perc2100 Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 You're currently in SoCal, right? So many new schools popped up there. Exactly I grew up in the mid-west, and my high school was a one-high school district at that time, but now it's a two-school district. Another district I taught in went from a one-HS district to a two HS district, and now they have at least three (maybe four; I'm not sure) all with competitive bands. Like all things, I suspect some regions have grown considerably while others have shrunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 I'll tell ya here in Pleasanton we have two high schools and both drumlines are taught by former snare drum champs. The rivalry is pretty cool to watch. Both schools are very good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bad Bari Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Why is attendance down by half at finals? Because the number of corps is down by more than half. It's that simple. The huge crowds back in the day were driven in part by the abundance of corps participating. The drop in attendance (paid or otherwise) since the 70s owes mostly to the disappearance of corps primarily in the 80s. It's not because high schools bands are good, bad or something in between (though you might argue that the improvement in high school band programs is one of many factors that have led to fewer corps). HH Glory, I disagree wioth you... The reason we had HUGE crowds is because we had more corps and those corps families came to watch. Now if you go to a High School Band Show... The stands are packed like they were for us back in the day in DCI... It's because the paresnt have gravitated to the safety of a school run program with fewer overnight trips... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Shows were not 50 bucks a pop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Glory, I disagree wioth you... The reason we had HUGE crowds is because we had more corps and those corps families came to watch. Hmmm.....why did you say you diagree with Glory??? Glory... Because the number of corps is down by more than half. It's that simple. The huge crowds back in the day were driven in part by the abundance of corps participating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold_Bond Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 [soap_box] This has probably already been said before, but not by me so here goes; I find it interesting that the young man embracing change made it a point to indicate that woodwinds are a no-no. Whether that was a dig at us dinosaurs or his personal demarcation line, I do not know. But it would appear that everyone has their breaking point. Personally, I have a large problem supporting the activity. I have helped sponsor several marchers but that was done to help them and not the corps they marched with. In fact, when one of my beneficiaries aged-out, the corps approached me to see if I would be willing to sponsor another needy member and I basically said what I just posted. I did not go over well, but that is the way it goes. Change happens all around, does it not? :devil:/> I also find it interesting to see that year after year, big name corps are struggling. Where is the alumni support? All of these "kids" having life-changing experiences do not feel the need to pay it back? Yes, I know college loans, the cost of starting out, etc, but not even just a $25 donation once a year? Kind of makes me wonder about the value of this activity and how much of a life-changing impact it makes on "kids" if it has to keep coming back to us alienated dinosaurs to keep it running. [/soap_box] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geneva Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 (edited) I am surprised that no one has mentioned it, but I think that the saddest thing about the current state of drum corps is its financial unsustainability above and beyond the types of shows that are now being done. The touring model, keyboard instrumentation and amplification are all very expensive. While I can understand that touring is now an unfortunate necessity for competition to exist, it makes me sad to see what I consider the frills to the core brass and percussion performance jeopardize the continued existence of the activity. It has already been one of the factors in the demise of so many great organizations who simply could not keep up with the bucks required. I have no doubt that today's members love the activity as much as we ever did even if it is much different from what we grew up to love. I know that I still enjoy it despite these changes, but what I fear is that the present course is unsustainable and that the activity will not be there for future generations unless some restrictions are put in place to control instrumentation and equipment costs. Edited February 1, 2013 by Geneva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 (edited) I am surprised that no one has mentioned it, but I think that the saddest thing about the current state of drum corps is its financial unsustainability above and beyond the types of shows that are now being done. The touring model, keyboard instrumentation and amplification are all very expensive. While I can understand that touring is now an unfortunate necessity for competition to exist, it makes me sad to see what I consider the frills to the core brass and percussion performance jeopardize the continued existence of the activity. It has already been one of the factors in the demise of so many great organizations who simply could not keep up with the bucks required. I have no doubt that today's members love the activity as much as we ever did even if it is much different from what we grew up to love. I know that I still enjoy it despite these changes, but what I fear is that the present course is unsustainable and that the activity will not be there for future generations unless some restrictions are put in place to control instrumentation and equipment costs. I don't understand why posters continually harp on instrumentation changes as some big line-item in a corps budget. It's food and transportation costs that are the two big ticket items. Not something that is maybe 2 to 4% of $1000k budget in the acquisition year and significantly less after that. Want to make drum corps more sustainable? You probably ought to start with the BIG line-items in the budget. Diesel has gone from $1.11 in 1994 to $3.96 in 2012. Think maybe THAT affects the bottom line? And food prices are very much affected by transportation costs which are affected by fuel costs. Hmmm..... Electronics may affect initial costs for a start-up corps (although you can certainly add electronics incrementally -- you don't NEED it all at once) but it's not killing sustainability. Edited February 1, 2013 by corpsband 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 I don't understand why posters continually harp on instrumentation changes as some big line-item in a corps budget. It's food and transportation costs that are the two big ticket items. Not something that is maybe 2 to 4% of $1000k budget in the acquisition year and significantly less after that. It's because they don't actually have any idea how much things cost...they are simply throwing darts in an ill-conceived effort to make a point. On the other hand, your summation is quite accurate. Food, fuel, and insurance costs are the 'big three'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 (edited) I don't understand why posters continually harp on instrumentation changes as some big line-item in a corps budget. It's food and transportation costs that are the two big ticket items. Not something that is maybe 2 to 4% of $1000k budget in the acquisition year and significantly less after that. Want to make drum corps more sustainable? You probably ought to start with the BIG line-items in the budget. Diesel has gone from $1.11 in 1994 to $3.96 in 2012. Think maybe THAT affects the bottom line? And food prices are very much affected by transportation costs which are affect by fuel costs. Hmmm..... Electronics may affect initial costs for a start-up corps (although you can certainly add electronics incrementally -- you don't NEED it all at once) but it's not killing sustainability. Anyone have an idea how much cost of instruments have gone up over the years? Also any idea the length of time between corps getting new instruments? s/ guy who played the same frickin' horn for 6 seasons..... But.... any additional expense is putting another piece of straw on that camels back..... Edited February 1, 2013 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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