News From DCI Winter Meetings

[corps-mudgeon]

enjoy being dead before me)

Well, I for one certainly enjoyed being alive before you.

[Schickmeister]

Well, I for one certainly enjoyed being alive before you.

i lol'ed

[Toby]

That’s a good point, kids today are softer, weaker and slower to develop…they now say adolescences can extend to age 30. Kids live at home longer too, take longer to complete school, find a career, get married, grow up and do adult things…you see it in corps too, the treatment of the kids is so much cushier than back in the day and their sense of entitlement, their lack of being able to endure, roll with the punches…heck, they even have to have finals in a dome because the kids all want a controlled environment – don’t dare toss a flag in a wind or march in a place that’s too hot or where the sun might shine on them

Just to give you an idea of "one of those weak kids."

I am still in my undergrad. I failed out of my first college. Not because I couldn't hack it, but because I mentally wasn't ready to handle post-secondary education. I've held a job since I was 16. Even now I work almost full time in retail, I also have a business on the side, I'm a full time music education major, I serve as recruiting chair for my corps, I've worked with a local color guard, I'm marching...

I'm 24, I don't care either way whether this passes, but to see you call my fellow marchers weak? I take offense to that. I find many of the kids that march these days have it harder in ways that kids your day didn't have. It's a different mindset, a different demographic. I bet the people you see coming off @ finals are just as tan as the ones you remember back in the day. Sure, they don't deal with wool uniforms, or inspection, but I don't remember seeing videos of corps moving at 180 bpm or better until the last 15 years.

We know better these days about heat stroke, exhaustion, and hydration. It's how they can handle the tempo of these shows they put on now without dying by July. They're better conditioned, that's all. They don't have it "made." Staffs now know how to deal with it.

[Kamarag]

here's a question about the upstairs sound guy...

will it really fix anything?

til his voice carries thru the cell network or walkie talkie frequencies, it could be too late to get the downstairs guy to make the needed change.

if the mics are coming up hot and the corps behind them is playing soft...til technology takes over, the corps could be blasting again. And these guys are supposed to be making changes on the fly now.

so...i still see a flaw with this until you walk into the stadium and have to be careful so you dont trip over the cords going up the steps

It's actually easier than you think. A lot of professional touring groups use wireless communication to assist the sound engineers. Additionally, there are other wireless solutions that don't require voice.

[Jeff Ream]

It's actually easier than you think. A lot of professional touring groups use wireless communication to assist the sound engineers. Additionally, there are other wireless solutions that don't require voice.

well if it fixes it, i'll say good job. however after years of being told it was fine, i have to laugh this is now being added to "fix it"

[Paralda]

Dinosaur?

Moi?

Whatever

I know more about the kids today than you do from my day....oh yes I do

so you blame the school system that keeps them there longer then go on to say most students switch majors at least once

that's a good example of the kids today and their attitude – it’s not my fault it’s the system…..Yep, that entitled, its never my fault except when it is but it not really my fault even then….kids today have very little accountability and avoid taking responsibility for their actions, like switching their major keeps them in longer…not the system but go ahead, rage against the system, man !!!

and seeing that I often interview, hire and train "kids "(23 year old recent graduates)….I have a good take on the current generations work ethics, sense of entitlement, problem solving and skills in general which is why I try to hire folks not of their generation when possible – this current generation is really a disappointment in the business world and that’s not just my opinion - its pretty much industry wide. You know how much hand holding mid-mangement has to do now, and all the daily affirmations of praise and reward or the constant supervision or their in-ability to work alone, not on a team?

Have you ever once thought that it's not a "generation" issue, but an experience issue? I'm sure you were an idiot when you were 23, as well. Of course you don't remember yourself as one, because you learned from your mistakes and became proficient. As a rule, a recent college graduate is going to be less efficient and less helpful than someone who's had experience in the field, but to base decisions solely on their birth year? That's ridiculous, and you, as an employer, should realize that.

It's the same as when you look back on your childhood, you see a great wonderful magical country where nothing ever went wrong. Everyone was so much more moral, and so much happier, right? Wrong. You were a 6 year old kid. The world is happy, safe, and magical to nearly any 6 year old kid. But the world had just as many problems then as it does now, and while they may be different (or you simply don't understand them; lack of knowledge does breed fear), they're no worse than when you were younger. You're simply more exposed to them now.

Same goes with your opinion on drum corps. When you marched, it was the glory days, right? Everything was great, and awesome, and what have you. But the same applies to kids who are marching now. They think that THIS TIME is the best of drum corps. They think that they're music and drill is harder and more well-executed than any other era. They think that they work harder than any other era of drum corps did. Are they wrong? Who cares? Does this make them bad people? No, because you thought the same things when you were marching.

It's cyclical. So get off of your high horse and treat people with a little more respect.

If none of this applied to you, I'm sorry. Feel free to nitpick everything I said and point out how wrong I am.

[CrownStarr]

here's a question about the upstairs sound guy...

will it really fix anything?

til his voice carries thru the cell network or walkie talkie frequencies, it could be too late to get the downstairs guy to make the needed change.

if the mics are coming up hot and the corps behind them is playing soft...til technology takes over, the corps could be blasting again. And these guys are supposed to be making changes on the fly now.

so...i still see a flaw with this until you walk into the stadium and have to be careful so you dont trip over the cords going up the steps

If you're worried about latency, it'll probably take much longer for the guy at the board to physically move his hand and push a button than for the signal to travel from the press box to the field.

[SF2K4]

Of course they would lobby to up the age to 22 right after I turn 22 and will be 23 the year it would take effect.

[Penn State]

Why not cut all the BS. Just prerecord the corps and have them sync/march the show. The amppeople will be in heaven.

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit...really I did...yuck

[Michael Boo]

Tell that to my under-25 daughter who graduated from college a semester EARLY by taking summer classes...while working three summer jobs. Who worked three jobs simultaneously since college, saving over 20K in less than two years...and is now going to school to get her teaching license.

You didn't force your daughter to march drum corps? What kind of a parent are you?

Edited January 21, 2010 by Michael Boo