Rise/Fall of Drum Corps

[JimF-LowBari]

I would say it's a mixed bag.......

Mixed bag and depends what you are looking for.

If you want to see top corps at their best and nothing else matters to you, things are better.

If you want more openings for potential marchers and more shows to be able to attend, things are worse.

[Martybucs]

I think part of the 'problem' is that design/instructional staffs are trying to out-sophisticate each other, which has led to extremely intricate shows, but has left the casual fan of the 70's and 80's out in the cold.

The audience has to be larger than the parent's and staffs, plus some alumni or it will continue to die.

One ups manship is part of any game.

I have yet to see the drum corps show that is over anyone's head, though. If people don't like something, it doesn't mean they didn't get it, it usually means that it wasn't any good.

Again, most drum corps is good, most bands are good.

I think if you have to say whether DCI has succeeded or failed, it has to be on a personal basis only. DCI is what it is and for those that love it, it's a success.

Remarkably, as you can see by the poll numbers, on this DCI site, it is a success. Fair enough. OH, wait that was the other bash DCI thread.

Edited February 3, 2009 by Martybucs

[DoctorNik]

i don't think this is actually a bash dci thread,,, but just a general talk about DC

I don't blame DCI for the demise,,of competitive junior drum corps in canada,,,, i think it may have contributed to an already dying model,, (ie lack of regionals),, thus adding that much more expense for the already struggling corps with the tour model. Economic times and general failing interest played a much bigger role.. Service clubs were big big supporters in Ontaio,, especially the Lions clubs and Kinsman clubs. When i left junior,, i was part of a committe for my corps convince the sponsoring club to keep with financial support.. citing the kids,, (and yes,, we pulled kids off the street and made citizens of them). and even the championships... but,, couple years later it was deemed to be non essential.. and the support was all but withdrawn,, and the corps own fund raising efforts were dwindling,,and the corps folded.

Which, you'll probably find the same thing happened in 90% of the small cadet class type corps in ontari0

ahhh. but i ramble now.... remembering the times when a drum corps was a local youth activity,, not an international event.. where only the best get to play...

[MikeD]

I would say it's a mixed bag.......

Down/negative:

loss of PBS and ESPN, corps struggling for survival fiscally

PBS and ESPN have been replaced by better alternatives, withe he 1/4-finals on the big screen and semis on the web. PBS went away because drum corps fans did not do their part and fulfill their pledges in sufficient number, if you read through past threads.

Corps always struggled financially...there were failures all the time, from the little parade corps right up through top level corps. The problem as I see it is that the financial cost of starting a corps is a huge nut, so as corps have failed, fewer have started to take their place.

I hope for:

Crowd pleasing shows built on great musical products

That is what I see and hear every year, so my hope is that it continues, not that it changes.

Adjudication that is accurate and reflects the "on any given night" philosophy, and extremely competitive corps

several corps having real title shots

Again, that is what happens, as it always has. Judging has been pretty darn consistant and accurate over the years...and the best corps do have shots at the title, as it should be.

I would like to see:

Corps take extra time to just go to public places and blow a standstill.....yep, it's a chore, but we need people to understand and hear the difference between a major league corps and the "East Podunk HS Band" (no slam on bands intended). Perhaps the inside of a shopping mall would be ideal. AC for the corps and a half hour to chill after the show......yep, some ###### off vendors screaming about "how ^&^&%^&% loud they are", but perhaps some new fans after you leave, and maybe some extra tickets sold for that night's contest.

GB

First, they need permission to do such a thing. I think you will find some those sorts of things to a degree, but not all that often, given touring needs. However, I don't recall doing much of that either pre-DCI. I also don't think it's going to draw much in the way of new fans, but it might cause some old ones or some band kids to decide to come to a show if there is one local.

[Piper]

I don't really know if it could be classified as a "Rise/Fall" type of thing. I marched in the AL/VFW days, and then everything gradually transended to DCI, which I also marched in. When I first started in the late 60's, bandos were regarded as punks who couldn't pee their way through a snow bank. We looked down our noses at them every chance we got (and other corps too hee hee), but times change and Drum Corps is no exception. More band kids started to become interested, the talent level started to rise, there were more band directors with (and still have) Drum Corps experience, instructors became more educated and Corps' became progressivly better. Sure I long for the shining times when you could throw a rock and hit a corps the next town over, but in the meantime it seems like the instructors, kids, parents, alumni, volunteers, directors etc. are holding the fort. All the best to them.

[barigirl78]

In my estimation the peak of the activity happened somewhere between 1979 and 1986. Number of competing corps, number of fans attending shows, popularity of activity in general seemed to peak somewhere in this time. Just my two cents.

I didn't quote your entire post, but you were nearly dead right about everything. I'd include 1978 in that year range, though.

When they were broadly distributed, the live PBS broadcasts provided a great deal of coverage of the activity. Today's ways of showing drum corps through either subscription webcasts or "ticket required" movie theaters is not substitute for the broadness of that exposure. Anytime an activity retreats to a "subscription only" model, it is bound to decline in awareness. Boxing used to be one of the biggest sports in America. Then, it retreated into "pay per view" and, other than a cult of hardcore fans, no one even thinks of it when asked for a list of "major sports".

When I was growing up, the "average Joe" saw drum corps all the time in parades and in local competitions. Today, I doubt the average person has seen drum corps anywhere.

(edited to add:)

In 2007, the DCI telecast on ESPN2 had a household rating of 0.3 (that means 0.3% of all the households in the U.S. watched). That was 318,000 households and 518,000 people. The median age of people watching was 43.7. Only 90,000 of the viewers were aged 18 to 34. I don't know what the viewership of the PBS telecasts were "back in the day", but I'm pretty sure it was a lot more than that. That was pre-cable. Ratings tended to be bigger because there were fewer channels competing for people's attention.

Edited February 3, 2009 by barigirl78

[Mr. D. from da 313]

Wonder if i can add a newer(newby), fresher view? Im a older fella, never played an instrument. Never gave it a thought. Have a 16 year old son who is a snare drummer. His elementry and Mid high music teacher was a snare in College. Takes my son under his wing and makes my son into a really good snare.

Last year he makes a WGI world class drumline as a 15 year old. This year he makes his second drum line as 2nd snare at 16. He also had been talking about these DCI corps and joining one. Last summer we decide to go to Indy for a weekend of camping and we would also catch the DCI finals in Indy.

My son, the wife and I had our first DCI exposure. One of the brass on the Glassmen is a friend of my sons from his high school.

Anyway, enjoyed the finals and thought they where fantastic. Like i said, i never played, but seeing how hard my son works during band season and WGI season, i can appreaciate all the years of hard work that the kids put into it.

I looked into the stands and thought, boy lots of people here to see the finals. Great for DCI. Then i realized that with the total number of corps there, the number of kids marching/playing that the numbers in the stands only was a small percentage for each performer. In other words, Not a lot of people at the WORLD FINALS to see what this DCI thing was about....Not a lot of outsides there to see and hear the best corps...but just a lot of folks out to see their kids, or grandkids or friends... In other words, Little outside exposure. Mostly "inside" exposure and that was the world finals!!!!

As i see it. It is just not exciting to a novice. Guys like me who never played dont know what we are missing. And we could care less what we are missing. I dont mean that to sound mean, rather to sound truthfull. The average guy on the street would rather watch a Baseball game or go fishing on a nice summer Saturday in August, than to be at the World Finals. Myself, i wouldnt have even have gone if it wasnt for my son.

But like i said, i do appreaciate all the hard work that is put into the shows. Seeing how hard my son works. Seeing how hard my sons friend in Glassmen works, and the high quality of their music i do think that this is a major investment in time, energy and work for them. My son works as hard or harder then a football player, or basketball player but the "sport", if you will, is just not as popular.

So i dont ever see DCI as being anything close to a popular sport. It will be backed by those who marched, will march, or know others who march or those who have played. No one is ever gonna get rich from the expierence, but all are richer for it!!!

[MikeD]

As i see it. It is just not exciting to a novice. Guys like me who never played dont know what we are missing. And we could care less what we are missing. I dont mean that to sound mean, rather to sound truthfull. The average guy on the street would rather watch a Baseball game or go fishing on a nice summer Saturday in August, than to be at the World Finals. Myself, i wouldnt have even have gone if it wasnt for my son.

But like i said, i do appreaciate all the hard work that is put into the shows. Seeing how hard my son works. Seeing how hard my sons friend in Glassmen works, and the high quality of their music i do think that this is a major investment in time, energy and work for them. My son works as hard or harder then a football player, or basketball player but the "sport", if you will, is just not as popular.

So i dont ever see DCI as being anything close to a popular sport. It will be backed by those who marched, will march, or know others who march or those who have played. No one is ever gonna get rich from the expierence, but all are richer for it!!!

Well, Mr. D., for a first post it was wonderful!

What you are saying is pretty much as ever. My friends back when I was growing up had NO idea why I would want to march around playing lame versions of pop tunes and patriotic music. This was the late 60's/early 70's.

[Mr. D. from da 313]

What you are saying is pretty much as ever. My friends back when I was growing up had NO idea why I would want to march around playing lame versions of pop tunes and patriotic music. This was the late 60's/early 70's.

And the same still applies. My son spends 2 week nites and one full weekend day right now just on WGI drumline. This started in Nov. This weekend starts the new 2009 season so he will have 2 weeknites and

1or2 days on weekends for WGI. He has 10 WGI and/or MCGC competitions this spring. This he does and maintains a 3.6 GPA, is in his schools Symphonic winds band and Jazz band, plays soccer(and marching band) in fall and runs track in spring. Looking at all this time and im wondering where would he find the time to get into a DCI corps? Thats one weekend per month from Nov to May then full time there after til August. Myself, i just hope he's not giving up to much on his personel level to compete. We already have to shift things in his schedule around to make things fit. But he loves it all.

So a big question is how do you all fit all this stuff into a schedule and find time to keep up good grades, have some type of social life with friends from home, and do all the things that a 16 year old is supposed to do? I can see why its hard to be in a corps. I can see how its hard to bring in new talent into corps.

[Martybucs]

What you are saying is pretty much as ever. My friends back when I was growing up had NO idea why I would want to march around playing lame versions of pop tunes and patriotic music. This was the late 60's/early 70's.

And Garfield, er the Cadets are still doing it! Can't you make them stop?