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

[BRASSO]

Not sure this is thread is going to get your guestion answered. People posting on here are saying they marched junior corps 10 years ago and thought DCA was such and such. DCA has changed VERY much in the last few years. The only way you will get your question answered is to ask age-outs from about the last 3 years. Any opionions from people who marched 5+ years ago will be out of date opionions.

For perspective too, many of the DCA folks have misconceptions of DCI Corps,... their fans, structure, values, DCI priorities, and so forth too. For every DCI Kool Aid drinking fanatic, there are probably 3 DCA Kool Aid drinking fanatics that has something negative to say about DCI too. Most of it because they havn't been close to the other organization in years., if at all.

There shouldn't be an " us" vs. " them "thing, imo.

DCA is what it is.... part-timers making full time effort while they do their gig...... and DCI is more time committment more concentrated time at practice (4-6 weeks on tour ), triple the number of competitions, and so forth.

DCA has grown total membership units over the last decade. DCI wishes, I'm sure, that they could say the same about growing their overall membership units in the similar time frame. Each has something to offer to both fans, it's marchers, it's staffs, as well as each organization itself in terms of lessons learned.

Edited April 20, 2010 by BRASSO

[wishbonecav]

Even so, I'd still like to hear their opinion. Where I marched, there was a very big negative opinion of senior corps coming from some staff members and some members. Sadly, that influenced my opinion and after I marched, I vowed to never march even after be told I'd be able to be a lead player in a local corps as soon as I aged out. It's still interesting to hear what people say now or 5 years ago.

I'd be interested to hear your comparison of the ensembles YOU marched in...especially since you were part of 3 of the best horn lines I have ever heard in DCA...if that is about as good as it gets in All-age...and the Bush line was sensational... how did it compare to your year in Crossmen?

[Kyle B]

Just out of curiosity, what are the 3 hornlines?

I'm sure 2006 is one of them.

And thanks for the compliment!!!!

Edited April 21, 2010 by Kyle B

[Kyle B]

Well, I was in Crossmen for 2 years. Did Bush for 3, and will be in Bucs for 2 after this year.

All are different in their own way. Had you asked me when I marched Crossmen that a DCA corps could sound like 2006 Bushwackers, I would have told you that you were nuts.

Crossmen 2002 had a FANTASTIC hornline. Problem - the drill. I've heard from some staff members that they believed it took us from a Top 3 hornline to our 6th place finish in brass. We just couldn't march that show and it killed us. 2003 was a major let down. Nothing really seemed to click, both playing or marching. Decent show just didn't live up to our expectations.

When I arrived at Bush, I said the first weekend (which I had to learn the entire show that weekend so I could march the first show the next week) that the music was harder than anything I ever played at Crossmen. Rocky Point and Fanfare for the New...wow. I can still play the insane 8th note lick in Rocky because I had to practice it so much. That line was sick. Not by much, but that was the best hornline I've ever been in. Put out a lot of sound for 50 people, and beat up a lot of people who were much bigger than us.

2007 was a good year, but just not the same as 2006. Still somewhat difficult tho.

2008...now THAT show was hard. Tell someone who thinks DCA is a bunch of drunks that a corps would march their opener at 192, and they'd tell you that you were lying. Not only was the show hard, but the drill changed twice (not really shapes, just dots) due to lowering the hornline from 44 to 38 to 33 I believe. Business as Usual...ugh! That song will permanently be memorized in my head, at least up to the drum break. That is and will always be the hardest single song I have ever had to march, and almost the entire thing was unison, and if it wasn't, chances are the Baritones were the only ones playing. It was a bit of a let down placement wise, but to take that show were we had it by finals with mostly 10 horns during the winter, I will always remember that year.

2009 with Bucs. The music wasn't as hard as Bush at least in terms of my part, but still pretty difficult. The show was fun brass wise, and just flat out exhausting marching wise. I'd tell you that back in 2002 that no DCA corps could march that closer, but we did. Very loud hornline and the staff loved to have us play out. I will always remember marching finals, getting to the big hit in the ballad and just the feeling of every musician on the field playing out as much as they possibly can with all the emotion in the world for Geoff. Terrific year, and if there was a hornline that could come close to 2006 Bush, it was this.

This year....watch out. Drill in the opener...hehehe.

You asked, and I can be long winded.

[Shadow_7]

I generally march because it's the cheapest and funnest way to make it to the championship(s). Sadly that's not quite the case anymore with spikes in gas and corps costs going up. It could easily costs you $50 a day to do drumcorps in either DCI or DCA. But DCA corps have far fewer days.

I was pretty burned out after 5 years of DCI competition(top 12 for 3 of them). I got back into drumcorps after a ten plus year gap. One advantage of all age corps is that it's the only way I could see some of the people I marched with back in the day. Given that my old corps is mostly gone, I don't live in the same state anymore, and neither do a lot of the folks I marched with. Unfortunately certain rules means no DCA corps within 180 miles of me, no DCA competitions within 700 miles of me(at least in 2009), which makes the DCA option, a VERY conscious choice, as it's anything but conveinent. It's a nice choice in a favorable wind. You get to see OTHER drumcorps at least twice a year. Which you might not be able to or inclined to otherwise do.

There might be some beer involved for the older types. But a lot of the all-age corps are tending towards a much younger crowd these days. So those tendencies are more of a relic of the past or strictly after all is said and done. And all done within the confines of the law. We're just older members, not older delinquents for the most part. There is a bit more family atmosphere despite the light schedule (number of days) in DCA. Although some of that is quite literal. i.e. Ma and Pa and five or more kids. And plenty of others with two or so kids marching in the same corps on the same year.

I wouldn't really compare DCA with DCI, as some DCA corps it's kind of tough to be the rookie. Certain sections could have members that any one of them could be a competent instructor. In some ways that's good because if you can't make a gig, there's not that you killed the corps mentality, cost us a ring, or whatever ails you, that might be a bit more common in DCI. i.e. DCI - OMG suzie ISN'T here this GIG? / DCA - OMG suzie IS here this GIG?

[cabalumnidrummer]

perc2100 said:

"I see DCA as the older-persons attempt to recreate drum corps, and in that regard it has little difference to some HS marching bands (I KNOW I'm getting killed for that one)."

No flame suit needed here either, just expressing my feelings, but you know, I was pretty much okay with what you were saying until you got to this. DCA WAS drum corps before DCI existed. DCA still IS drum corps every bit as much as any other level, circuit, etc. DCA is not, and never has been HS marching bands.

True, many DCA corps have adopted some of the innovations that DCI initiated, but I believe that has more to do with youthful instructors bringing their ideas to DCA from their DCI involvement.

Many DCI corps can trace their roots back to the senior corps of years gone by via senior corps members, who, as instructors, taught many junior corps. Please don't tell me DCA is 'older-persons' attempting to 'recreate drum corps.' (Maybe we who are in Alumni Corps are doing that -- but that's another whole story for another day and thread!) IMO, it would be a mistake if DCA tried to be more like DCI.

Seniors, DCA, DCI, All-age, juniors, Alumni -- They all ARE the drum corps activity. They ALL have a place, serve a need, fulfill a purpose. We should respect them all, even if we don't necessarily care for them all. We have so much more in common that most realize or want to believe.

[BRASSO]

perc2100 said:

"I see DCA as the older-persons attempt to recreate drum corps, and in that regard it has little difference to some HS marching bands (I KNOW I'm getting killed for that one)."

No flame suit needed here either, just expressing my feelings, but you know, I was pretty much okay with what you were saying until you got to this. DCA WAS drum corps before DCI existed. DCA still IS drum corps every bit as much as any other level, circuit, etc. DCA is not, and never has been HS marching bands.

True, many DCA corps have adopted some of the innovations that DCI initiated, but I believe that has more to do with youthful instructors bringing their ideas to DCA from their DCI involvement.

Many DCI corps can trace their roots back to the senior corps of years gone by via senior corps members, who, as instructors, taught many junior corps. Please don't tell me DCA is 'older-persons' attempting to 'recreate drum corps.' (Maybe we who are in Alumni Corps are doing that -- but that's another whole story for another day and thread!) IMO, it would be a mistake if DCA tried to be more like DCI.

Seniors, DCA, DCI, All-age, juniors, Alumni -- They all ARE the drum corps activity. They ALL have a place, serve a need, fulfill a purpose. We should respect them all, even if we don't necessarily care for them all. We have so much more in common that most realize or want to believe.

Dats a fact, Jack !

[CrunchyTenor]

When I was the director for SoCal Dream, I had to tell a couple of members to pour out beers and to put their cooler in the trunk because we were on a high schol campus. Later I watched as a perennial DCI Championship contender's director walked around the same parking lot picking up beer cans dropped by his members.

So, who are the beer drinkers again? And who is more responsible about public image?

Thanks.

Garry in Vegas

Edited April 21, 2010 by CrunchyTenor

[Tom D'Bomb]

Attend DCA...then make an informed decision.

Friday night...Individuals and Mini-Corps (not to be missed, especially Star)

Saturday Prelims...20 corps from CA, MN, VA, TX, NY, PA, CT, NJ, etc

Sunday Morning...Alumni show...Cabs got the biggest, most extended ovation in 2010 that I had heard in the last 15 years (Scouts 95)...video from their Wayne NJ show is on YouTube.

Finals...under the lights, championship contest, putting it all out there for your review.

Once you see the proof, you wont have to take anyone else's remarks on faith.

DCA is for anyone who has the skill, but not necessarily the time or money to "get on the bus"...and today's 25 and over "vets" are yesterday's well-trained junior age outs.

I marched in the same line with SCV, Bluecoats, BD, Garfield, Glassmen, Dutch Boy, Patriots, Boston Crusader and 27th alums. And I'd say we were pretty good.

At DCE Finals in 93, the biggest ovation (at a "junior" show) was reserved for us...and don't take that on faith...the video from that night is the proof. Nickerson Field, Boston University....you can guess who else was on the slate.....Tommy Allen probably has a video...he asked Sandy to get married that night.

DCA has a value proposition for its audience and its member corps. It's a pretty cool circuit and a bunch of pretty cool people.

High risk - very high reward

[Piper]

I had an opportunity to join a great DCA corps one time, but I chose not to because I was 21 and it was going to be my age-out year, so I stayed in the juniors for that season. It was a tough decision to make, but I knew that it would be my final year and last chance (so to speak). My train of thought at the time was that I could march DCA at almost anytime in my life, but my time in the juniors was limited - now or never. I eventually went on to march DCA and never regretted it. Good people - good times.