Triple Forte Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 This is absolutely ridiculous. Your activity is on life support in its home country, yet you run off the China to expand internationally? You haven't even been able to expand your activity here! Why would anyone think you are capable of growing it in China? How about you focus on the problems at hand here? Maybe we can send the entire DCI staff to China & leave them there & get a new DCI board here that has a clue. My question is...what is the cost ($$$) to DCI for this little road trip? What is the expected ROI if there is a cost ($$$) ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) Great. We can all look forward to a bunch of Chinese drum corps performing near exact copies of American drum corps shows. But will the visual still resemble a Chinese Fire Drill ? Edited May 31, 2013 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) Who would you like to see representative of North American drum corps culture? To send to China ? The US Marine Drum & Bugle Corps. Edited May 31, 2013 by BRASSO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I wanna be like Mike Perhaps...but the rest of me comes with that. Doesn't sound like such a glamorous life now, does it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
En929 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) The truth is the average Chinese don't have a lot of time for drum corps and music. They are always studying for exams, working, playing video games and if they did have time for things like music, they'd prefer more mainstream things like rock bands, orchestral, guitar, drum set, piano or their traditional things. Much of the culture is locked into a certain way of doing things unlike here in America. The Chinese also don't have a lot of money and are usually lazy (this next generation of Chinese are). Edited May 31, 2013 by En929 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slingerland Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) But will the visual still resemble a Chinese Fire Drill ? They'll nail the Cavaliers snake from the 80s. BTW, it's worth noting that Yamaha will be moving all of their upper-end percussion manufacturing - including the marching gear - to a company-owned plant in China this summer (so if you want a Japanese-built Yamaha drum set, order it today - literally). I'd be surprised if the brass instruments don't follow, or haven't already started being built there. One way or another, China will be playing a part in the drum corps of the future. Edited May 31, 2013 by Slingerland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbrassboy Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Yes, my question is merely one of speculation given that few American corps are meeting their budgetary needs or affording just the fuel costs of touring coast to coast of the US. But let us also be honest with our emotions: Did the CEO of DCI initiate the visit of his own volition or is he an invited guest as he was to the Drum Corps Europe Championships a few seasons back (and that is growing), and I think an invitation or two to the Japanese events? There has been advancements in SE Asia initiated by Blue Devils as well as by American alumni working there who have put the Indonesians and others in touch with the DCI activity. Similar outreach is developing with South and Central America; BD went to Guatemala; Mexicans and Brazilians have come north to march in U.S. corps, just like the Japanese, Italians, English, Germans, Taiwanese, and Canadians. This year Surf will have one marcher from Brittany in France (as did Madison previously) and the Cadets will have their first member from the Republic of Ireland. Pioneer annually has several members from South Africa after Dave Gibbs of Blue Devils and Brian Hickman, then of the Glassmen, visited there. The American corps are well benefitted by international relations. I would not be surprised if some of this "international" "dialogue" has also been generated or financed in part by some of the manufacturers; an example would be Yamaha (not an American company at its origin.) These enterprises may see this as a financially beneficial opportunity. (Are any of the uniforms/costumes worn in competition actually American made???) The video aspects of Drumbattle and SoundSport take down international boundaries today. I don't have any other info or facts besides knowing Dan did go previously to England for the DCE's as their guest. Everything else is speculation, unless someone else knows actual facts. Let's not forget that Phantom sent half a dozen members to England in the early 80's to help a corps there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoltonH178 Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 To be honest, this may just be my humble opinion; but in order for "Drum and Bugle Corps International" to truly represent "Marching Music's Major League," consist of "World Class" members (none of whom are from outside of the United States, ironically) and to have "World Championships," it needs to be a truly international competition. It's always cool that the corps seems to attract at least one group from far, far away, be it Japan, Thailand, Italy, or Sweden. But if Drum Corps International starts to find friends in the single largest polity in the world, well, that would be a great leap forward (heh heh, little political pun in there for my fellow supernerds), and the educational system of the People's Republic of China starts to recognize the benefits, I would view it as a huge leap forward in terms of fulfilling the Drum Corps International premise, and would also help to re-establish DCI as Marching Music's Major League (3ML?) in a way that BOA, USSBA, et al. can never be. I think expanding the reach of Drum Corps International, Inc. into other countries is an absolutely brilliant move, if true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 (edited) I think expanding the reach of Drum Corps International, Inc. into other countries is an absolutely brilliant move, if true. I agree as well. Many of the Asian units already perform indoors and some perform well beyond the annual 45 week lock down period that DCI North America currently has in place regarding their marching member unit performances. The new indoor oriented ventures started up by DCI a few months ago seem particularly well suited for some of these overseas units too. Perhaps they might have mini Corps versions of their larger units, or Percussion only units. The possibilities here are huge and limitless, imo. The units in that part of the world are getting much better in quality too, as one can see from Youtube videos available on Units from the continent of Asia. We live in a Global World now, where it would be organizational malpractice for DCI not to look to partnering in untapped, potentially mutually beneficial markets. Edited June 1, 2013 by BRASSO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normy diploome Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 (edited) Let's not forget that Phantom sent half a dozen members to England in the early 80's to help a corps there! Plus Madison Scouts as a full corps went to and exhibited at the Boy Scout convention in Paris, France many years back well before DCI was even a whisper, and they returned to American competition wearing uniforms based on the French Gendarmes, a form of military police. A photo of that uniform is part of the masthead the Madison Scouts are currently using for their 75th anniversary this 2013 season. The Cavaliers sent their triple winning WGI winterguard to Holland in the late '80's and then their percussion section to Japan in the late nineties or so. Both the Glassmen and the Blue Devils as full corps have toured and exhibited in Europe; at least the Glassmen to England (where director Brian Hickman had lived the summer he didn't march Garfield before returning to Cadets) and I believe BD did Switzerland and Italy. Anyone else? And here I thought the travelogue bonus question was going to be, "What are the five U.S. States where the (Holy Name) (Garfield) Cadets (of Bergen County, NJ) have not yet ever performed as a full corps?" (DCI tour makers please note.) Edited June 1, 2013 by normy diploome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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