If DCI were to allow woodwinds, would you continue to support the acti

[Jeff Ream]

no one seemed to complain when the Bluecoats had saxophones in a couple of their shows in the 90s. So therefor woodwinds have been on the field for a little under 2 decades in DCI and no one has seemed to complain at all about it. So technically this rule has already been passed and thus been used way before everyone got their p##ties in a knot. If you wanted to stop supporting cuzz of WW, you're extremely late. Now as for having it make a sound on the field, there's your argument

um, Bluecoats never actually playedthe saxes. if they had, they wouldn't have been Blueing, they'd have been booing

[Jeff Ream]

He is referring to the average age of the members.

the average marching member doesnt flock to see college bands either

[Jeff Ream]

OTOH, there were great uses of voice like Crown 2004, Cadets 2006 and 2007 among others. There have been good and bad uses of everything over the years, depending on your personal likes and dislikes.

you call them great. many others didn't

[MikeD]

you call them great. many others didn't

Thanks for proving my point...

There have been good and bad uses of everything over the years, depending on your personal likes and dislikes.

[MikeD]

the average marching member doesnt flock to see college bands either

You completely missed the point he was making. BOA is for HS aged members; most of DCI WC members are college aged..average ages of the World Class corps is over 19. That is all he was saying.

[pizzaguy]

Anyone ever thought about how logistically impossible touring marching bands would be?

There'd have to be somewhere around 100 to 150 wind players. You'd have to have buses for 200-230ish performers, not to mention staff. You'd need extra woodwind staff. You'd have to feed all these people. The sheer amount of money needed to accommodate all these people would raise tour fees.

Most Corps have trouble filling their hornlines of 64-80, let alone trying to convince woodwind players to come out to spend a summer getting their ##### kicked.

Woodwind players straight up wouldn't be able to march well enough to meet the demands of the drill of most corps.

The beatings that brass instruments take over a summer tour couldn't be handled on a clarinet. You would have to stop rehearsal every time it rained.

The sheer amount of reeds that would have to be purchased.

The amount of spectators that would stop going to shows.

The amount of brass players who would stop marching.

Stop making drum corps about Music Ed. Thats what high school and college is for.

Drum corps is for being bad###, the clarinet is not bad###.

EXACTLY! These are all the specific reasons that marching woodwinds will NEVER be legalized. The voting board members are aware of all these things and they are not stupid. At least they're not THAT stupid. It would be tantamount to signing a mass suicide pact for the activity. We're not talking about changing drum corps into marching band. What we're talking about is AT MOST a very small number (probably 1-3) of selectively employed amped woodwinds in the pit. This is just for clarification due to all the marching band paranoia on this thread.

[monoemono]

What we're talking about is AT MOST a very small number (probably 1-3) of selectively employed amped woodwinds in the pit.

I don't believe that for one second.

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

The answer to this question is yes. It was done by tens of thousands of marchers since World War One when the activity really took off and thousands of corps were formed. It was drums and bugles only or drums an brass only if you prefer. That's how it was for decades and yes some of us are still on this forum and most of us no longer actively follow or support the activity because it is no longer drums and bugles only. Personally I only come on to this part of DCP when I get caught up the historical forum where most of us are now. We only see the activity from a historical perspective because we don't like paying to see what drum corps has become today. And no. We're far from being shallow people. We have time and money and most put at least some of it to good use elsewhere helping people who need our help a lot more than a few middle class kids looking for some summer musical adventure. Don't feel bad for us as were a happy, well adjusted and successful bunch who like doing other things these days.

I'll go crawl back under my rock now. I just pop up from time to time to remind people that there's thousands of us out here who have put their money where their mouths are and walked away starting with the other rule changes we didn't like. We were careful not to let the door slam on the way out.

AMEN!!!!

[up4479]

What if drum corps had always included WW? Are you saying you would not have joined because of the mere existence of a flute player?

YES! Do you get it? No? OK. My father is a trumpet player, both stage and marching. My father's father was a professional woodwind player. I still love my late grandfather and I have no problem with woodwinds or those that play them. In my opinion they have no place in DRUM AND BUGLE CORPS.

You should never pay for something you dislike, of course, nor should you force yourself to attend a show if you are not entertained. But...you can only speak for yourself, not for these hypothetical 'thousands'.

I won't pay for something I don't like. I already stopped doing that this year when I felt I got robbed at a DCA show. I kept my mind open at a DCI show and then knew for sure I got robbed. The third show was a DCI show with 3 of the top 5 and even my father (too many drum corps and brass player credentials to list here) said it "------". I gave away, free for the taking, the 8 tickes I had for the two other shows. I gave up my money but I wouldn't give up my time. We're done.

As for the "thousands" I speak about, someone has to speak up for us once in a while considering DCI has ignored us for years and DCP pro band trolls try to make others believe we don't exist. By the way, how's that working out for you? Are DCI corps making more money these days? Are the crowds growing by leaps and bounds? Has anybody within DCI wondered why disbanded drum corps that hold reunions can gather hundreds per event and those of us that actually attend those reunions can find only a small number of people who actually go to drum corps shows? Yea. OK, Mike. You can express your opinions and I'll express mine.

[84skyrydr]

What if drum corps had always included WW? Are you saying you would not have joined because of the mere existence of a flute player?

You should never pay for something you dislike, of course, nor should you force yourself to attend a show if you are not entertained. But...you can only speak for yourself, not for these hypothetical 'thousands'.

No hypothetical about it. From the attendance thread. There were 17,500 people at a championship show. There are 3-1 votes hating woodwinds in drum corps, from this thread. Take the 3/4s of 17,500 and you come up with 13,125 that hate woodwinds. Now take half away for people that don't care and you still have 6562 people that would hate drum corps. So who is hypothetical, a known number being divided by a known number, or your presumptions? If my math is off please enlighten me. I never claimed to be good at it.