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Stu

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I understood your point Jim was trying to undersand Stu or give my take on members of today or at least the many I come across.

OK, I kinda misread the last part of his post and got corn-fused. Also posted that for Daniel as I'm not sure if he and I are on the same page.

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KIDS want to be in the best of the best or have other motivations. AS I have said before members in our activity today demand a lot more than we did back in the day.

I've been talking about "is it worth what I pay". Which fits well into "members in our activity today demand a lot more" as if a corps doesn't fit what they want it isn't worth their money.

Can't remember exact quotes anymore but something like "Why pay the same amount of money for OC it I'm not going to do a full tour or get knocked out early DCI Championships Week".

These two postings are exactly my point; for many youth it is not worth *(the same cost which includes dues, transportation, time, effort)* combined with not wanting to humble their own ego to perform with a corps that probably will not make Finals or have a chance to win a ring.

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OK, so you're hearing from people who actually go to auditions. Was this a top corps or non-top corps?

No, it was me sitting at the table registering the kids and putting the entries into the computer and then calling them on the phone later to ask them what they were up to. I worked for the corps. It was my full-time job.

I guess they would be considered a top corps... or at least pretty decent (top 5 for 29 out of the last 30 years... 10 championships).

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There are loads of factors for changes in numbers of corps in the present day compared to the 60's, 70's...

Birth rate is a considerable factor. The post war baby boom meant a surge of kids for a number of years, then the birth rate quickly dropped to levels far below pre-war levels. Take the birth rate and the window of +14-21 years forward and you see a clear surge and rapid decline in numbers.

640px-U.S.BirthRate.1909.2003.png

Drum corps was highly-concentrated in the Northeast. Combine the figures of a declining birthrate with the number of people from the Northeast migrating to other parts of the country during the same period and you have another contributing factor. In the midwest and west, you have a considerably lower number of organizations per capita that had traditionally sponsored drum corps, namely VFW posts and the Catholic church.

Another set of statistic that are pretty much self-explanatory:

TV-VCR-Remote-Cable_Ownership.JPG

Increasing number of TV's, VCR's and cable television subscriptions per household meant that kids had something to easily occupy their time. Add to this the growth of video game consoles and personal computers that started to appear in the mid-1970's.

Add to this massive inflation and spikes in gas and food prices.

It is a wonder that drum corps even exists today in any form at all. DCI did not kill drum corps, but instead has prevented it from becoming extinct entirely.

The other point to consider is the number of school marching band programs that have mushroomed since the 1970's. The rate they have grown at (due in large part to the influence of drum corps, actually), has more than replaced the decrease in numbers of small corps.

Basically, there are loads more local drum corps these days than there was in the past... they just have an expanded instrumentation and compete in the fall.

Drum corps is marching band, and marching band has not only replaced local drum corps... it tends to do a better job of it.

I am confused about this. If all these things you point to caused drum corps to shrink, how did marching band mushroom at the same time?

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These two postings are exactly my point; for many youth it is not worth *(the same cost which includes dues, transportation, time, effort)* combined with not wanting to humble their own ego to perform with a corps that probably will not make Finals or have a chance to win a ring.

youre missing the ponint i think...money is far from the factor some kids do this....but just to open a can of worms would you pay the same for a chevy as you would a mercedes.....both great cars...both do the same and get you where you go but clearly thers a huge difference. I know what you are saying but OC corps even with a sched. less than some WC corps it still costs a fortune to have a drum corps today...Even a local corps, less traveled can spend a huge amount just to exsist. Winter percussion and winter guards cost more today than corps did back in the day... BUT so does gas, homes, food. Those days are far gone and have been.and most of that has nothing to do with DCI.. JMO

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youre missing the ponint i think...money is far from the factor some kids do this....but just to open a can of worms would you pay the same for a chevy as you would a mercedes.....both great cars...both do the same and get you where you go but clearly thers a huge difference. I know what you are saying but OC corps even with a sched. less than some WC corps it still costs a fortune to have a drum corps today...Even a local corps, less traveled can spend a huge amount just to exsist. Winter percussion and winter guards cost more today than corps did back in the day... BUT so does gas, homes, food. Those days are far gone and have been.and most of that has nothing to do with DCI.. JMO

> would you pay the same for a Chevy as you would a Mercedes?

Nope, unless you are talking about the Corvette; but even at that I would not pay a SLS AMG price for a Corvette.

> I know what you are saying but OC corps even with a sched. less than some WC corps it still costs a fortune to have a drum corps today.

Really? The cost to operate Forte and Music City which stay regional then trek to finals is that similar to the cost of operating the Cadets or Regiment who go coast to coast to coast? Really?

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Football.

HS football is the same today as it was in 1972; so where is the cause/effect of football increasing the qualitative aspects of HS marching bands over the years who now compete in BOA, TOB, etc?

Edited by Stu
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