Would You Start a Corps OR?

[shawn craig]

Forget supporting the PBS broadcast. It's the wrong technology and probably the wrong audience. The opportunity is online. Plough the money into online marketing. That's where the future is. Or increase the outreach to schools and universities - again not a PBS play.

Speaking of the past, can't help but notice that eight, maybe more, of the posters in the first three pages of this thread would designate DCA, not DCI, for their funds. This being a DCI, not a DCA, forum, what does that say about who's posting here?

HH

Some mentioned DCA only but many of us mentioned both DCI and DCA. I like to look at the bigger picture. I love DCI and what it does (mostly) but I don't want to be exclusive and not forget our activity is bigger than one circuit even if that currently is the dominant circuit.

[Lance]

Speaking of the past, can't help but notice that eight, maybe more, of the posters in the first three pages of this thread would designate DCA, not DCI, for their funds. This being a DCI, not a DCA, forum, what does that say about who's posting here?

HH

I'm one who said I'd want to get DCA out here, but I actually prefer to watch DCI.

[4181jay]

Speaking of the past, can't help but notice that eight, maybe more, of the posters in the first three pages of this thread would designate DCA, not DCI, for their funds. This being a DCI, not a DCA, forum, what does that say about who's posting here?

HH

answer- that they want to fund DCA more than DCI!

personally, I'd fund DCUK and DCE for the next 10 years with the understanding that instrumentation be limited to (any key forward facing)brass, battery and none amplified/ electronic pit.

I'd approach education authorities and pump money into having 1 Drum Corps per education area with a tie in with local DCUK Corps. Friday afternoon and saturday rehersals. Where there are none I would start them. Qualifications would arise from this tie in.

I fund a cinema showing of finals night in Warrington every year.

Finally, there would be an all age corps from the north of england travelling to DCA every year and giving you all a run for your money!

[pito'evil]

I’d fork over a nice HUGE chunk to DCA IF they were willing to move champs to a centralized location that next year (or to Camp Randall)

If not then WGI would get a nice donation and the two drum lines I teach would be going to Dayton with all new equipment

[bawker]

Speaking of the past, can't help but notice that eight, maybe more, of the posters in the first three pages of this thread would designate DCA, not DCI, for their funds. This being a DCI, not a DCA, forum, what does that say about who's posting here?

HH

Uh, it says that DCA has a whole lot of regional circuits that could use said money to create a national organization. DCI already has that, and doesn't need the help.

Maybe, if we're trying to cast aspersions on who's posting what in the thread, we should worry more about what that says about the DCI product, good or bad.

Wait, does that sound like I'm trying to derail a fun one-off thread with some sort of agenda?

Silly me.

[madscout96]

I would buy DCI.

I would then be able to make DCI do whatever I wanted. I'd make them ban electronics, amplified voice (we'd have to do some SERIOUS discussion before we decided to keep amplified anything, like pit instruments), and corps membership limit would go back down to 128. I would institute policies that would allow for more competitive balance between all corps in the long run.

I'd start a supercorps, made up of people who had just recently aged out (nobody of legal marching age allowed), to tour the country in the summer doing indoor shows, exhibitions, and performances at major DCI events. They would not compete, but rather they'd be a showcase of the best DCI has to offer. This way they could bring in audiences and sell more tickets, but they would not contribute to competitive imbalance, because people 21 and under couldn't march with them.

Also, every male guard outfit worn by every male guard member must be personally approved by ME, because I really hate hideous looking male guard outfits. Dudes should dress like dudes.

Edited March 19, 2009 by madscout96

[Spandy]

If I had enough money:

Build a drum corps stadium. Steep pitch to the bleachers, sideline right up close to the seats, pristine turf field with no rubber dirt in it, permanent yard lines and hashes with no center logo, separate entrances and exits so corps and pits don't have to squeeze by each other, lots of room for souvie tents/trailers, separate lots for buses/trucks, DCA corps that carpool, and audience members, maybe even a special warm-up/rehearsal area a block or two away, just out of hearing distance, with several practice fields and the like.

If I didn't have enough for that, I'd donate a big chunk to my corps, with slightly smaller contributions going to start-up DCA corps anywhere west of the Mississippi. And if I heard of any efforts to bring junior corps back to MN, I'd throw some cash their way, too

[kusankusho]

I'd coerce DCA into starting a weekend-only junior curcuit and start a corps for it here in Guelph.

...holding back a couple of million to pay the lawyers when my wife started divorce proceedings, of course....

[skewerz]

I'd start up a new world class corps

G bugles

the only possible electronics might be pit amplification...not even sure about that.

recognizable music

musical phrases longer than 4 measures long

16 measures of transitional music followed by a chord stinger would not exist.

a show that was very fan friendly.

At it's culmination, I would want a show that was so popular with the fans, that the judges actually have to step back, look at the production, and say...well, yeah, that's pretty #### good....and then they can forget their whole difficulty over enjoyment judging scheme.

oh, I'd have a full female guard that knows how to do some unison weapon work.

[TerriTroop]

I'd use the remaining money mostly to fund dues for Trooper vets as well as set up an operating budget endowment to assist with incidentals and administrative costs.

The vet dues fund would be tiered, something like 1-year vets get 25% off their dues, 2-year gets 50% off and 3-year and beyond gets 75% off. (I think it's important for members of the means to do so to have to come up with some amount of their dues.)

Lastly, I've always wanted to set up a scholarship program limited to members in single parent households. My mom and I scraped and begged and borrowed so I could march, and I will be eternally grateful for her understanding and support. So, a memorial scholarship fund in the name of my mom would be open to people marching in any corps who are living in a single-parent situation.

(and I like the supercorps idea: a touring, PAID gig for the summer made up entirely of age-outs. It would be interesting to see what kind of technique issues you could run up against with such an ensemble. "Straight leg!! Bent Knee! AGHH!" )

Edited March 19, 2009 by TerriTroop