Michael Boo Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 This doesn't change the fact that it's a great excuse to party our ##### off on 12/20/12! Well, I'm sure most people will be celebrating Uri Geller's 56th birthday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 yet the membership in DCA gets younger every year. you should actually check it out, so then you wouldn't be speaking incorrectly I don't think it is at all healthy for teenagers to be in the same groups as adults. If they are doing this with their parents, I think that is also unhealthy in many ways. Kids in their teens need to start to learn how to be effective and responsible AWAY from their parents, not do more things with their parents hovering over them. Sure, there may be some exceptions, but I do not see this as something kids will turn to in any significant numbers. Most kids seek out an experience that is more demanding than their high school marching band. DCA isn't that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 (edited) I don't think it is at all healthy for teenagers to be in the same groups as adults. If they are doing this with their parents, I think that is also unhealthy in many ways. Kids in their teens need to start to learn how to be effective and responsible AWAY from their parents, not do more things with their parents hovering over them. Sure, there may be some exceptions, but I do not see this as something kids will turn to in any significant numbers. Most kids seek out an experience that is more demanding than their high school marching band. DCA isn't that. So, by this logic, all drum corps should be run by staffs made up of peers of the marching members, right? Cub Scouts should be run by boys not over the age of 11? Fox holes should only have men of similar ages in them, right? Colleges should prevent older adults from taking classes with younger students? The list is endless. Teenagers mimic the influences around them. If the adults are acting like adults the teenagers learn to act like adults. To restrict that influence risks allowing the untrained inmates the opportunity to run the asylum. You've admitted little substantiation for the opinions you've been posting here recently. Readers would do well to keep this fact in mind when considering your words above as appropriate adult behavior. Edited April 24, 2011 by garfield 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Honestly, the future of American orchestras are 'pops' concerts. People in America just don't have the attention span anymore to listen to an hour long symphony. What a lame excuse. Are we to believe that somehow, all 300 million Americans have shorter attention spans today? Judging from the attention spans kids and young adults demonstrate toward video games and social media, I don't think that's the real issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 I don't think it is at all healthy for teenagers to be in the same groups as adults. If they are doing this with their parents, I think that is also unhealthy in many ways. Kids in their teens need to start to learn how to be effective and responsible AWAY from their parents, not do more things with their parents hovering over them. This has to be one of the most ignorant comments I have ever read. To take the so-very-few parents who do spend substantial, constructive time with their teenaged child as "hovering" is objectionable enough. But of all people, you ought to realize that there is no such "hovering" opportunity unless the parent and child are marching in adjacent spots. I don't know of any such cases....more commonly, they're in completely different parts of the corps (i.e. hornline vs. guard). Sure, there may be some exceptions, but I do not see this as something kids will turn to in any significant numbers. Most kids seek out an experience that is more demanding than their high school marching band. DCA isn't that. OK, I can't decide which of these comments is the more ignorant one. Are you seriously suggesting that every HS marching band program is more demanding than every DCA corps program? Before we even start to argue about the wide range of competitive HS bands, let me remind you that 80% of high schools do not have a competitive marching band to begin with. And then there's college.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvs me sum mello! Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 This has to be one of the most ignorant comments I have ever read. To take the so-very-few parents who do spend substantial, constructive time with their teenaged child as "hovering" is objectionable enough. But of all people, you ought to realize that there is no such "hovering" opportunity unless the parent and child are marching in adjacent spots. I don't know of any such cases....more commonly, they're in completely different parts of the corps (i.e. hornline vs. guard). OK, I can't decide which of these comments is the more ignorant one. Are you seriously suggesting that every HS marching band program is more demanding than every DCA corps program? Before we even start to argue about the wide range of competitive HS bands, let me remind you that 80% of high schools do not have a competitive marching band to begin with. And then there's college.... Can't speak to the first part, but yes. As he said, there are exceptions, but I could throw a stick and hit 20 high school marching bands (ones that do not compete at BOA and never get close to making it to state) that are much harder then DCA. And it's not unique to Texas. There are decent marching bands and great marching bands all over the country. All of them are much more demanding then any finalist DCA show I've seen. We won't even talk about some of the down right embarrassing DCA corps shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 (edited) I agree with you that many teenagers have, and will, march all-age corps'. For example it is cool that a parent/child can do something like that together on weekends within DCA. What I was getting at is that particular philosophy will not be able to produce the Major League quality DCI has sought for the past decade unless all-age becomes a full-time every-day massive-tour situation. DCI has morphed into calling itself a Major League, which by the very nature requires the youth to engage in long every-day rehearsals as well as a massive tour schedule that most adults cannot participate. And since DCI has been able to produce a high quality product with the upper end of the WC, that particular organization cannot go back to just a local sandlot type situation. DCI will either have to continue the quest toward Major League or fold (i.e. you cannot turn a table back into a tree). OK, got your meaning now. And was not suggesting DCA as a replacement for DCI, two toally different animals. Now a blurb from someone who joined a Sr corps at age 16 (HS Jr) and left when he graduated college. And keep in mind we did not have any parent/child groupings in our corps. Some older/younger brothers/sistera and that was it. Reading posts from DCPer's I marched with like schmoburg, jaminben, BigW (all joined while in HS) and see their experiences were pretty much like mine. Basically joining a group with a lot of adults to do Drum Corps was a BIG plus in growing up. Let's face it, up to then we hung with people our own age group and if they were MB mates, then our own experiences. In corps we were teenage to probably close to 40 with ex-vets, manageers, teachers, (ton of) fellow students and the like. For the first time we were really working with people from different backgrounds/life experiences and TREATED EQUALLY. (Hey the judges didn't look at our age.) Nothing like a drill instructor giving me Hell for screwing up one time and then giving a guy with 10+ years experience the same level of Hell the next time to make you feel equal. Since then I have been overseas a few times with people of different cultures and races. I've been invited back to some for later work and told it was because I treated them.. well like there wasn't any differences. And I still feel this is the biggest thign I learned in a Sr corps. Now why is people of different ages working/being together in corps such a scarey ###ed idea? Smart corps management sets rules about underage drinking, under/overaged sexual issues, etc and follows thru. IOW - you don't follow the rules, you're out. Edited April 24, 2011 by JimF-LowBari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actucker Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 What a lame excuse. Are we to believe that somehow, all 300 million Americans have shorter attention spans today? Judging from the attention spans kids and young adults demonstrate toward video games and social media, I don't think that's the real issue. Actually, that's absolutely true. With the way modern television is set up, kids grow up not having to have an attention span. This doesn't apply to all kids, but I can tell you from my teaching experience, it is harder to get kids to focus for an extended period of time today than it was 10 years ago. Yes, kids seem to be able to focus on video games, but that doesn't mean that they have the ability to focus on things that they don't want to focus on. It is, in fact, a real problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubaJon Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 DCA can be either healthy or unhealthy for kids of DCI age. If they march something like a senior corps befor they go into DCI, spoken from experience, it can be a great thing. I loved marching with the older members and hearing all of their stories from drum corps past. It was great! And it may be true that the average age of DCA corps is getting younger and younger. But what is the cause of that? I am not so sure it is because kids given the option would rather march a DCA corps. There is a huge possability that its because they dont want to pay $3000 a summer, at least not for multiple summers. So the other option is to gain experience through DCA. Which is not a bad thing at all. However, in my experience, marching a senior corps was more of a good time, than it was a way to prepare for DCI. And returning to DCA right after my DCI experience was rough. A lot of hurry up and wait. So maybe we need to focus on making competitive local circuits, with shorter tours. So kids dont have to pay an arm and a leg to march a more competitve group. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubaJon Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Actually, that's absolutely true. With the way modern television is set up, kids grow up not having to have an attention span. This doesn't apply to all kids, but I can tell you from my teaching experience, it is harder to get kids to focus for an extended period of time today than it was 10 years ago. Yes, kids seem to be able to focus on video games, but that doesn't mean that they have the ability to focus on things that they don't want to focus on. It is, in fact, a real problem. Isnt there a new term out there called Sesame St. syndrom or something for TV ruining kids attention spans and ability to do creative imagination for themselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts