Has the view of 'Senior' Corps changed lately in DCI?

[JimF-LowBari]

You guys over-analyzing this.

DCA corps will never be as good as DCI corps.

For one reason. Time.

Yup.

No agrument and my entire experience has been Sr corps (even my current Alumni type) was a competing Sr corps.

Once you get past that, it's like arguing apples vs oranges. Both are fruit but different in lot of ways.

[VOReason]

You guys over-analyzing this.

DCA corps will never be as good as DCI corps.

For one reason. Time.

Yup.

Actually, there are MANY reasons. Time is defintely one reason, however let's not forget that DCI World Class corps get to pick and choose their memberships from hundreds of potential candidates whereas anyone willing to make the commitment and shows a willingness to learn is welcome in all DCA corps. DCI corps are able to scrutinize members right down to height and weight. Also DCI corps get to avail themselves of the top arrangers and instructors full time as opposed to arrangers mailing in the designs and showing up just a handful of weeks a year to instruct. And let's not forget MONEY! The budget for just one DCI World Class corps is #### near enough to float the entire DCA circuit for a year. Bucs could rehearse their show 24/7 and still not approach competing on the level of DCI.

[markdewine]

I'm one of the lucky ones who has had the opportunity to experience marching junior corps, military drum corps, all-age corps, and alumni drum corps.

People......IT'S ALL GOOD !!!

Each has it's best attributes; each has it's problems. None is perfect; none is terrible. The levels of talent, experience, dedication, entertainment, etc. vary from corps to corps and even from member to member within a corps.

So, analyze if you must. Boast -up one; bash the other. But when it all shakes out, it's all still DRUM CORPS.

[luvscorps]

Actually, there are MANY reasons. Time is defintely one reason, however let's not forget that DCI World Class corps get to pick and choose their memberships from hundreds of potential candidates whereas anyone willing to make the commitment and shows a willingness to learn is welcome in all DCA corps. DCI corps are able to scrutinize members right down to height and weight. Also DCI corps get to avail themselves of the top arrangers and instructors full time as opposed to arrangers mailing in the designs and showing up just a handful of weeks a year to instruct. And let's not forget MONEY! The budget for just one DCI World Class corps is #### near enough to float the entire DCA circuit for a year. Bucs could rehearse their show 24/7 and still not approach competing on the level of DCI.

Agree 100%

Where the argument gets dicey, though, is that people take the above comment and get defensive or frustrated. Both circuits are wonderful. Both are drum corps (save the 'it's not drum corps anymore' argument for another thread, please), but they are inherently different from one another for all of the reasons described above. Different product, different experience, different 'standards' for excellence -- and there's NOTHING wrong with that. As I said above, both are fruit - one's an apple, one's an orange, and that's fine. The problem happens when you expect them both to be the same.

That said, there's so much cross-over between circuits that it's really cool to see how the level of quality on the DCA side has shot up over the last decade or so. While the best of DCA wouldn't compete with DCI from a purely objective quality standpoint, when you look at what the best of DCA accomplishes with weekend-only rehearsals, it's pretty amazing.

Love both. For different reasons. Vive la difference!

[Jeff Ream]

But I did mention the color-pre/smoke/insanity fest. Too many refs to my own corps and they'd call me a homer! Good on you for that shameless plug. You make Jeff Ream's pro-Westshore thing look downright conservative :)

wow you act like I never give any corps props. Funny, I still count Empire 97 as one of the greatest shows of all time, either circuit

[Jeff Ream]

so... you think a drum corps that practices on the weekends is just as good as a corps that practice everyday of the week for 12 hours a day?

This is part of the disconnect, IMO. Some people say DCA is not as good, and that is fine. Obviously, they shouldn't be expected to be. But then other people, like this post, make it seem like saying that the DCA products are not as good is somehow offensive, and if you don't want to have a fist fight 1 against 50, you should agree that DCA puts out extremely high quality products that are comparable to DCI.

do you go to a high school band concert and tell them they aren't as good as a college ensemble?

half the time, i say the HS band is better

[Jeff Ream]

Because we're all unique individuals with our own personal tastes and opinions?

Let me ask this:

Why do some DCA fans feel the need to have to defend/justify your passions? Be happy and love your passions, and who cares that I personally am not a fan of DCA and have no desire to explore it further. The OP asked for opinions about DCA, and when the minority of the posts are from people uninterested in DCA, you don't have to automatically go into defense mode, act almost holier than thou because you like both (and kind of tacitly implying those of us who are only fans of one idiom are either not intelligent enough to understand the differences in genres, or that just because we don't like something means we can't appreciate it).

probably because the way people word their views of DCA ( not you) comes off as, frankly, insulting. I like and dislike things in both circuits, but it's all in how you deliver the thought, and some of the statements about here about the lack of quality in DCA compared to DCI ( I mean duh, look at the rehearsal schedules) come off as, well, insulting and degrading.

[whitedawn]

You guys over-analyzing this.

DCA corps will never be as good as DCI corps.

For one reason. Time.

Yup.

that's certainly one reason, but there are many others.

physical conditioning, for one. talent pool for another.

[BRASSO]

I'm one of the lucky ones who has had the opportunity to experience marching junior corps, military drum corps, all-age corps, and alumni drum corps.

People......IT'S ALL GOOD !!!

Each has it's best attributes; each has it's problems. None is perfect; none is terrible. The levels of talent, experience, dedication, entertainment, etc. vary from corps to corps and even from member to member within a corps.

So, analyze if you must. Boast -up one; bash the other. But when it all shakes out, it's all still DRUM CORPS.

I likewise marched Junior Corps, Military Corps, Senior Corps, and Alumni Corps and would concur 100% with these comments that........." IT'S ALL GOOD !!! "

[audiodb]

Actually, there are MANY reasons. Time is defintely one reason, however let's not forget that DCI World Class corps get to pick and choose their memberships from hundreds of potential candidates whereas anyone willing to make the commitment and shows a willingness to learn is welcome in all DCA corps. DCI corps are able to scrutinize members right down to height and weight. Also DCI corps get to avail themselves of the top arrangers and instructors full time as opposed to arrangers mailing in the designs and showing up just a handful of weeks a year to instruct. And let's not forget MONEY! The budget for just one DCI World Class corps is #### near enough to float the entire DCA circuit for a year. Bucs could rehearse their show 24/7 and still not approach competing on the level of DCI.

Actually, it pretty much boils down to "time".

Kind of silly to argue about which circuit has the better "talent" (members or staff), when so many of the same people do both over the years. Even the money is a consequence of the "time" factor....junior corps would not mobilize an army of fundraisers if they didn't need the money to pay for the touring (which is where all that additional time together takes place).