The Challenge

[Jeff Ream]

It extends beyond well beyond mere ego and "credibility" to levels of implied "liability" in many cases.

The mere fact that there is a divisional delineation absolutely IS segregation by its very design, and there are logical reasons why this is the case. As the Open Class corps continue to improve their on-field acts and behind the scenes operational functions, new opportunities will be created. Here are just a few quick answers to just a few questions you've posed:

– Open Class events are held separately from World Class events for a number of reasons.

1. There are X number of shows in a season, and X number of available performance opportunities. It is important to note that not all WC corps that wish to get into a given show are able to do so, and that the scheduling of the tour is an expansive, time consuming process requiring give-and-take among corps and tour event partners alike. Some long-time tour events can't be serviced every year for a variety of reasons... which is another topic entirely.

2. Length of total show – adding 2 corps to a lineup extends a show another half hour +. Not only does that extend most shows to the 3 hour mark, but often pushes the end of the show past the sound ordinance in a local community. Would Broadway survive if every show was the running time of Nicholas Nickelby? It would certainly be a challenge in the short attention span world of today... especially with an intermission every 17 minutes.

3. Additional costs on the contract fees – Open Class corps are paid in "mixed" shows, and plans are being reworked to create some sort of a payday for OC corps in all-OC shows in the future as well. Tour event partners generally try to squeeze in as many World Class corps as possible, and often don't want to pay the additional $ for additional corps.

4. Additional housing sites – bringing 5 or 6 corps into a town makes for a housing/rehearsal site challenge... additional corps add additional challenges. People aren't coming out of the woodwork offering corps or tour event partners free housing sites.

5. Quality/consistency of Open Class performances, sizes of corps, etc., vary widely. Many sponsors simply don't find it charming to have smaller corps on the field "doing their best." They want big, audacious, loud drum corps. Period. Yes, they'd rather have a lower-scoring World Class corps with more than 100 performers on the field than a high-scoring OC corps with 85. This fact is compounded when a local tour event has been able to get the local TV stations, newspaper photographer, the mayor, other community VIPs and/or corporate sponsor-type officials there for the start of the show... quite often, they don't want an "opening act" to be anything less than World Class.

On the positive side...

6. Open Class-only shows enable the OC corps to be the star of the show. Particularly for communities that aren't long-time bastions of the drum corps artform, it also gives an OC Tour Event the chance to establish and grow an annual fund-raiser in the form of an evening of family entertainment at a reasonable cost of admission, due to the lower contract price for an all-OC show. This is invaluable to an OC corps which sponsors its own "Home Show" and is trying to grow a local support base.

7. Having OC-only shows adds more opportunities for tour events. It also helps to develop an awareness in "new markets."

8. OC-only shows enable OC corps to sponsor interactive learning experiences of their own... once again, making them the star of the show. Not only does this help to reinforce sound educational techniques to local music educators, but also provides an invaluable recruitment tool for the corps as well.

9. Head to head competition. The corps seem to like that!

There's a lot to this entire issue... and I have appreciated for years your stalwart efforts at "sticking up" for the Open Class corps, and I admire you for continuing to do so. I've learned a tremendous amount about this situation as I've been knee-deep in it for the better part of my adult life. We'll dive deeper into this situation in the weeks ahead... but there's a LOT more to this than "the man tryin' to keep a brother down."

thanks Bob!

[MikeD]

I think both YEA! and DCI play roles in those.

A clinic needs three components:

1. a corps

2. a clinician to serve as MC for the event

3. busloads of band kids

When DCI began ramping up the clinic campaign, they networked with band directors all over the country, offering them deals to attract their band kids to targeted shows with group ticket packages and the clinics as an added attraction. DCI also lined up top clinicians like Michael Cesario to organize the clinic content. Cesario could run a clinic with a corps he had no prior working relationship with; I guess they'd go over things beforehand.

So for most of these clinics, the individual corps would provide #1 above (obviously), and DCI would provide #2 and #3. In YEA!'s case, their own staff would serve as clinicians, but I think the busloads of band kids are still the result of that nationwide coordination effort by DCI. Correct me if I'm wrong.

The marketing for Music is Cool events I have seen has been from YEA!, not DCI. I don't know how other similar events are run, hence the question Of course, now I forget WHY this even matters!

[MikeD]

The Blue Devils, Carolina Crown, Phantom Regiment, Bluecoats, Cadets and several other corps run their own workshops with their own formats and little to no direct coordination with DCI. DCI is there to assist with promotion, etc., and you will probably see a more concerted effort to that end this year. The content, etc., however, is the province of the individual organizations.

Thanks Bob, that's what I thought, but I was not sure.

[Richard]

My own self-imposed task for DCI is to provide audio recording coverage for every participating corps, if I can. I have no clue what new/prospective corps are planning. DCI will not publish tour schedules for them (or allow the corps to publish such on their own websites!) until evaluations are complete (usually not until June). Even after contacting the people within DCI that coordinate new corps evaluations and open-class show scheduling, I always face surprises when (or if) the corps are finally listed on DCI.org.

Now, how does a fan or prospective member find these corps if us insiders can't?

I already know the counter-argument for why DCI doesn't publish information on prospective corps. Since the vast majority of them don't make it to the field, the contention is that the credibility of DCI and their show sponsors would suffer from listing corps that don't pan out. I can understand that....but:

For what it's worth, I noticed this today. At the bottom they list Spartans as a corps they are "Evaluating". Also, on the calendar for a few New England events it lists the participating corps and "...plus more to come!". I would bet the Spartans are the "more to come". So the information is there I guess, it's just not incredibly straightforward. However, I don't know if it shows Spartans because they are returning to competition this year as opposed to being new to the field.

[audiodb]

For what it's worth, I noticed this today. At the bottom they list Spartans as a corps they are "Evaluating".

That's a new twist. Could just be (as you said) because they are a returning corps....you don't see any new corps listed there. On the other hand, not all returning corps are listed either (i.e. Spokane Thunder).

Also, on the calendar for a few New England events it lists the participating corps and "...plus more to come!". I would bet the Spartans are the "more to come". So the information is there I guess, it's just not incredibly straightforward.

I've noticed that. Same deal for several other shows I suspect have prospective corps lined up.

[audiodb]

Bumped, as DCI.org is now listing four new/prospective corps (including Spokane Thunder).

Thanks, DCI!