emc2 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Would like to point out the East Coast Jazz is attempting to make a return. Also, I took 3 guys 2 their first dci show last summer. One switched to trombone and Bari, and he and I are going to audition @ hurcs next summer. One was angry and sullen, for some reason, and one has decided he will be contra section leader for Carolina Crown. I appreciated the different responses. I hope dci and dca both make a return to Mass. Also, can cape cod get a corps going I think it would be great to have a show down at the cape. A lot of people down there on vacation during the summer. People aways looking for things to do on vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 (edited) I have noticed this as well with the Lawrence shows. Marching band is pretty dead in Massachusetts for one. As for me I have two kids who are now college age and I subjected them to many drum corps shows over the years -even finals when it came to Foxboro/Providence. To be honest (my kids) just didn't catch the Drum Corps bug so to speak like I did when I was a kid. Growing up in Boston every church parish had a drum corps or a CYO Band. The summers were spent competing. It just doesn't seem like a very popular medium here in the Boston and Massachusetts area. This is true. Each section of the country has their own regional interests. High School football in New England is not big either... not compared to the south and southwest anyway. People in this neck of the woods in New England however find it inconceivable that some school districts in some regions of the country pay their football coach more than the school pays the local elementary school principal. That said, more than a handful of Massachusetts residents will pony up some tax dollars for a new indoor ice hockey facility in their community, or to increase funding for the H.S. Ice hockey program, ( both Men AND Women's Ice Hockey programs in many cases ) but think nothing of cutting out tax dollars for the high school marching band. The prevaiing sentiment seems to be " well, theres only 25-50 in the marching band, so we'll cut their funding first, as nobody seems to care about the marching band anyway". Keep in mind that the weather is not conducive to marching band here in the northeast, compared to warmer climates. How big is the High School Ice Hockey programs in ( say) Texas or Florida ? Ice Hockey is a very expensive sport too that requires costly indoor ice facilities maintenance and around the year upkeep. There are regional differences at work in most regions of the country. H.S. Marching Band is not big in Massachusetts. H.S. Ice Hockey programs are not big in the South and Southwest. I'd imagine if one thinks about it, there's no big surprise as to the... " why ". Edited August 16, 2011 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoContraAlum Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Not for nothing, but I think that another reason that you don't see as many NE bands (competitive or not) is the lack of a dedication to football in the NE. There are a LOT of schools that don't have football (HUGE focus on baseball and basketball) and without HS football, it's hard to rationalize a marching band. I know that here in my state (CT) there are big high schools (with football and very good band programs) in the cities, but a lot of the towns (which comprise most of the state) have smaller schools. My daughter attends a school with grades 7-12, the total enrollment is 600 kids. They have no football, and no marching band. This is pretty common up here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craiga Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 North of the border is Londonderry (New Hampshire)High School with a band size between 300-400 members each year. Pinkerton Academy has smaller numbers but well over 100 each year. Salem (New Hampshire) is no slouch either. Each is 30 minutes from Boston. Both are REALLY close to Nashua New Hampshire (the home of the Spartans). Might want to start looking at these programs for future recruitment for exisiting D & B's? I've been involved with competitive bands for 30 years, and I've never seen Londonderry, NH at a show....ever. Where do they perform? Certainly not in NESBA, MICCA, or MBDA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasboot Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I think it would be great to have a show down at the cape. A lot of people down there on vacation during the summer. People aways looking for things to do on vacation. I know the USMC drum corps shows here in the past, but everyone calls it a marching band. Thankfully I am exposing people of all ages to drum corps. I had some woman where I work ask me if I knew of SCV becaus I had a Bluecoats lanyard on. Also, got someone to like Cadets because of some vids I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 (edited) Not for nothing, but I think that another reason that you don't see as many NE bands (competitive or not) is the lack of a dedication to football in the NE. There are a LOT of schools that don't have football (HUGE focus on baseball and basketball) and without HS football, it's hard to rationalize a marching band. I know that here in my state (CT) there are big high schools (with football and very good band programs) in the cities, but a lot of the towns (which comprise most of the state) have smaller schools. My daughter attends a school with grades 7-12, the total enrollment is 600 kids. They have no football, and no marching band. This is pretty common up here. Thats a good insight too. High School Marching Bands and H.S Football go together better than most sports. In Massachusetts, no Marching Band is dodging the guy on the zamboni and doing a marching skit out on the ice between the periods at most High School Hockey games. In my immediate area region, far more people go to the High School team's Hockey games than to the High School team's football games. And far more of the players go on to Div. 1 College Hockey Programs and to the NHL, AHL than to Div.1A College Football programs and later the NFL. So some of this is just regional differences at work here, thats all. Edited August 16, 2011 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowtown Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 The Rockford Show has a way older crowd most shows I see tend to have older crowds I understand there are younger crowds shows with band clinics and maybe some of the regionals where bands are a big deal - but I don't really see those shows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 when we bring "children" (8, 10, 12) (( all VERY into the shows - look forward to it for weeks )) - we get "disapproving" looks from the folks in the stands -- sort of the "oh lord they have KIDS here I hope they don't fuss or talk a lot I wish there were more kids in the stands - bodes well for the future IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 (edited) when we bring "children" (8, 10, 12) (( all VERY into the shows - look forward to it for weeks )) - we get "disapproving" looks from the folks in the stands -- sort of the "oh lord they have KIDS here I hope they don't fuss or talk a lot I wish there were more kids in the stands - bodes well for the future IMO Who cares what "looks" one gets from others in the stands... on anything at all. If my friends are at a show, we care about our friends and we look for them. As for others, we don't really care what they're looking at. If you want to bring kids, grandma, grandpa or anyone else to a show... just do it, and don't concern yourself with any nitwit busybodies. You'll never see the lookers again anyway, so who cares what they're looking at. Thats their problem. Don't make it yours. Edited August 16, 2011 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 when we bring "children" (8, 10, 12) (( all VERY into the shows - look forward to it for weeks )) - we get "disapproving" looks from the folks in the stands -- sort of the "oh lord they have KIDS here I hope they don't fuss or talk a lot I wish there were more kids in the stands - bodes well for the future IMO I'm fine with kids at the shows as long as they behave and don't talk thru the whole #### thing. I know as a kid I didn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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