 corps showed up at regional show like the American International Open, large and small complimented one another. Smaller corps tied Drum Corps as an activity to the local community much more effectively. Local support often (but not always) leads to fiscal health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Agreed - but it needs the small corps too. The local corps; that's where the big corps can recruit. AND factor in the scholastic/collegiate component... I would bet the "big" corps get a lot of college kids who've never marched in ANY corps. I don't see that particular "need" in the DCI model of today. It's a "nice to have" in recruiting, but I don't see it as a need, as IMO your second sentence is by far the makeup of the largest percentage of marching members in this era. I think the existence of a strong Open class is a good thing to have just in and of itself, not as a lead-in to 'bigger and better' things in World class for members who want to move over to World Class. It's also, of course, a place for a corps to start out and maybe-or-maybe-not move into World Class, a la the ones noted in other posts. IMHO college programs are saving DCI (for now)... a lot of us thought the death of DCI would come after the cannibalization of the Royal Brigades and Fulton Gauchos of the world. The Royal Brigade, if memory serves, was a merger of two smaller Bergen County corps...not sure...maybe the GSC corps the Meadowlarks (as the RB was from Secaucus where the Meadowlarks came from) and possibly the C-W Townsmen, a nearby small GSC corps that was actually one of the oldest in the country...going back to the 19th century I think. They were decent for a couple of years, but as with many mergers...did not last long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 The Academy, Carolina Crown, Blue Stars, Cascades, Jersey Surf, Mandarins, Pacific Crest & Pioneer.More than one-third of the current World Class corps were open class (or Div 2/3) corps in the fairly recent past (i.e., the mid 1990s). Going back to the 1980's, add Bluecoats and Glassmen. The activity NEEDS a vibrant group of smaller corps to grow up and periodically replace World Class corps that fall by the wayside. Otherwise, eventually we'll be lucky to have 12 corps total to fill the Finalist spots. Yes, Open Class is a stepping stone to World Class in some cases. That doesn't mean Open Class must grow faster than World Class or even at the same pace (which is where this part of the discussion began) to sustain drum corps today. We have evolved from the grassroots model of the past. Open class isn't irrelevant. But neither will it drive the activity. HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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