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

[WOOHOO]

Unless you really believe that woodwind players are incapable of developing any other skills, I fail to see your point.

Woodwind players are not excluded from drum corps. I should know....when I was trying out for a DCI corps, the woodwind players on either side of me were developing their abilities on mellophone far faster than me, despite my decade of brass background. They ended up making the corps, and I ended up somewhere else on French horn. It took me another year to get the hang of mellophone with a DCA corps....and again, I was marching alongside woodwind players who had decided they wanted to play a horn with a drum corps.

Listen, I myself learned a brass instrument specifically for drum corps, but that's not my point. Would I have done that if WW's were legal? Absolutely not. Why would I?

[WOOHOO]

Not according to the poll, it isn't.

Woodwinds are quite a few peoples "line in the sand", so if we're worried about the activity losing out to these people . . .prospective people that might hypothetically march if woodwinds were legal . . .over the "real" folks that are here already as fans that will leave if they come in . . .

. . .well, that's kind of backwards, no?

Because polls mean sooooo much

It can be your line, that's fine. The point is that we are losing "real" fans (whatever that means) to reasons much more important than WW's, and the corps are just trying new things to bring in new people.

[mgarside83]

Listen, I myself learned a brass instrument specifically for drum corps, but that's not my point. Would I have done that if WW's were legal? Absolutely not. Why would I?

Why did you? You are living proof that people (even ww players) aren't excluded from corps. The instruments are excluded, not the people playing them. If you want to play football, you'll have to learn the rules, the playbook, the technique. Even if you've played soccer for 20 years, you'll have to learn new skills to play football. If you play a violin for an orchestra, but you want to play drums in a jazz ensemble, you will have to learn new skills. Certainly your experience on another instrument will help you do this faster and easier than someone learning from nothing. At the end of the day, you will be a better, more experienced musician for it.

[WOOHOO]

Why did you? You are living proof that people (even ww players) aren't excluded from corps. The instruments are excluded, not the people playing them. If you want to play football, you'll have to learn the rules, the playbook, the technique. Even if you've played soccer for 20 years, you'll have to learn new skills to play football. If you play a violin for an orchestra, but you want to play drums in a jazz ensemble, you will have to learn new skills. Certainly your experience on another instrument will help you do this faster and easier than someone learning from nothing. At the end of the day, you will be a better, more experienced musician for it.

I did it because there was no other option, but if I had the option to play my saxophone in drum corps, of course I would have done that, mostly because I am infinitely better at that than euphonium.

Your other analogies are only related to drum corps on the most superficial level. To me, the important aspects of drum corps and what I got out of drum corps had nothing to do with the piece of metal I held for two summers. It's much deeper than that, and I think it's very easy to lose that side of the activity.

Edited September 15, 2010 by WOOHOO

[bawker]

Exactly, now you are seeing it my way

Well, good luck advocating that we allow guitars and keytars in beginning band. . . I'm sure MENC will go for that.

Seriously, though, unless your being purposefully obstinate (or you just have a desire for some sort of musical "social entropy"), I guess we'll agree to disagree.

[WOOHOO]

Well, good luck advocating that we allow guitars and keytars in beginning band. . . I'm sure MENC will go for that.

Seriously, though, unless your being purposefully obstinate (or you just have a desire for some sort of musical "social entropy"), I guess we'll agree to disagree.

We could have agreed to disagree a long time ago, but then it wouldn't be an internet forum.

[bawker]

Because polls mean sooooo much

It can be your line, that's fine. The point is that we are losing "real" fans (whatever that means) to reasons much more important than WW's, and the corps are just trying new things to bring in new people.

So, if we're discounting polling, what are we basing decisions on? Don't we "poll" the directors to make changes to DCI?

Furthermore, "real" is defined as someone who is already a fan of the activity (read:goes to shows) that could be lost be adding something like woodwinds, versus this "imagined" fan/member that adding woodwinds would bring in.

[WOOHOO]

So, if we're discounting polling, what are we basing decisions on? Don't we "poll" the directors to make changes to DCI?

Furthermore, "real" is defined as someone who is already a fan of the activity (read:goes to shows) that could be lost be adding something like woodwinds, versus this "imagined" fan/member that adding woodwinds would bring in.

Directors are different than DCP members because they put in much more work towards the activity than any of us do.

[mgarside83]

Directors are different than DCP members because they put in much more work towards the activity than any of us do.

Speak for yourself.

[WOOHOO]

Speak for yourself.

I was