A few thoughts on DCI then, now, & future...

[Geneva]

Wow, lots of great comments here! I agree with the OP that, indeed, the initial intent of amplification for the pit to help resolve balance and technical playing issues in fact did open a Pandora's box. How this evolved into the acceptability of the use of synthetic thunderous goo which obliterate the efforts of 16 tubas, I do not understand or appreciate. A good drum corps impact should be felt in the chest and not by the vibration of your toes!

Oh, and by the way, now that we can hear the pit, please remove the visual clutter by placing them on the back sideline!

[mhix01]

My son and I went to our first ever DCI event this year (Allentown) and we were completely blown away with the awesomeness of it. Beforehand, I thought that would get sick of "marching band" music (I know they're not marching bands) but we sat through 2 days with 10-12 groups each day and at the end of it, I wanted more. I have never been more entertained by a show than I was by what I saw and heard at Allentown. I don't have a history with DCI so I can't comment about the changes that have happened but I know what they're putting out now is absolutely terrific. They people around me in the stands seemed to enjoy it quite a bit too.

And in any case, if you don't like what you're seeing: don't complain loudly during the performances!!! No one came to hear your negative comments, we came to watch the show! (we had a loud guy behind us on Saturday complaining nonstop during performances about what he didn't like - and he didn't like a LOT of things).

[Cron]

Unfortunately, I've watched some recent shows (over the past few years) where the lack of woodwinds was the only indicator that I wasn't watching a marching band. I found myself wondering why they didn't just let them in and remove the last real difference between the two.

The only "real" difference is the demand on the performers, the complexity of the end-product and the grueling schedule. Take away our insider perspective and put them in front of a layman and I guarantee, said layman wouldn't even notice, or possibly even know the difference without further explanation...

[alumniof]

The laymen wouldn't go. Nobody cards about the laymen. Which is fine...just stop asking them for support and money aka music in our schools.

[alumniof]

The laymen wouldn't go. Nobody cares about the laymen. Which is fine...just stop asking them for support and money aka music in our schools.

Edited August 6, 2013 by alumniof

[seen-it-all]

The laymen wouldn't go. Nobody cards about the laymen. Which is fine...just stop asking them for support and money aka music in our schools.

So because you don't like what DCI offers anymore, you won't support music education in the schools???

[JimF-LowBari]

So because you don't like what DCI offers anymore, you won't support music education in the schools???

I'm guessing he means if you want music education in the schools, the laymen (my term - general public) needs to care. IOW if only the musicians care, that's not enough people for people cutting school budgets to bother to save ME (seen it around here).

Edit: Nevermind.... just read the below response and I was off the mark...

Edited August 6, 2013 by JimF-LowBari

[hsreed]

Here's my approach: This is not the drum corps I grew up with. It's their drum corps.

Sure, there are several things I miss

I prefer the sound of G horns, they sound more powerful and Bbs sound thin - like bad headphones.

I also miss concert tunes - imagine the sound of the corps in the lot on the field for one chart? - and pure drum solos.

I miss the music performance aspect of show design. Many current shows are snippets or highlights of pieces of music instead of developing a musical phrase or message through music.

There are also some cool new things:

The talent on the field is awesome. From the outside - because I can't walk on the field don't go to rehearsals or the lot, there just seems to be talent from top to bottom. But there's a high probability it's the similar to when I marched.

Things that seem to be the same: the life lessons you learn and the enjoyment of participating and performing.

I went to multiple shows every year since 82. In the mid 90s, I stopped going every year as I found the shows less and less entertaining. I've been to finals three times in the last 16 years. I stopped buying CD and DVDs somewhere around 2002. There were some years that I just had to see, usually because one corps had a great show: 94 BD, 99 SCV, '00 Cadets, 02 Cavies, 04 SCV, 13 SCV, etc. If there was not a local show on these years, I went directly to the corps website and bought their tour DVD.

I poke my head in to see who is doing something I want to hear. In 2009, I had to see SCV, so I went to one local show after not going to a show for about 5 years. This year I had to see SCV play Les Mis. I took three newbies and we drove from LA to Stanford, spending about $500 for a day of drum corps. Three of us are professional musicians. Side note - I also tech'd HS marching band for 10 years until just a couple years ago. We listened to SCV, Crown and BD at the pre-show picnic. We all had the same opinion: SCV was solid, Crown was amazing, BD wasn't worth the effort it took to walk 50 feet to stand in front of them. It was a great trip because SCV and Crown made it worth all the effort and money to go.

I have also financially supported corps and performers through the years. Not because I like what they're doing, but I believe their lives will be enhanced because they'll have a great experience and they learn life lessons. One year, a kid in a HS band I was teaching wanted to march, but couldn't raise enough money to march. After talking, I told him I would match any new money he raised for his tour fee, up to $500 or $1,000 (whatever it was). We talked about a strategy of who to ask (everyone) and how to ask (the pitch) and I matched his new money with my max in a week. I didn't even go watch a show that year. Fast forward four years: he's a fifth year vet, aging out, and the section leader. There was another kid in a band I taught, I offered to contribute to his tour fee, he asked me to help out another person because he needed the money - how awesome is that? I've also helped out several other students through the years, one is a guard captain at SCV this year - I gave him $50 for gas money to drive up and try out five years ago.

Bottom line:

I simply don't find very many of the shows entertaining these days, it's just not what I want to hear or see. But I do want to give the opportunity to experience drum corps to the kids I know or have taught. It's not my drum corps, it's theirs.

[oldschooldbc]

I'm guessing he means if you want music education in the schools, the laymen (my term - general public) needs to care. IOW if only the musicians care, that's not enough people for people cutting school budgets to bother to save ME (seen it around here).

I've seen that too. Most HS band directors where I live (Texas) prepare two shows:

a) They prepare a competition show, to cater to judges. This is what is performed on Saturdays, at band contests.

b) They prepare a football show, to cater to the general public (laymen, using your terminology.) That is what is performed at football halftimes. This typically consists of crowd-friendly music, that the general public will appreciate. The music and drill for a football show are generally simpler than that for the competition show.

Preparing two shows is a real pain. It requires significantly more effort than one, for both the staff and students. And of course, you have to pay twice the royalty fees, since the composers of both sets of music have to be paid. But if you took a typical football show, and performed it at a competition, you would get crushed. And most laymen won't appreciate the competition show. (I have seen cases where a competition show was performed at a football halftime, and much of the crowd walked out.)

Here's an example. In son's last year in HS band, their competition show consisted of Béla Bartók, and the football show consisted of Freddy Mercury and Queen. You can't get musical selections any different than that.

[alumniof]

So because you don't like what DCI offers anymore, you won't support music education in the schools???

Its just one more reason. The average music program does nothing for the public outside of itself. No outreach, just sticks themselves in an auditorium for Christmas, spring concert and their assessments. Add a parade maybe. Why should I support as Joe public something they do for themselves and their parents? The product I saw in Allentown was not about entertainment or Joe public...it was about themselves....which is fine....nut stay off my yard and blocking my entrance to get groceries.