Jason Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 Mason has the best advice to the G-7... " I have a professional group. Leave this ( DCI ) alone. "There is " no compromise " with the G-7 vision. It's a selfish, self serving power grab to establish a permanent group slotting system within the World Class Division of DCI and kill off the Open Class Division while in the process. It would serve as a death panel to the Drum Corps activity as something separate and distinct from the Band activity. It's in keeping with the Hopkins long held vision of the morphing of the Drum Corps idiom into band in which the end result will be only..... band. Either give up this arrogance, or leave and pursue your vision thingy on your own. Those are the choices. I would say, to all the corps that are out of the "G7"... I think it's time you turned to the senior folks and started working to establish a new division at DCA. If the G7 corps want to do their own thing, let them. Soon it will be a G5, then a G3, and at some point it'll just beTThe Blue Devils Touring Ensemble". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 (edited) I especially love Hoppy's comment about "loving it the way it is, but the way it is won't suvive" with absolutely NO facts o data to back up that statement aside from corps number and a rundown of expenses. Said nothing about how many of these corps raise that much or more and stay on budget from year to year without much of an issue. The guys that are whining about " survival " are the very same movers and shakers that have put the activity on life support as it is, with all the bad moves they made. They're the ones to blame for the lack of fan growth, corps growth, financial growth, etc. It's like a farmer going out to the chicken coop in the morning where there's a fox that got into the chicken coop overnight. There's no chickens there now. Just the fox with bloody chicken feathers around it's mouth, ears, eyes, etc and that blameless, pleaful look from the fox that seems to say " hey,.. where the hell did all the chickens go ? We need to do something better in here ". Ya, right. Edited August 13, 2010 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 I especially love Hoppy's comment about "loving it the way it is, but the way it is won't suvive" with absolutely NO facts o data to back up that statement aside from corps number and a rundown of expenses. That's the way GH thinks things are.... so that must be the ways things really are.... right? More I read I just see this as a survival mechanicism for the 'G' corps and if everything else falls apart.... well they did good by keep their corps going.... in some kind of format... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbg Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 I like Mason's take on the whole thing. He's not the type to back down either when it comes to a fight. If anyone is spearheading the talks with regards to keeping DCI intact ... I'm sure he has one of the loudest voices. Mason's take is really interesting to me because he, IMO, is the original G7......he took Star away. Mason should work on getting Star back on the competitive field of DCI, now is the perfect chance, the alumni corps performs tonight, what better way to recruit and make the announcement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldsnare Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 I understand that there are secrete negotiations going on with Pop Warner so that Little League baseball players can use their baseball gloves while being on a Pop Warner football team. Seems there's a need to get more kids involved in football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PR_ducky Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 What people don't get about me is I love it the way it is, I reallydo," Hopkins said. "But it's not going to survive if we don't let otherpeople in -- the next big wall is woodwind instruments." Really George? You think the way to SAVE Drum & Bugle Corps is by allowing the use of woodwinds? I think the rest of the world would consider that KILLING drum corps once and for all. Hell, I stopped going to shows after you ruined the activity with electronics. For anyone who is really interested, here is how to get Drum Corps back on track: 1) Stop with the woodwind talk. Even the most progressive DCI fans realize that would be a HUGE mistake 2) Do away with the electronics. enough is enough already. OK, we tried them, all they do is allow corps to cheat horn parts and boost weak low brass sections. How about we just teach the kids to play. 3) Reinstitute the regional organizations DCE, DCM... so corps can stay closer to home for half the summer and save on travel costs. 4) Hold regional championships in Mid-July so new Corps just getting started can run a half season and still have something to shoot for. 5) Simplify the activity, not complicate it. The simpler the activity, the less it will cost to run. Brass, Drums, Guard. Thats all you need. If you really need electronics and gizmos then what you REALLY need is a better arranger/designer. (prime example is 1991 SCV. They did Miss Saigon and recreated the sounds of helicopters. marching troops, and others using just a creative pit. No electronics. I am sure if that show was done today it would all be done on synth by pushing a button. Explain to me how that futhers the activity) 6) Get corporate sponsorship. Every drum and brass company on the planet benefits from DCI well beyond the amount they put into it. 7) Cap the amount of money that corps can raise from membership dues. There are other ways to raise money without bleeding the members dry. 8) Get back to what the KIDS expect and want from Drum Corps, not what the adults and designers want. Doesn't sound that difficult to me. By adding more and more junk to the activity (electronics, synth, woodwinds) all that is happening is it gets more expensive to field a corps and the gap between the haves and have nots gets wider and wider. Simplify and get back to the corps of what the activity is about and it can flourish once again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 (edited) Mason's take is really interesting to me because he, IMO, is the original G7......he took Star away. Mason should work on getting Star back on the competitive field of DCI, now is the perfect chance, the alumni corps performs tonight, what better way to recruit and make the announcement. Mason however did NOT try to remake DCI into his own making or vision. He left it alone. He left DCI. He did not try and take other Corps out of DCI, nor try and extort DCI for more dough for his Corps either. There are huge differences here. Hopkins and Gibbs are not attempting to do what Mason did back in '93 at all . What they want to do is reshape DCI to their selfish benefit, and to their Corps selfish benefit. Edited August 13, 2010 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlvalet Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 "What people don't get about me is I love it the way it is, I really do," Hopkins said. "But it's not going to survive if we don't let other people in -- the next big wall is woodwind instruments." So, for all those people who said this isn't George's MO, we all know it is. Someone explain to me a decision George has made that has improved the activity? And now he wants to add woodwinds? On top of writing horrible narrative copy, George doesn't have a clue about marketing. That's right, take anything unique about an activity and homogenize it praying from customers/fans that will never come all the while alienating your core fan base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDCorno Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 The guys that are whining about " survival " are the very same movers and shakers that have put the activity on life support as it is, with all the bad moves they made.They're the ones to blame for the lack of fan growth, corps growth, financial growth, etc. It's like a farmer going out to the chicken coop in the morning where there's a fox that got into the chicken coop overnight. There's no chickens there now. Just the fox with bloody chicken feathers around it's mouth, ears, eyes, etc and that blameless, pleaful look from the fox that seems to say " hey,.. where the hell did all the chickens go ? We need to do something better in here ". Ya, right. EVERYONE NEEDS TO HEED THE ABOVE. PASS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE...AND HERE IT IS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 (edited) So color me confused...No wonder DCI corps cant make it. They're led by a pack of morons. I've been saying they are like politicians who can't balance a budget and just want to raise taxes, but your statement rings true and to the point so much better. and if they add another 50 kids they can afford another tractor trailer for the circus ! Edited August 13, 2010 by The Other Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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