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Why is DCI so unknown by almost everyone?


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Briefly, here's why older America has forgotten about D&BC and why young America isn't familar with the concept:

Before DCI and all its inbred elitism, there were hometown corps across most of America. Indeed the goal all across D&BC was to have as many corps as possible. The feeling was that there is strength in numbers. When a corps was formed anywhere in America, and particularly in areas where the activity was thin, the whole D&BC community celebrated. When those new corps finally appeared on parade or in competition, they were met with widespread cheers and encouragement, even from would-be rivals.

If only that were true....and perhaps it was in a few isolated areas....but "the whole D&BC community" has never had sufficient self-awareness to even realize when new corps were formed, much less celebrate the occasions. As for the response of rival corps, that could run the gamut from welcoming and sportsmanship to rivalries so bitter that they were settled off the field ( :tongue: ) as well as on.

It was understood across the activity that more corps meant more public awareness of D&BC, and more and nearer and better contests, and more healthy hometown rivalries, and just plain more corps members who could eventually move into senior corps and D&BC leadership and instructional positions and who might eventually start corps of their own, thereby continuing the longterm D&BC healthy growth patterns running from 1915 to 1970 ...

Again, if only that were true. Maybe a 50+ year old drum corps publication can create such an image, because the contributing writers were so often among the more knowledgable and visionary people in the activity, and they understood....but there were a greater number of people in the activity that did not grasp that concept, and did not think far enough beyond their own corps and/or their own season.

But there's a point in your post....

... when the seeds of elitism took root with the infamous Midwest Combine and its not-so-secret "crap corps" dismissive term leveled against every American corps that the Midwest Combine deemed unworthy of by-invitation-only membership in its secret inbred little world.

At first no one could imagine the damage that would be done by the policies that then emerged, but with all VFW/AL restrictions rescinded, after 1970 D&BC became an expensive and fragile toy upon which the anointed few could experiment their gold-plated show-biz fantasies. The disintegration began slowly when the weaker corps couldn't keep up with the new standards set by the powerbrokers. As the hometown corps faded, so did the hometown contests and eventually so did the public awareness of what's left of the D&BC activity itself which once was such a major part of American life.

We agree that elitism has been, and continues to be, the most damaging influence on the drum corps activity. Where I diverge from you is merely over when it started. From what I've seen, read and heard, we've had elitism in this activity as long as we've had "prelims" and "finals"....in other words, longer than any of us have been around.

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Briefly, here's why older America has forgotten about D&BC and why young America isn't familar with the concept:

Drum corps was not all that well known before DCI either.

Before DCI and all its inbred elitism, there were hometown corps across most of America. Indeed the goal all across D&BC was to have as many corps as possible. The feeling was that there is strength in numbers. When a corps was formed anywhere in America, and particularly in areas where the activity was thin, the whole D&BC community celebrated. When those new corps finally appeared on parade or in competition, they were met with widespread cheers and encouragement, even from would-be rivals.

No, there were not hometown corps across all of America. You make it sound like they were as ubiquitous as HS bands. They were not.

You present a rather rose-colored "Leave It to Beaver" look at old style drum corps. "the whole D&BC community celebrated" when a corps was formed anywhere in America? Hardly. Outside of papers like DCN, my friends and I never knew what corps existed in areas outside of the tri-state area. If there was a mention or two of a corps from, say, Kansas, that was all we knew. This or that column might mention some obscure corps (which includes the small ones I started with), but little else was known of them.

It was understood across the activity that more corps meant more public awareness of D&BC, and more and nearer and better contests, and more healthy hometown rivalries, and just plain more corps members who could eventually move into senior corps and D&BC leadership and instructional positions and who might eventually start corps of their own, thereby continuing the longterm D&BC healthy growth patterns running from 1915 to 1970 ... when the seeds of elitism took root with the infamous Midwest Combine and its not-so-secret "crap corps" dismissive term leveled against every American corps that the Midwest Combine deemed unworthy of by-invitation-only membership in its secret inbred little world.

No, there was no 'master plan' as you seem to infer above. Just a hodgepodge of little corps that had some members move to bigger corps. Various corps formed and died all the time, as VFW/AL posts, PAL, CYO groups gave it a shot...some hung around...many failed.

At first no one could imagine the damage that would be done by the policies that then emerged, but with all VFW/AL restrictions rescinded, after 1970 D&BC became an expensive and fragile toy upon which the anointed few could experiment their gold-plated show-biz fantasies. The disintegration began slowly when the weaker corps couldn't keep up with the new standards set by the powerbrokers. As the hometown corps faded, so did the hometown contests and eventually so did the public awareness of what's left of the D&BC activity itself which once was such a major part of American life.

Hometown corps faded because hometown sponsors failed, as always happened throughout corps history. VFW/AL members aged...they no longer had junior corps aged kids to fill the ranks of the little corps, and the post memberships themselves faded as members died off or lost interest. The world changed in the Viet Nam era and after.

There were always strong corps...probably no more in 1971 just before DCI than in 2010. Look at VFW and World Open finalists. Outside of one or two corps that did not attend those shows, you had all of the top groups at those shows.

Drum corps was NEVER a "major part of American life". It was always a niche activity...yes, a larger niche, but still a niche.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Drum corps was not all that well known before DCI either.

No, there were not hometown corps across all of America. You make it sound like they were as ubiquitous as HS bands. They were not.

You present a rather rose-colored "Leave It to Beaver" look at old style drum corps. "the whole D&BC community celebrated" when a corps was formed anywhere in America? Hardly. Outside of papers like DCN, my friends and I never knew what corps existed in areas outside of the tri-state area. If there was a mention or two of a corps from, say, Kansas, that was all we knew. This or that column might mention some obscure corps (which includes the small ones I started with), but little else was known of them.

No, there was no 'master plan' as you seem to infer above. Just a hodgepodge of little corps that had some members move to bigger corps. Various corps formed and died all the time, as VFW/AL posts, PAL, CYO groups gave it a shot...some hung around...many failed.

Hometown corps faded because hometown sponsors failed, as always happened throughout corps history. VFW/AL members aged...they no longer had junior corps aged kids to fill the ranks of the little corps, and the post memberships themselves faded as members died off or lost interest. The world changed in the Viet Nam era and after.

There were always strong corps...probably no more in 1971 just before DCI than in 2010. Look at VFW and World Open finalists. Outside of one or two corps that did not attend those shows, you had all of the top groups at those shows.

Drum corps was NEVER a "major part of American life". It was always a niche activity...yes, a larger niche, but still a niche.

I really cough cough... think Mike is right in this case. We all remember things as being better than they really were, if we didn't how could we come onto this forum and romantisize working our ##### off in the heat and humidity 12 hours per day 7 days per week? Although I do remember it as some of the best times in my life! LOL

Edited by Big Bad Bari
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