Just who *IS* this new audience we need to reach ...

[David Hill]

Our virtually private, pageantry niche is rarely "broken into" by the real world, but when it happens it always makes me wonder just who new audiences might be; no matter in a "World Series," in a "Major League," or simply just a weeknight show in a high school stadium: Anywhere, USA.

Here's the dichotomy:

So I pen my DCI season in review, 41 years in: get it, love it, want to pass that on. Here.

The next day, I read this blog, from a newspaper. Mike Danahey saw Quarterfinals in a movie theatre.

(Be fore-warned: this is not for the faint of pageantry artistic heart or temperament. It is "scary fabulous.")

Opinions each one, albeit from two polar positions and views.

Is one more valid, more valuable, than the other to building a fan base?

Does an insider's view offer better context, or perhaps that of a newspaper man/neophyte?

In other words, does drum corps need the likes of more David Hill's in the stands, or more Mike Danahey's?

Curious what fellow DCPer's have to offer. Thanks.

[Lead]

The next day, I read this blog, from a newspaper. Mike Danahey saw Quarterfinals in a movie theatre.

As a Colts fan and season-ticket holder, it's hard for me to read past the first paragraph where he calls it "Lucas Oil Field" and misspells Peyton Manning "Payton."

But thanks for the read :)

[Jeff Ream]

very interesting read

[BRASSO]

Our virtually private, pageantry niche is rarely "broken into" by the real world, but when it happens it always makes me wonder just who new audiences might be; no matter in a "World Series," in a "Major League," or simply just a weeknight show in a high school stadium: Anywhere, USA.

Here's the dichotomy:

So I pen my DCI season in review, 41 years in: get it, love it, want to pass that on. Here.

The next day, I read this blog, from a newspaper. Mike Danahey saw Quarterfinals in a movie theatre.

(Be fore-warned: this is not for the faint of pageantry artistic heart or temperament. It is "scary fabulous.")

Opinions each one, albeit from two polar positions and views.

Is one more valid, more valuable, than the other to building a fan base?

Does an insider's view offer better context, or perhaps that of a newspaper man/neophyte?

In other words, does drum corps need the likes of more David Hill's in the stands, or more Mike Danahey's?

Curious what fellow DCPer's have to offer. Thanks.

From readng this, it appears we won't be seeing more Mike Danahey's in the stands anytime soon.

[bawker]

Does an insider's view offer better context, or perhaps that of a newspaper man/neophyte?

In other words, does drum corps need the likes of more David Hill's in the stands, or more Mike Danahey's?

Folks who have been in this for the long haul . . .you and I and most of the rest of us here . . . are the ones that, while informed, are safe in our knowledge of what we see.

It's old hat, and we become a little insular ourselves as we say "Ah . . .this WGI show begat this DCI prop!" or "This BOA show was performed at Grand Nationals, and here is the same thematic content during the summer." . . .so we pat ourselves on the back a bit for our cleverness.

To wit from the comments:

This article is terrible. Not only is it poorly written, but crass (I think he was trying to be funny?). The journalist obviously has no background in DCI and doesn't understand the concept of any of the shows.

If you can't say something nice, don't say something at all.

I find it interesting that some actual organization would allow you to critique an activity as thought you were some type of expert on something that you know nothing about and didn't bother to research before you left your "opinion". I guess it just shows how desperate some businesses are to be noticed on-line or in print.

I am not sure what is more disturbing. The fact that the writer seems to have no concept of the level of dedication and difficulty involved in every drum corps show or the fact that he called the guard a 'drill team' and the corps a 'band'.

In other words, "YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT US, SO SHUT UP!"

In case I wasn't obvious enough, I think we need more Mike Danahey's to survive and thrive. His opinion carries no preconceptions of the pageantry arts, and he's free to draw his own conclusions on what he saw by framing it in his own contexts.

His response in the comments says it all:

But if an outsider like myself is dismissed as a philistine, if you take an "how dare you" approach to what I had to say, well how do you grow your art beyond its base?

That statement speaks volumes, and no matter how much we argue amongst ourselves . . . the fan base for DCI remains stagnant, with the org content to glom on symbiotically to funded music education programs across the country and attempt to paint themselves as independent artist colonies for the summer musician.

Mike Danahey speaks the gospel of one on the outside looking in. . . and while he might not know a mylar head from a kelvar one, there's a nugget of truth to be mined from his commentary: art does not exist in a vacuum.

[Jeff Ream]

well said

[garfield]

Folks who have been in this for the long haul . . .you and I and most of the rest of us here . . . are the ones that, while informed, are safe in our knowledge of what we see.

It's old hat, and we become a little insular ourselves as we say "Ah . . .this WGI show begat this DCI prop!" or "This BOA show was performed at Grand Nationals, and here is the same thematic content during the summer." . . .so we pat ourselves on the back a bit for our cleverness.

{SNIP]

That statement speaks volumes, and no matter how much we argue amongst ourselves . . . the fan base for DCI remains stagnant, with the org content to glom on symbiotically to funded music education programs across the country and attempt to paint themselves as independent artist colonies for the summer musician.

Mike Danahey speaks the gospel of one on the outside looking in. . . and while he might not know a mylar head from a kelvar one, there's a nugget of truth to be mined from his commentary: art does not exist in a vacuum.

Outstanding post, Bawker. I can't agree more. My skin crawled as I read Danahey's words, but he's as close to an "independent voice of perception" as we have around here. Until we get more "reviews" like his - truly non-involved viewpoints - we'll continue to cook in our own stew and eat our own until there's nothing left.

I sure hope the G7 are paying attention to this thread, although something tells me they'd be first in line to call Danahey an "uninformed, uneducated cretan worthy of ignoring because he knows not what we do or how good we are".

[audiodb]

I'm just glad someone new wandered into a theater for quarterfinals, and cared enough to write about it.

Sad, too, because I doubt any other outsiders reading the reactions to his article will have the courage to do the same. Remember that some people's first exposure to this activity is via this article, and those comments that follow it. We should be aspiring to a better grass-roots marketing image than that.

[lastknight]

Are we (drum corps) not going through the same issues as "serious music" (symphony, chamber et al) and opera? We've seen a massive decline in local and even regional orchestras because they became too serious to do POPS concerts, but pops concerts pay the bills at that level...(despite the grumbling behind the stands). Opera never took off on Main street in the US due to the language barrier, in spite of the fact that most who ever actually go to a good production really enjoy it.

I'm not saying we should dumb down the product, but we do have to account for the audience. My own opinion right now is we ought to give ear to some folks like Jim Mason. BLAST (for all the poo-pooing it gets) was wildly successful (financially) in spite of the cast size, entertaining to folks (even in England and Japan) who don't know our secret handshakes and still managed to be critically acclaimed.

To me its ok to do Medea and Officer Krupke in the same show. Neither are my favorites, but I can appreciate them. The refinement of a Medea helps to balance the brashness of a Malaguena....if you will.

Some of the reaction I see here in regard to the blog post misses at least MY point. As our audience continues to dwindle we have to have at least one eye on expanding the market. If we dog the outsider who gave us a chance and offered (presumably) honest feedback, then we shouldn't be surprised that his ticket purchase doesn't put diesel in our tanks or shoes on our fields.

My $.02 YMMV

[Jeff Ream]

Are we (drum corps) not going through the same issues as "serious music" (symphony, chamber et al) and opera? We've seen a massive decline in local and even regional orchestras because they became too serious to do POPS concerts, but pops concerts pay the bills at that level...(despite the grumbling behind the stands). Opera never took off on Main street in the US due to the language barrier, in spite of the fact that most who ever actually go to a good production really enjoy it.

I'm not saying we should dumb down the product, but we do have to account for the audience. My own opinion right now is we ought to give ear to some folks like Jim Mason. BLAST (for all the poo-pooing it gets) was wildly successful (financially) in spite of the cast size, entertaining to folks (even in England and Japan) who don't know our secret handshakes and still managed to be critically acclaimed.

To me its ok to do Medea and Officer Krupke in the same show. Neither are my favorites, but I can appreciate them. The refinement of a Medea helps to balance the brashness of a Malaguena....if you will.

Some of the reaction I see here in regard to the blog post misses at least MY point. As our audience continues to dwindle we have to have at least one eye on expanding the market. If we dog the outsider who gave us a chance and offered (presumably) honest feedback, then we shouldn't be surprised that his ticket purchase doesn't put diesel in our tanks or shoes on our fields.

My $.02 YMMV

wel said. I hope those in power read this