Why is DCI so unknown by almost everyone?

[Stu]

My high school was a perfect example of this problem. Many of them didn't even want to be in the band, much less care about a drum corps in any way. I even got my band director to show them a video of Cavies 2002 and it had NO effect on them (some were even making fun of them out loud during the viewing).

One example that is still disturbing me today was one guy (who I'm now on REALLY bad terms with after this event) who I was talking to. I forget what the original conversation was about, but somehow I mentioned drum corps and he said that drum corps and marching band sucked. I calmly said that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and he responded "No, it just sucks. Everyone thinks so and nobody likes you because you like it."

Have any of you ever really observed, I mean really observed, the portion of the stands, usually in the end zones, where groups of band kids sit during local shows. I mean the ones where a band director has brought his/her 100 or so students to sit in a block. A few students watch intently, some will watch with modest interest, but most will chat through the various performances talking about everything from their hot dates to what they are going to do this upcoming weekend and look out at the field every now and then when something actually captures their attention. This behavior is even more prominent if they are taken to an afternoon corps rehearsal. Once they see how methodical, repetitive, serious, and strict corps rehearsals are many of them get extremely board after about 20 min or so. I have seen multiple groups of students playing cards in the stands while the corps is rehearsing and I have even seen some go out into the parking lot to play hacky sack. If DCI cannot capture their attention like all of you desire, then how do you plan on capturing the attention of those adults who view the marching activity as nothing more important than field filler during a football game?

[WOOHOO]

Have any of you ever really observed, I mean really observed, the portion of the stands, usually in the end zones, where groups of band kids sit during local shows. I mean the ones where a band director has brought his/her 100 or so students to sit in a block. A few students watch intently, some will watch with modest interest, but most will chat through the various performances talking about everything from their hot dates to what they are going to do this upcoming weekend and look out at the field every now and then when something actually captures their attention. This behavior is even more prominent if they are taken to an afternoon corps rehearsal. Once they see how methodical, repetitive, serious, and strict corps rehearsals are many of them get extremely board after about 20 min or so. I have seen multiple groups of students playing cards in the stands while the corps is rehearsing and I have even seen some go out into the parking lot to play hacky sack. If DCI cannot capture their attention like all of you desire, then how do you plan on capturing the attention of those adults who view the marching activity as nothing more important than field filler during a football game?

They don't need to capture the attention of EVERY high school student. How is that even possible? Have you ever tried to get a group of high schoolers to agree on anything? Or, any group of people?

[Barifonium]

Have any of you ever really observed, I mean really observed, the portion of the stands, usually in the end zones, where groups of band kids sit during local shows. I mean the ones where a band director has brought his/her 100 or so students to sit in a block. A few students watch intently, some will watch with modest interest, but most will chat through the various performances talking about everything from their hot dates to what they are going to do this upcoming weekend and look out at the field every now and then when something actually captures their attention. This behavior is even more prominent if they are taken to an afternoon corps rehearsal. Once they see how methodical, repetitive, serious, and strict corps rehearsals are many of them get extremely board after about 20 min or so. I have seen multiple groups of students playing cards in the stands while the corps is rehearsing and I have even seen some go out into the parking lot to play hacky sack. If DCI cannot capture their attention like all of you desire, then how do you plan on capturing the attention of those adults who view the marching activity as nothing more important than field filler during a football game?

I admit, and this coming from a Drum Corps guy, I've done the same thing as those kids once I have the general idea of what's going on. I think it's because of desensitization. Plain and simple. People don't have as much appreciation for worthwhile things in general. Of course I have an excuse because I've been marching (anywhere, band or corps) for around 6 years now. However, I still like this documentary idea. It would be hard to pull off because of the complexity of what we do but that's what creative minds do: make the complex understandable.

For starters, I think the guy who produced this video would make a GREAT producer for a Drum Corps Documentary:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video...?v=432031602273

Of course, getting it to the big screen would be kind of tough. Think the collective of the Drum Corps community could afford to put it?

Anyone have any good content Ideas for a Drum Corps documentary and how to reach the outside world? I was thinking of a kind of Modern Marvels format where you start with the history, and detailed explanation on how the members uphold their responsibilities on the field interspersed with rehearsal footage (slow motion replay with a football-style drawing indicitive of how the members communicate with each other), interviews, behind the scenes footage, show footage inside jokes and how they're formed so people can have a catch-phrase to remember the movie by... you name it! But in an interesting and engaging manner. Something that will make the audience member feel like a part of the corps afterward, or at least walking away informed and fascinated.

[Jeff Ream]

When there is appromimately only a total of 100 (or under) drum corps nationwide within the DCA, DCI, and Alumni areas when there were once well over a 1000 or more, it cuts the exposure to the activity as a whole on a "grass roots" local and general public level. It has become a even smaller niche' activity, moreso than it ever was.

The drum corps activity started as community based; everyone in the family (from Mom and Dad to the standard weird old uncle or aunt we all have in our families) knew little Johnny or little Sally were in a drum corps..and they (physically) came out (for the most part) to watch, support, travel to shows, spread the word, etc., that's (IMO) not there any longer.

Shows used to be tied into community events, fairs, festivals, etc. Many shows had afternoon parades in the same way a circus would come to town and parade down Main Street to draw attention and drive interest for attendance to the evening performance.

Some major shows that were stand alone in nature were held within driving distances of a core geographic area of where many corps hailed from themselves..thus family and friends were interested and traveled to support their favorite corps. As example, there used to be a great deal of shows in the Chicagoland area, which at one time was the home of many, many corps.

I think it's a great activity; the market awareness (again, IMHO) has just gotten smaller to the general public due to less corps being out there giving exposure and almost all corps are less community, "grass roots" driven, and local membership has pretty much gone the way of the Do Do bird.

Media on (or at) any level has never ever been the driving force of the activity at any time in it's history......it's always been "word of mouth". Less mouths........less "word".

true. on the rare occasion I break out my corps jacket just to wear it, like at the mall or something, people will stop me and say "oh I remember them, what happened to them?"

the lack of corps has led to local ties.

and yes, many people just don't give a ####, and with arts being everyone's frst school budget cut, it won't be changed.

I will say taking people with no connection to the activity, be it band or corps, today is a roll of the dice. programming choices won't lure in the casual viewer like it used to.

and of course marketing hurts, but PBS won't be the cure. ever see their ratings?

there is no simple clear cut answer, nor solution sadly.

[MikeD]

I will say taking people with no connection to the activity, be it band or corps, today is a roll of the dice. programming choices won't lure in the casual viewer like it used to.

That describes EVERY era of drum corps.

[Jeff Ream]

That describes EVERY era of drum corps.

in the past not so much Mike. I had far better luck, even at the DCA level with this approach up until about 1999

[Stu]

They don't need to capture the attention of EVERY high school student. How is that even possible? Have you ever tried to get a group of high schoolers to agree on anything? Or, any group of people?

Of course you are not going to reach every high school band student, but that actually supports my point: The observance of high school band audience members at DCI events is important in that they represent the microcosm of the whole problem of getting more people in the stands. If very few marching band kids are interested in expanding their horizons outside of their own band program then what makes us think that we can make the activity appeal to the average Joe adult who saw the marching activity as nerdy while they were in high school and still see it that way now? Drum Corps will never, ever, be something to entertain the masses like U2, Reba, or the NFL. The Cadets have performed at NASCAR events in front of hundreds of thousands of people; there are corps type drumlines playing at NBA and NFL games; do you really think that they have influenced more 1/2 % of those folks to even look into what a drum corps entails let alone attend a DCI show? Come on people; you cannot successfully market the finest most delectable sushi to the masses who think sushi is for sissies!

[BigW]

I don't see the reason to worry. It's always been something that when you get out into the rest of the world, no one truthfully cares. It did a lot of good for me, I could argue it might not have in some ways depending on the perspective one could take.

Look, they've already castrated the half-time shows during college games and such for more reporting on games, so, really, even what "is" well-known has been trivialized to the nines.

The activity is a very small, geeky, nerdy niche within a niche. I accepted this years ago. Heck one of the Corps Staff that taught me is known for a quote to the effect "I keep it all in perspective, regardless whether I win or lose, when I go to work on Monday, no one cares." Ream knows the person I'm talking about. I'm sure he's heard it from him as well.

Appreciate it, love it, enjoy the tribal cameraderie, teach band kids, judge, do what you do, but really, wringing one's hands over whether it is accepted or respected by the normals isn't worth worrying about at all.

[MikeD]

in the past not so much Mike. I had far better luck, even at the DCA level with this approach up until about 1999

I just do not agree with that statement on a general level. Drum corps has always been a niche activity.

[Stu]

However, I still like this documentary idea. It would be hard to pull off because of the complexity of what we do but that's what creative minds do: make the complex understandable.

Of course, getting it to the big screen would be kind of tough. Think the collective of the Drum Corps community could afford to put it?

Anyone have any good content Ideas for a Drum Corps documentary and how to reach the outside world? I was thinking of a kind of Modern Marvels format where you start with the history, and detailed explanation on how the members uphold their responsibilities on the field interspersed with rehearsal footage (slow motion replay with a football-style drawing indicitive of how the members communicate with each other), interviews, behind the scenes footage, show footage inside jokes and how they're formed so people can have a catch-phrase to remember the movie by... you name it! But in an interesting and engaging manner. Something that will make the audience member feel like a part of the corps afterward, or at least walking away informed and fascinated.

I know that you are searching for a solution, and that is great!!! The Bluecoats recently put together a Doc; and there have been others Docs done through out the history of DCI. However, none of them have ever influenced many outside of those who did not already enjoy the activity. Do you think that another DCI documentary would really have the same impact on the masses as the movie Mr. Holland's Opus and Drum Line, or change the way the masses see and hear horrible marching units represented in most all movies about high school or collage sports? Again, we have to realize that we are a niche in which the masses will view similar to they way they see Trekkies.