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

[Jeff Ream]

Why must there be only one thing that defines art? Working within limits is certainly one way, but so is working with freedom from those limits. There IS no one way to define it.

I dont know Mike. Why can't use baseballs in football, hockey pucks in basketball, woodwinds in brass bands.....

[CANDRUMMER]

No.

Classic Don Daber sketch!!!!!!!!!!

[frank4now]

That's the end for me as far as DCI goes. No interest in marching bands with woodwinds, no matter how good they are.

I am a brass guy myself, but I really enjoy some of the best shows from the high school groups in BOA (westfield 2003, LD Bell 2006) and I imagine that those same high caliber high school woodwind musicians would be a great addition to Drum Corp.

[CANDRUMMER]

If DCI added woodwinds wouldn't that make it BOA???????????

Let's see Drum and Bugle Corps use ahhhh drums and bugles which last time I looked were BRASS instruments even though now they are Bb trumpets not the classic G pitched bugle of my youth.

[MikeD]

I dont know Mike. Why can't use baseballs in football, hockey pucks in basketball, woodwinds in brass bands.....

I guess you belong to the there-is-only-one-way-and-it's-my-way to define it.

[MikeD]

If DCI added woodwinds wouldn't that make it BOA???????????

Um....no. It would make it DCI, as it is now.

BOA is for HS bands..DCI ensembles are not HS bands, with or without WW.

[frank4now]

If DCI added woodwinds wouldn't that make it BOA???????????

Let's see Drum and Bugle Corps use ahhhh drums and bugles which last time I looked were BRASS instruments even though now they are Bb trumpets not the classic G pitched bugle of my youth.

No, It would not be BOA it would still be spectacular "Marching Music" with or without woodwinds. Look at how color guard has changed over the years. That doesn't mean we have to change the name to Drum and bugle and woodwind and dance corps.

Edited September 9, 2010 by frank4now

[N.E. Brigand]

Why must there be only one thing that defines art? Working within limits is certainly one way, but so is working with freedom from those limits. There IS no one way to define it.

In which case, how the art is defined is probably going to be decided by consensus. The discussion here helps to begin to establish the possible audience reaction -- something the directors may wish to take into account.

By your "no one way" standard, one could go out and play a football game for ten minutes,* with no music whatsoever, and call it drum corps. You certainly can no longer argue otherwise!

*Or heck, why not an hour? Why does each show need to be the same length? Why can't each group take as much time as they like to present the art they want? There was no need for Blue Devils to cut "City of Glass" at all.

[skewerz]

Why must there be only one thing that defines art? Working within limits is certainly one way, but so is working with freedom from those limits. There IS no one way to define it.

have fun doing it your way...with a DIFFERENT circuit.

here's a novel idea..how about you start a whole new circuit with your precious woodwinds, and your unlimited electronics and numbers of people on the field, and do it without DCI and drum corps.

That way, you get what you want, and us dinosaurs get what we want...

oh wait...you want our name, organization, and entities so you don't actually have to work to start your own band circuit. really....how pathetic is that?

[WOOHOO]

In which case, how the art is defined is probably going to be decided by consensus. The discussion here helps to begin to establish the possible audience reaction -- something the directors may wish to take into account.

By your "no one way" standard, one could go out and play a football game for ten minutes,* with no music whatsoever, and call it drum corps. You certainly can no longer argue otherwise!

*Or heck, why not an hour? Why does each show need to be the same length? Why can't each group take as much time as they like to present the art they want? There was no need for Blue Devils to cut "City of Glass" at all.

You are right, why not? If the most important artists of all time were concerned about pleasing, a majority of, let's be honest, uninformed, people (or fitting to their standard of art), the best art would not have been created.