What is missing from Drum Corps today

[Newseditor44]

I can tell you right now that just about any of The Commandant's Own would resent the idea that they would be any less entertaining on Bb.

And to whoever was trying to say that measuring audience reaction can be done by looking at professional performers' bank accounts, then the only logical way to incorporate that type of mentality into DCI scores would be to give a score based on CD and DVD sales. Other than that, the comment has no relevance to a judge "scoring" audience reaction.

I think he was speaking metaphorically, not literally. But if you want to get literal, how about measuring by the amount of members that try out on a yearly basis, or the amount of donations a corps receives? Or by the amount of souvi sales a corps makes on a yearly basis. People don't just pick a favorite corps because the corps exists. They do it because they saw a show they liked and felt a connection. No offense to the Glassmen, but I think it can be fairly argued that the reason their fan base has not grown over the past ten years vs the growth of the Carolina Crown fan base is due to show design and their lack of appeal. Carolina Crown has shown that they get it, and have created a series of shows over the past three years that has resonated with fans. As a result, they have become drum corp's darlings. I would be willing to bet that souvie sales have gone up in those three years, as well as interest in potential members, as well as donations.

So again, try and tell me that show design isn't tied into financial growth.

[glory]

One of the ironies and incongruities of this conversation is the original reference to Star '93 among the standards for audience reaction. The fact is (and I was there) large blocks of the audience regarded Star '93 as boring in the extreme. Indeed, the very same criticism in this thread (overwrought, under-rendered) was delivered with spite to Star in 1993. Just goes to show how fickle taste and memory can be.

HH

[kickhaltsforlife]

If DCI were to go back to G horns, I would buy tickets to every west coast show. To me, and a lot of others, that is what made drum corps stand out. And there was a huge difference in the power and sound of hornlines that made them extremely special. But to each his own.

I think a lot of people mistake the power of horn lines related to the key of the horn with show design. Brass books are written completely different nowadays. Mostly everyone except BD, Phantom and Crown play in the safe ranges. That will REALLY change the sound of a horn line more than what horn you are playing on.

[Legolaus]

Seems to me, the drum corps activity survives mostly on its ability to market itself publicly as a legitimate ENTERTAINMENT option. Membership dues alone can NOT support the national circuit we (still) enjoy. "Others" need to buy-in to what we do wherever we go to display our product.

Our activity, and most others, needs to lean toward MAINSTREAM appeal for its sustenance. We can only answer declining crowd numbers with rising ticket prices so long. There comes a point of decreasing return. For me, that point came to this endeavor 8-10 years ago.

Do many posters really believe the current activity has BROAD appeal? So satisfied with what we offer, confident each could convince their unassuming neighbor to plunk down $25 per family member to see what we do, then go home thinking "Gee, that was a great night out for all of us! We were thoroughly engaged, entertained."

Our performance medium should be instantly satisfying to the average "Joe and Jill." They should not have to view what we do 3-4 times before they actually start to "get it." An emotional and comfortable connection is required quickly and often throughout the evening. There is no patience for some designer's egotistical "experiment" when we only present ourselves in once per year in each community.

Let's start by adding more COMMONLY appreciated melody to every corps' program. Our technical prowess is obviously there but to me, it's being wasted in reach for the wrong goals.

We really should not try to do Bernstein, better than Bernstein did himself.

Great post, well said.

[Super Don-O]

One of the ironies and incongruities of this conversation is the original reference to Star '93 among the standards for audience reaction. The fact is (and I was there) large blocks of the audience regarded Star '93 as boring in the extreme. Indeed, the very same criticism in this thread (overwrought, under-rendered) was delivered with spite to Star in 1993. Just goes to show how fickle taste and memory can be.

HH

I remember being at a broadcast of finals that year(or was it semifinals? can't remember), it was something they were experimenting with. It was held in a hotel ballroom via satellite feed, and the event was projected up onto a screen.

Anyway, many of us had not gotten to see Star live that year, and didn't really know what to expect. It wasn't received very well. Somewhere in the middle of their show one of the folks at a table behind us yelled "Play Something!" and the whole room chuckled.

It took several viewings to really see the beauty and intent of that show, and it was definately NOT the darling of the crowd.

[Jeff Ream]

I'm a younger guy still marching in a world class corps. I've only been fan of drum corps for about 5 years.

I don't think that DCI should move in a direction where it creates shows just to please those fans who want a 2010 corps to sound like their favorite 80's corps. To change DCI because a hole in their heart is empty now that their favorite show is over 30 years old. The years we have lived always seem sweeter than the years we are living, but that doesn't mean we should resurrect the past. Learn to appreciate something new. As a younger member I've fallen in love with the modern drum corps not the one's from decades ago. I don't mind the innovations in the activity and I certainly don't mind any changes that have yet to come. And I'm sorry that you older guys can't appreciate the way I feel about drum corps today. In 20 years from now the activity will be different, maybe not what I had originally fallen in love but things change and I wouldn't want to be stubborn and selfish to believe that an activity should change just so it pleases me. But I know that I'll always be a fan and frankly don't think I'd find myself dreaming of the good old drum corps days when blah blah was better and blah blah was louder.

If drum corps wants to gain popularity it can't just think about pleasing older fans. It needs to please younger fans as well like myself. If this discussion is about the current popularity of drum corps in general (which it partly is) then you can't leave out the majority of the population which include youth. We have different tastes in a lot things and the generation gap is difficult to come to terms with. But what needs to realize is that MAYBE what wowed a stadium full of people in the past WON'T wow a stadium full of people now. The bottom line is that its possible to strike a balance between what pleases an older fan and a younger fan. But I honestly feel that changes like that happen naturally and are happening.

So, to answer the question "what's missing from drum corps?" I would have to say nothing. I love the activity as it stands and all the innovations/growing pains it can endure. Every show has something to offer that I enjoy and I don't expect to like every single formation and note I hear in a show, even in the ones I marched but that's natural and I don't think that justifies completely overhauling DCI and what not. But the bottom line is that DCI should look toward innovation to garner more popularity and revenue, not over its shoulder.

there can be a blend of each, and thats what made drum corps so cool...even while appealing to fans, corps pushed boundaries too.

and while i recognize the need for younger fans, know that its the older ones paying a lot of the bills

[Jeff Ream]

I'll say this to y'all and to Cesario:

Not every show back in the day was great. Not every design worked. There were shows that didn't "Wow" us then just as there are shows which don't wow us today. Cadets were full of Wow. Crown and SCV had plenty enough Wow. It's not as if there is no Wow today. It's not as if it was all Wow yesterday. Wow.

HH

there is less "wow" to the average viewer today than there was in the past. yes we have always had boring shows. you'll never see me say otherwise. but you had more that captivated you.

when I'm in Allentown a week before finals and find myself leafing thru the program during a top 6 shows, that's not a good sign. thru 2 top 6 shows is really not a good sign

[Jeff Ream]

Wait a minute...

We weren't Wowed by machine Cavies put on the field in 2006? I sure thought I was. What about Crown's horses and Bluecoats' criminals in 2007? I was Wowed. Was I the only one? Spartacus? No Wow? Cadets running company front in 2009? Just me?

HH

so one corps a year, per your post had wow.

is that really enough?

[glory]

Tried to keep it simple. I know ... a mistake.

HH

[glory]

there is less "wow" to the average viewer today than there was in the past. yes we have always had boring shows. you'll never see me say otherwise. but you had more that captivated you.

when I'm in Allentown a week before finals and find myself leafing thru the program during a top 6 shows, that's not a good sign. thru 2 top 6 shows is really not a good sign

I don't think that's true. I remember watching shows from the late 70s and early 80s and being bored by the repetition. The drill parameters were "narrow," shall we say. Corps often played the same tunes from year to year while trudging about at a snail's pace. And it was fairly common at any given DCI to have more than one corps performing the same number (with drills that had few variations, by the way).

I'm not trying to run down another era. I'm just saying every era had its limitations. The 70s didn't suck any more than the 00s and vice versa.

HH