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Saving Drum Corps part I: Defining the problem


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It's too bad the internet wasn't around in the 70's when all these opinions maybe would have helped the activity. Now, I wonder, is it worth the arguing? What has happened has happened and we can't change that.

In a way it was nicer when the internet didnt exsist. People only talked behind your back......lol and Drum corps was a surprise year to year and in many cases more exciting .

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A well-done 'retro' guard show would just not present enough of a show to generate a high score. Look at a 1980 show and compare it to a 1950 show. Guards of today are just so far beyond guards of 30 years ago in show demand and overall performance skills involving the whole body that they would look like they are doing next to nothing to enhance the show. Guards 'back then' prided themselves on being military and motionless...and emotionless visually. How would that EVER work in terms of 2012?

Those days were wonderful...back then. Today's shows are wonderful...for today.

It took me quite while to come this same conclusion. What was, was. What is, is.

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I agree. There is no going back. Embrace the glory days, but also embrace the present. Other wise we are destined to be a fine car that has two wheels going forward and two wheels going backward. Change is hard. I hate it, and it took me a long time to accept it,,but it is what it is and no amount of wishing will bring it back to what I remember and enjoyed.

Edited by BariBrian
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Sometimes progress is defined by understanding you are going down a blind alley. It's time to back up and re-direct on a sustainable path. DCI in its present form is not sustainable to all but a few corps.

Any CEO that had overseen the shrinkage that DCI has experienced in the last 20 years would surely have been fired long ago. This model is a patent failure.

The only way forward is to make the activity affordable to your three audiences, the one in the stands, the one on the field, and the show sponsor. We need local, weekend only drum corps in addition to the elite touring corps.

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Sometimes progress is defined by understanding you are going down a blind alley. It's time to back up and re-direct on a sustainable path. DCI in its present form is not sustainable to all but a few corps.

Any CEO that had overseen the shrinkage that DCI has experienced in the last 20 years would surely have been fired long ago. This model is a patent failure.

The only way forward is to make the activity affordable to your three audiences, the one in the stands, the one on the field, and the show sponsor. We need local, weekend only drum corps in addition to the elite touring corps.

Some believe it was the intent to shrink the numbers of corps backi in the day . As far as local.etc etc that you said ..In todays world when those resources dont exsist anymore..like Church sponsors, cyo, community based groups, free or cheap rehearsal sites, rising costs of everything from transportation to uniforms, and many more things that are so different today how do you propose any of this happen.. Nice thought but I would love to pay 50 cents for a gallon of gas and thats not happening either......JMO

Actually if you could have both somehow it might work...with all I memtioned and knowing how hard it is to survive even on a small scale I just dont know how...Having both is certainlyu a twist on the G7 movement...oh boy theres a can of worms again....lol :blink:

Edited by GUARDLING
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Some believe it was the intent to shrink the numbers of corps backi in the day . As far as local.etc etc that you said ..In todays world when those resources dont exsist anymore..like Church sponsors, cyo, community based groups, free or cheap rehearsal sites, rising costs of everything from transportation to uniforms, and many more things that are so different today how do you propose any of this happen.. Nice thought but I would love to pay 50 cents for a gallon of gas and thats not happening either......JMO

I'm not sure how we evolved a mantra wherein a weekend only, 80 kid, non touring corps is not financially viable but a 4 bus, two 5th wheel, 2 month touring behemoth is purported to be a sustainable model. Mule muffins! If you can finance one Blue Devils you can finance 5 local corps.

Actually if you could have both somehow it might work...with all I memtioned and knowing how hard it is to survive even on a small scale I just dont know how...Having both is certainlyu a twist on the G7 movement...oh boy theres a can of worms again....lol :blink:

Now don't start *that* again....

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Sometimes progress is defined by understanding you are going down a blind alley. It's time to back up and re-direct on a sustainable path. DCI in its present form is not sustainable to all but a few corps.

Any CEO that had overseen the shrinkage that DCI has experienced in the last 20 years would surely have been fired long ago. This model is a patent failure.

The only way forward is to make the activity affordable to your three audiences, the one in the stands, the one on the field, and the show sponsor. We need local, weekend only drum corps in addition to the elite touring corps.

There are thousands of local weekend only groups...that is exactly what competitive MB are...only there are thousands more of them than EVER existed in drum corps.

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I'm not sure how we evolved a mantra wherein a weekend only, 80 kid, non touring corps is not financially viable but a 4 bus, two 5th wheel, 2 month touring behemoth is purported to be a sustainable model. Mule muffins! If you can finance one Blue Devils you can finance 5 local corps.

Now don't start *that* again....

again I will ask how will this be done...Blue devils finance Blue devils not the activity...so thats there's. They get how expensive it is to do this...Ive run winter guards that cost more than drum corps did back in the day. IF one can get a winter facitlty to practice it could cost a fortune..How will this happen? You didnt answer.....It cant go back period...what can?and as far as kids? do you actually think locally there are kids hanging out with nothing to do but drum corps like we did? NO..they have many more choices than we did back in the day.There are quality HS band programs that far exceeded many drum corps of the past. You can Never go back but move forward. Yes there can be smaller local corps that dont tour nationally possibibly But how will they retain kids also ( if they get them ) Kids want the tour, the flash, the competition at a high level....kinda like we did. Kids are way more demanding of what they are involved in then we were I think. But hey..nice thought :smile:

Also as much as G7 doesnt want to be talked alout that is kinda what you purposed as far as 2 ways to do it...local corps and national touring corps. :tongue:

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There are thousands of local weekend only groups...that is exactly what competitive MB are...only there are thousands more of them than EVER existed in drum corps.

Well - that's band. I'm talking about drum corps. Yes there is a difference. No I don't want to get into that ridiculous quagmire of "drum corps is band is drum corps, all drum corps are bands but not all bands are drum corps" and assorted other revisionist mantra. That's the great divide in marching music that the two sides will never bridge, so let's not try.....

In addition, here in Canada there are virtually no competetive bands. Trying to start a Blue Devils or a SCV from scratch would be idiotic. Even the Open class touring corps have a bank busting budget.

Parade class, then weekend only is the only way to start IMHO. That requires a circuit and a cooperative effort.

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