Dear Mr. Director

[Scoutnout]

I think some form of communication needs to take place with the corps in conjunction with any withholding of funds so that they are aware of why they lost a sale.

I have been to restaurants before and when asked upon leaving how my experience was, I tell them. I tell them not to be a mean old woman, but to help them. Deep down I want businesses and organizations to succeed. If my food was crummy, I tell the manager, "you know, I will not be coming back because the food was poor and/or the service was bad." Then I try to be as specific as I can so they have something that they can investigate to fix.

Smart managers listen when customers speak to them. They may not always agree, but they realize that constructive criticism is greatly more valuable than praise.

I think whats not being understood is that for as many as wont support there may be twice as much that do. By all means everyone should be heard, just be ready for the response

[Kamarag]

I think some form of communication needs to take place with the corps in conjunction with any withholding of funds so that they are aware of why they lost a sale.

I absolutely agree. A few things to keep in mind though...

1) There's a right and wrong way to do it. Be respectful. Being an obnoxious D-bag (like some people advocate) will get you nowhere, except to identify you as an obnoxious D-bag. Withhold your financial support. Sit on your hands if you don't like a show. Just don't infringe on anyone else's enjoyment of the activity to do it.

2) Understand that not everyone feels the same way you do. For every fan that tells a director that they didn't like what they did, there are most likely many, many more telling the same director that they did like the product. Anyone who's seen parking-lot conversations post-show will attest to this.

[Appleknocker]

In my opinion, I don't think it really matters what we would like. The biggies have pretty much stated the fact that souvie sales mean more to them than the actual shows. They realize that they have to be "so-called" at the top to succeed at those type of sales, and don't care what they have to do to achieve them.

I am convinced that the touring model that we know today, with all that goes with it, will not be the norm in a few years,....and I am almost sure that I will finally, after 40 plus years in the activity, pretty much not give a rats ### anymore.

[Granny Smith]

I absolutely agree. A few things to keep in mind though...

1) There's a right and wrong way to do it. Be respectful. Being an obnoxious D-bag (like some people advocate) will get you nowhere, except to identify you as an obnoxious D-bag. Withhold your financial support. Sit on your hands if you don't like a show. Just don't infringe on anyone else's enjoyment of the activity to do it.

2) Understand that not everyone feels the same way you do. For every fan that tells a director that they didn't like what they did, there are most likely many, many more telling the same director that they did like the product. Anyone who's seen parking-lot conversations post-show will attest to this.

On your first point, I wholeheartedly agree. I think everything we do needs to be done with excellence ;) (even complaining)

On your second point, I agree with your observation, but I would say that if one person has the nerve to actually verbalize to the director or staff that they didn't appreciate something, then that would be representative of many more. The reality is that it is much easier and expedient to say to the Maître d' as you leave the restaurant when asked how the meal was, "It was good." Even though your steak was overdone and the service was poor. It just takes a lot more effort to be honest . . . especially when you really don't care about improvement.

I fully acknowledge that not everyone would agree with me. I am way okay with that. Really.

When I order my steak I like it medium rare (easier to chew). When it comes out medium-well, I'm disappointed. When I go to a drum corps show, I expect percussion and brass. If they come out with woodwinds, I'll be disappointed. My ONLY vote is with correspondence and my pocket book.

[Granny Smith]

I have received replies back from several corps directors and am very pleased with their thoughtful responses. I'm grateful for the time they took to write back to me.

So far, it appears that there will be a number of booths I can shop at this year! And, I plan to do so. Perhaps I will write a thank you card and leave it at each booth so they know I was there.

Thank you directors!

[Daave]

I have received replies back from several corps directors and am very pleased with their thoughtful responses. I'm grateful for the time they took to write back to me.

So far, it appears that there will be a number of booths I can shop at this year! And, I plan to do so. Perhaps I will write a thank you card and leave it at each booth so they know I was there.

Thank you directors!

Sharing is nice

[garfield]

I have received replies back from several corps directors and am very pleased with their thoughtful responses. I'm grateful for the time they took to write back to me.

So far, it appears that there will be a number of booths I can shop at this year! And, I plan to do so. Perhaps I will write a thank you card and leave it at each booth so they know I was there.

Thank you directors!

You inspire me Granny. I'm next...

[garfield]

Gee Granny, I don't know...

I "penned" this letter and was getting ready to fire something off to the directors.

Then I thought I should include "...and I'll take my 10-year-old budding drummer son with me." (As in: "Hah! That'll teach 'em!).

But then I thought, Really? Would I do that? Would I prevent my son from marching? That's all he's wanted for half his life! What if??...

Then I got stuck and, because I don't know the "what if" part, I'm paused. Hanging. Didn't sent it.

Waffling? I don't know.

My kid...do I care if he's in "band" beyond HS? Would I care if he did summer marching band?

stuck

maybe I'll just ask my son

Dear Mr.

This is your busy season, I know, so I’ll not bore you with a long explanation of my opinion (but would be happy to share should you ask). I’m simply writing to express to you that I am against woodwinds, of any kind, in drum corps. That goes for pre-show, post-show, or during the show.

If you choose to utilize woodwinds in any part of your show this year, I will not be able to, in good conscience, support your corps via purchasing your merchandise. I will still be in the stands to support the kids this year; I am a (redacted for personal information about my participation). Should you choose to include woodwinds, and should your participation succeed in pushing drum corps down the woodwinds path, DCI and those kids will lose my support for ever. After nearly 40 years I will walk away. Woodwinds are my line in the sand.

Thank you very much,

[Shamu89]

Not sure if this is the correct thread for this rant, but this one seems to be generating the most thoughtful replies. Not singling anyone out, just wanted to throw my 2 cents in.

I've been a casual fan of drum corps since I was a teenager in the mid-80s and my daughter will be marching her rookie season this year. I don't particularly enjoy the changes recently like amplification, synths, voice, and would not like to see woodwinds be made part of the equation. But I'm troubled by a lot of the responses to this and all the other posts decrying the changes made to the activity and saying they will no longer support it with their hard earned dollars. What anyone does with their money is their business, but really think about what this means. When you take this route, and if it succeeds, it means the activity could die out completely and deny the incredible opportunity these kids have to participate. That would be an immense tragedy, IMHO. I agree that fans need to have a voice that matters, and the powers that be should consider it in their decision making. But to wish the activity to die out completely?? That makes no sense to me.

The one thing that seems to bond the posters to these boards together is the passion for drum corps and the positive impact is had had on our lives. Why do so many seem to want the activity to cease to exist, or at least take pleasure in its demise? The hard truth is that there are so many more opportunities to be entertained now than in the past. Spectator events are all hurting for attendance from professional sports to rock concerts, especially during the economic troubles of the past few years. Movies are coming out ever sooner on DVD to capitalize on the hype before they are forgotten. Why leave the house when the TVs now are almost better than the real thing? Maintaining a fan base in anything seems to be more and more difficult to achieve. And while getting back to grass roots like it used to be might sound like a good idea, without the backing of a large organization and a championship format, who will go to the shows and where will any money come in?

I know next to nothing about how any of the organizations work, and am spotty on the history of DCI since I'm just a casual fan and had never heard of DCP until 9 months ago. I'm speaking from a purely parental (and possibly selfish) position. I am incredibly thankful that the activity exists in whatever form so my daughter gets a chance to experience it, warts and all. I'll be at several shows cheering my butt off and buying merch from my daughter's corps and others. I'll be doing it to support the kids, and I hope to see you there.

[TAFL]

Well...crap! I'm already caving then because I have no intention of boycotting the shows. So much for me living on principle.

But, aside from that, not one nickel of mine reaches their pockets...you hear me! NOT ONE NICKEL!

Now I can get back to being cranky.

Go to Open Class shows, Granny, and no corps will get any of your money unless you shop the souvie stand.