An Open Letter to DCI

[JulesBry]

Bringing in amplification and electronics is like adding another tool to the tool box. Some corps have been very tasteful with the addition, while some have not. Where DCI has failed with this change is not adequately incorporating it into the judging.

Again, adding motorized vehicles to the 100-meter dash would bring a new tool to the toolbox of track and field athletes. It might even increase ratings for people to "see something new and different". But would it still be the 100-meter dash? Would it build on the traditions and records of the past? Or would it be an entirely new and different activity? Do you think Usain Bolt will recognize the person who beats his record while riding in a motorized cart across the finish line? Should we care that Bolt has a problem with that?

Electronics are not drum corps. They are something else. Everyone may be okay with something else, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking it builds on tradition or simply allows corps more flexibility.

[danielray]

Yes, to me dci has become A BOA, WGI hybrid!

Which is great, and 20+ years overdue.

Drum corps was the center of innovation until the early 90's and quickly fell behind BOA and WGI (winterguard made a quantum leap ahead with 1991 San Jose Raiders). Now that it has caught back up and is leading again... I'm very interested to see what's next.

Edited August 12, 2012 by danielray

[JulesBry]

I think that you should point these letters to judges and show designers, not the general public. This just comes off as whining to me when we (assuming most of us are fans or alumni) can do nothing to help your cause.

But we can do something. If everyone who agrees wholeheartedly with me writes a similar letter, perhaps we will make a dent. And if those who thing we're headed in the wrong direction, but who aren't quite ready to leave does the same thing...

I don't expect DCI to agree 100% with me, but I'm not going to continue giving time and money to an organization who consistently favors and encourages products that I don't like and doesn't care if I stay or go. Why should anyone? In posting this letter both publicly and privately, I am expressing my opinion and testing the waters to see if I'm alone. If I am, I'll go quietly into that good night and never look back. But from the poll above, I'm not alone. That should matter. Hopefully someone from DCI will wake up and see that. Or perhaps they think they can replace 20-40% of their audience with new blood over the next few years. I hope that new blood is as willing to spend tons of cash like the old blood has been willing to do.

[Tim K]

I've read this thread from time to time over the past few days and one thing is clear--the Blue Devils' show was not a fan favorite. As one who was in the stands in Indy and Allentown this year, I will agree that the concept was not audience friendly and at times the show was bizarre and a bit confusing. I also know there were moments in the show with incredible impact. While it looked hodgepodge at times, looks can be deceiving. It was executed incredibly well. I can't see the perfect scores they received in Indy, and it wasn't a full point better than Crown last night, but the elements that were good were spot-on. It is not a show that will transfer to Blu-Ray/DVD well and people who saw it Live Stream rather than in person probably have reason to scratch thier heads. It wouldn't surprise me if I scratch my head even more when the DVD is released, but I'll probably find myself watching BAC, Crown, Phantom, Spirit, SCV, Bluecoats, Crossmen, Madison, and Cadets over and over anyway.

I don't think we have to worry about where the Blue Devils go, everyone will follow. While the Blue Devils are the best at winning, have they really been the trend setters? If we look back, the first corps that changed everything would have to have been the Bridgemen in 1976. Placement? 6th. SCV's asymetrical drill in 1980. Placement? 7th. Cadets frist year with Zingali was 1982. Placement? 3rd. Spirit changed horn arrangements and they never won a title. 27th and Phantom changed the way guards are used, but 27th never won a title (still a sore subject to 27th fans) and Phantom had to wait a while. The trend setters rarely if ever win, so while I might question judging this year and wonder why BD won over Crown, I am not worried that Blue Devils "Cabaret Voltaire" will be copied by any corps or that the show will begin a "Neo-Dada" explosion in drum corps.

Edited August 12, 2012 by Tim K

[elmhurstmusiced]

I marched from 97-99 and this thread makes me curious.

A lot of peoPle are saying this is drum corps and that is drum corps.

So let's make a list of what drum corps is and what years we marched. Maybe that will help us realize that drum corps from 1970 is not what drum corps was in 1980 or 1990 etc.

People say drum corps isn't DCI, ok tell us what it is then.

Keeping in mind of course why DCI was formed.

Then let's see those of you that are pathetically whining about the current state of things go back to the rules of CYO and VFW and see how things go.

There are some that say DCA is the way to go if you want "real drum corps" maybe watch them instead of just #####ing about the Blue Devils? Just a thought.

Please though stop watching if some of you hate it that much. It's not healthy to have that much angst

[ContraFart]

Again, adding motorized vehicles to the 100-meter dash would bring a new tool to the toolbox of track and field athletes. It might even increase ratings for people to "see something new and different". But would it still be the 100-meter dash? Would it build on the traditions and records of the past? Or would it be an entirely new and different activity? Do you think Usain Bolt will recognize the person who beats his record while riding in a motorized cart across the finish line? Should we care that Bolt has a problem with that?

Electronics are not drum corps. They are something else. Everyone may be okay with something else, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking it builds on tradition or simply allows corps more flexibility.

I think your analogy is off the mark. A&E added a different timbre and color to the musical compositions and added and element that some corps have used very tastefully. Minus the preshow, if you did not know Crossmen were using a synth this year, you wouldnt have noticed. This addition did not redefine the entire sport.

However I am surprised that the DCP posters that despise A&E do not go after BDs visual design with the same fervor. What BD is doing with "drill" design IS redefining the entire sport.

[ContraFart]

I don't think we have to worry about where the Blue Devils go, everyone will follow. While the Blue Devils are the best at winning, have they really been the trend setters? If we look back, the first corps that changed everything would have to have been the Bridgemen in 1976. Placement? 6th. SCV's asymetrical drill in 1980. Placement? 7th. Cadets frist year with Zingali was 1982. Placement? 3rd. Spirit changed horn arrangements and they never won a title. 27th and Phantom changed the way guards are used, but 27th never won a title (still a sore subject to 27th fans) and Phantom had to wait a while. The trend setters rarely if ever win, so while I might question judging this year and wonder why BD won over Crown, I am not worried that Blue Devils "Cabaret Voltaire" will be copied by any corps or that the show will begin a "Neo-Dada" explosion in drum corps.

While I do not think corps will jump on dada shows, you are already seeing corps like the Blue Knights already starting to slip away from form to form drill, and when the judges reward a corps like BD 4 out of the last 6 years with championships using those concepts it will change what other corps do.

Edited August 12, 2012 by ContraFart

[zig zig ZAG]

Did anyone watch the men's high bar routine earlier this week? The gold medalist actually had more deductions than the silver medalist. The reason he still won is because he had a higher starting score due to the insane difficulty of his routine. I feel like crown's difficulty was not taken into consideration by the judges.

This. Exactly.

I love the Olympics because judging incentivizes risk and demand, not just cautious 'design' of routines and execution.

DCI does not. DCI judging rewards sleight-of-hand design.

Clean is boring.

DCI is dying because of a lack of creativity to innovate while appealing to audiences. Designers have been begging for bells and whistles not because they want to advance the activity, but because they're not good enough to innovate within the strictures of form. Like classical composers who pull amps out onto the stage, or add multimedia, or play video game scores to pull in audiences too addled with ADHD to have the patience to try to relate to a Mozart concerto or a world premier by Higdon or Reich.

I want demand+execution. I want less props, less high-school band drop-the-instruments body-movement. I want no amplification of instruments (voice I can deal with, but usually cringe). I want more creativity and skill within the traditional activity.

[bigbandgeek]

While I do not think corps will jump on dada shows, you are already seeing corps like the Blue Knights already starting to slip away from form to form drill, and when the judges reward a corps like BD 4 out of the last 6 years with championships using those concepts it will change what other corps do.

....and this is what worries me. Most corps are there to entertain, but what if a larger percentage start chasing championships and realize the judges are going to reward abstract shows that eschew entertainment for "pushing the envelope?

I'm all for progress, but not at the sacrifice of entertainment.

[danielray]

Dadaism could not be further removed from "When a Man Loves a Woman"

Seems you have a bit of selective memory on this one... When a Man Loves a Woman was initially not all that well received. There was more than a bit of controversy about it... BD doing a super easy Michael Bolton tune... parking... getting down on their knees... sitting on dice... taking the jackets off... taking the shako's off... ripping open the shirts... having guys in the guard.

Old school fans lost it, talked about how BD lost their support because of it, how BD was a disgrace to drum corps (older, drunker east coast fans seemed to be especially vocal about this)... and so on... sounding surprisingly similar to the way some do now about the current BD.

It's this perspective that suggests to me that it's all just cyclical, that the sky isn't falling, that everything will be just fine.... and 20 years from now dinosaurs will be rambling on about how BD doesn't do more accessible shows like they did back in 2012.

Edited August 12, 2012 by danielray