Woodwinds in Drum Corps?

[Perry S]

I Keep posting it and I'll continue to. MBI coming to a stadium near YOU!

[oldschooldbc]

Woodwinds in drum corps. There's one thing that boggles my mind, and it's in a question, or two... maybe three, that I can't really answer for myself for the drum corps community.

Will Woodwinds kill the drum corps activity?

It will give me simply one more reason to "Rage Against The Machine".

In the past, when I tried to explain to an outsider what drum corps was, the "30-second explanation" was this: "Drum corps is marching band without woodwinds". This makes perfect sense to an outsider. Woodwinds will never generate the pure sound volume of brass instruments. So an ensemble that is made up of all brass and percussion could be really loud - and really powerful. (I could go into the differences in marching styles, or that bugles were in the key of G, or other esoteric points, but this nutshell explanation made sense.) The huge brass sound is fundamental to the identify of drum corps. It separate drum corps from marching band, winter guard, and other forms of the pagaentry arts. We should not do anything that takes away this core aspect, of drum coprs identify.

So this makes sense to outsiders, why does it no longer make sense to insiders? Why have the members of the BOD simply forgotten or ignored this one point, that is so key to their identify? Why are they now allowing instruments onto the field, which would have been anathema in the past?

I don't know what is rolling around inside the domes of those 12 board directors. But I think there are 2 reasonable explanations for their behavior: greed and apathy.

Greed: They see short-term financial gain from their decisionmaking: they think they will bring more bodies through the turnstiles, if they add more instruments to the mix. "Oh, honey, let's spend $187 for Finals tickets this year, so we can hear the new bassoon solo from corps X!" That is how the BOD thinks that they buying public may react; they could be in for a rude shock, when they see how the public really reacts.

Apathy: Clearly, the members of the BOD are apathetic towards the traditional drum corps fan. They lack respect for much of drum corps' traditions and heritage. So many of these traditions have gone by the wayside that, quite frankly, the activity is becoming unrecognizable. If you would have attempted to take an oboe out onto the field in 1972, you would have been DQed on the spot - and run out of town on a rail.

The DCI BOD have complete control over this activity. The future of the activity really is entirely in their hands. They make all the key decisions, and quite frankly, there is very little that peons like you and I can do about it. We can "vote with our feet", or "vote with our pocketbooks" - and many of us already have.

Let's just hope that the BOD members wake up, and get this one right.

[DeafDrummer]

Well if it ever gets passed. Will you guys never go to a drum corps show just to prove a point to the BoD's? I would, and the membership in drum corps will decline, and BOA members will never know the meaning of true drum corps tradition is like.

[twofoot]

Unless you're Mike D. or George Hopkins, woodwinds have no place in DCI. I for one will send an angry letter to DCI and tell them to pound sand. They will get no more of my money after that point.

I am convinced that GH is the antichrist of the drum corps world.

[Peel Paint]

I can't wait to here the attendance numbers from this years finals..... I think DCI realizes the impact the ultimate changes will have on attendance, hence why they will completely reinvent themselves. I posted this in two other threads might as well post it here too..

1) Attendance will continue to go down as it sounds like it did this year.

2) Instrumentation will continue to converge to band.

3) Open Class corps will be a thing of the past.

4) Retreat will resemble WGI more each year.

5) DCI will officially change its name to The Marching Music Major Leagues or MML.

6) Due to poor attendance MML will not be able to continue to justify having a separate show for the Independent Bands and will move Independent Band Competition into Grand Nationals with Scholastic competition similar to a WGI setup.

7) The convergence of DCI/BOA will be carefully constructed between DCI/BOA and MENC.

8) George Hopkins will look like a "Legacy Fan" and try and fight these changes but it will be too late.

Sadly, I agree that there is a risk of much of this happening.

Woodwinds on the field are the one change I have no need to hear or see first to make up my mind about, since I already have. Not interested, and adios, DCI.

[cajal]

Using the wonderful logic the member corps seem to be using in the last decade, they'll allow any instrument and schedule even more events in domes to 'protect the investment'.

[Ben]

Using the wonderful logic the member corps seem to be using in the last decade, they'll allow any instrument and schedule even more events in domes to 'protect the investment'.

Next year, marching electric guitar, a 2 person team with one person holding the amp up throughout the drill.

[j.morgus]

DCI is trying to market itself to current marching-age members. As much as I don't want to hear it, it just doesn't make sense to automatically cut out half of the potential audience.

Mike

I don't thing anyone on here is against allowing woodwind players to watch drum corps. If someone chooses to be in a drum corps, then they should choose to play an instrument that is used in a drum corps. Someone that rides motorcycles can choose to enter a stock car race, but would have to choose to do so driving a car, and leaving the motorcycle home that day.

Edited August 19, 2009 by j.morgus

[tommyfromhowardst]

I can just see it now--"ok first and second oboes---point to the box and blast them!!!!" Fwee Fewwwreee yeah right--ya just lost 7 points in GE.......

Edited August 19, 2009 by tommyfromhowardst

[Ben]

Has anyone thought about the potential $$ hike for all those reeds that will have to be purchased?!!