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Forget Woodwinds – Beware of WGI


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On 8/18/2009 at 1:46 PM, bawker said:

Ever since Dan Acheson and company decided to primarily market to the marching music enthusiast in the late 90's, each change (multi key, amps, electronics, more shows in domes away from the elements, woodwinds in the pit . . .or more . . .soon) is part and parcel of morphing DCI into a primarily indoor activity that will end up as the summer cross-pollination of WGI/BOA.

I'm just asking (not arguing) - if they "decided to primarily market to the marching music enthusiast" only recently, exactly whom did they market to before that?

NFL Fans? Hollywood? ESPN? 

Seems to me like the activity has pretty much ONLY EVER been able to market to itself, so I'm wondering what the thought process is here is all.

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1 hour ago, xandandl said:

When DCI started after the '71 season and the Rules Congress's that immediately followed, the number 128 was agreed upon at the intervention of and plea of Bob Holton, at that time the director of the then St. Andrew's CYO Bridgemen of Bayonne, NJ. (At that time the St. Andrew's Bridgemen wore cadet-style white jackets and shako, gold trim, and black pants.) 

The idea of the Congress was to maintain a clear but full marching, manuvering, and musical activity in which as many kids as possible could participate. At the time, the usual corps was much smaller but Bob said his corps actually had two hundred members if he did not audition and place limits on participation. Don Warren, Jim Jones, Rick Maas (a judge from the Central States Judging Association) and various corps directors debated the point for a half hour.  At that time, insurance also required adult supervision (read adult chaperones) on each bus of minors.  Bob Holton showed that in 3 buses with chaperones and mms, 128 mms could be accomodated. The drill writers liked the number because of the way it could be subdivided evenly. The vote in favor was almost unanimous with some objection from a few smaller corps who have since faded away from my memory. I was present for this meeting and for the subcommittee, full committee, and voting sessions for the first five congresses; I voted in favor of the motion. 

Outstanding trivia and history that's best shared and not forgotten.

Thanks a ton for this first-person history lesson.

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On 8/18/2009 at 1:46 PM, bawker said:

Meh.

It's kind of understood that WGI and BOA are where the ideas are now, and DCI now follows along so it can achieve the same kind of scholastic relevance . . .that way it can ride the other activities coat tails. Lest we forget, DCI can't get that yummy public school system money that a lot of WGI and BOA units can, and has to do whatever it can to make a dollar or two to survive.

Ever since Dan Acheson and company decided to primarily market to the marching music enthusiast in the late 90's, each change (multi key, amps, electronics, more shows in domes away from the elements, woodwinds in the pit . . .or more . . .soon) is part and parcel of morphing DCI into a primarily indoor activity that will end up as the summer cross-pollination of WGI/BOA.

Not to be Chicken Little here, but don't be surprised when you see the proposal for amped woodwinds in the pit in another year or two.

Does anyone know if this ever was actually proposed (and then rejected)?

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On 8/19/2009 at 12:39 PM, Fred Windish said:

I agree with the original poster.

Evidence seems to suggest DCI is morphing into a form of pageantry that already exists in WGI/BOA, etc. The DCI influence will bring that same pageantry to audiences on a much bigger scale. The new, full-field spectacle WILL require the controlled conditions of dome stadiums. That will allow lighting effects, large set pieces, high tech electronics, laser beams, etc. It will also prevent weather issues from getting in the way of scheduling.

Time will tell if the "enhanced" drum corps product will generate an even bigger audience for its performers. I believe it will, but I don't expect to be in that group. I grew up with an entirely different drum corps. Things change, I guess.

This was very prescient.  Controlled conditions - check.  But check with some good benefits to fans, too.  Lighting, large pieces, hi-tech but with audio and not so much visual.

Your second paragraph was, and still is, the most pressing question.  Again, can it be said that, 10 years on, the change in direction has brought more BITS resulting in more $$ for the corps?  I'm not seeing it.

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On 8/18/2009 at 12:08 PM, fifer said:

Yet another thread just opened regarding the fear of DCI adding woodwinds. But it seems to me that the more immediate concern should be over drum corps being significantly affected by a move away from show designs that focus on music and movement and toward shows designed around the color guard and WGI-type themes.

You need only look as far as Blue Devils 2009 for an example of this as a trend that show designers are taking and, more significantly, that judges are rewarding. And with judges rewarding this design style, it won’t be long before many other corps follow suit and, as a result, change the face of drum corps forever.

And if finals remain in Lucan Oil Stadium (with its crappy sight lines and disturbing echo), corps will have even more reason to play/march less and act, pose, do gynmastics, move chairs, etc. more.

So while everyone is so worried about woodwinds, drum corps is changing significantly right under our noses and few seem to be saying or doing anything about it.

I completely agree.  We see corps using stages and props more and more.  Those things limit the amount of field that corps members cover during the performance.  This season we saw corps that spent most of their show performing on the right side of the 50 yard line.   If we continue to see less and less of the field utilized we will end of up with shows that could fit entirely on a WGI sized stage.  

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3 hours ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Does anyone know if this ever was actually proposed (and then rejected)?

To my recollection, it has not been proposed.

I think electronics have largely taken away the motivation. Designers can get more-or-less any sound they might want out of a modern front ensemble. 

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On 8/18/2019 at 2:25 AM, garfield said:

Also interesting to see old DCP member names that don't post anymore.

Lots of talk about big changes ahead and ahead and ahead...

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

I miss bawker. 

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7 hours ago, garfield said:

This was very prescient.  Controlled conditions - check.  But check with some good benefits to fans, too.  Lighting, large pieces, hi-tech but with audio and not so much visual.

Your second paragraph was, and still is, the most pressing question.  Again, can it be said that, 10 years on, the change in direction has brought more BITS resulting in more $$ for the corps?  I'm not seeing it.

That may be true, but you cannot assume that the alternative direction would have resulted in better outcomes. In my opinion they would have been worse. Look at the evolution of BOA. High school bands are leading much of these changes.

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