Sad News from Music City

[IMcomguy]

DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with Music City and have no inside information.

That said, I know one of the cornerstones of the Music City organization has been keeping fees low and affordable. I think it just reached a point where they realized that fundraising by itself was simply not enough to continue fielding a corps, and the directors of the organization refused to push that projected shortfall back on the kids in terms of higher membership fees in future seasons. Music City was simply never going to be a corps that would charge a kid $2,000 to march for a summer, even if it meant shutting down.

Just my opinion/guess as to what might have happened behind closed doors.

Ummm, Music City's fees were actually $2,000 this year:

http://www.musiccitydrumcorps.org/default2.aspx?p=membership

[kdaddy]

:(

Really enjoyed them.

[hostrauser]

message deleted

[edit: can you hear the people sing? "You suck! You suck! You suck!"]

Edited August 16, 2013 by hostrauser

[skevinp]

Sad. I grew up in Nashville and that whole middle tn / central my region has a great HS marching band history.

I wonder if the entertainment industry could be tapped into for support. Some of those country music stars are very rich and very generous.

[Northern Thunder]

The sad fact is that there were 63 smaller class corps that were active just 10 years ago in 2003, that we don't have in 2013.

As challenging (and expensive) as it is to run a world class corps, the open class corps are presented with a whole new set of obstacles, and their potential performance

income is just a percentage of that earned by the world class.

[Toby]

I'll be interested in learning more. They marched a full corps for their first time and Nashville is a growing area although economically challenged. It is a locale ripe for another corps.

And it could have had two corps.

[drilltech1]

This year's show got their highest O.C. Finals placement (fifth) and score (90.35) in the corps' five-year history, where they were less than two-tenths from fourth place and just over a point from medaling.

I strongly disagree. The show was lively and entertaining. The audience loved it at Avon Lake, and I think had they gone on after intermission there they would have placed fourth (rather than fifth) in that show, which could have set them up to do the same in Michigan City.

Maybe you could get a job as Hopkins' spin doctor as you weave the facts creatively against their horizon.

While it may have been their highest score, it was still 6 points out of first.

In Indianapolis World Class prelims where I viewed them for an additional time this season, the tempo of La habanera was slower than Oregon's backfield march from coffin to coffin. The show was overly controlled for such a large venue.

That's an instructors' problem, not the kids. We agree that they will certainly be missed.

Edited August 15, 2013 by drilltech1

[skywhopper]

Open Class doesn't get paid for appearing at shows, is that right? Music City had an amazing show this year, and they deserve better. Their show was more entertaining and (as we saw) better performed than some World Class corps. They deserved to be a real part of DCI. This is heartbreaking news.

[Kamarag]

Open Class doesn't get paid for appearing at shows, is that right? Music City had an amazing show this year, and they deserve better. Their show was more entertaining and (as we saw) better performed than some World Class corps. They deserved to be a real part of DCI. This is heartbreaking news.

Open Class corps get paid appearance fees for performances on the World Class tour. Once they join the Open Class tour (typically the last two weeks of the season) they receive no appearance fees.

[N.E. Brigand]

Maybe you could get a job as Hopkins' spin doctor as you weave the facts creatively against their horizon.

You're the one who said the Music City didn't "keep pace" with judging expectations, so I pointed out that their score and placement had improved notably since last year: from 9th to 5th, and from 83.85 to 90.35. Only a few World Class corps improved as much from 2012 to 2013.

While it may have been their highest score, it was still 6 points out of first.

This comment implies that you think all but the top three Open Class corps, and all but the top six World Class corps, may as well fold if they can't "keep pace" with modern scoring trends.

In Indianapolis World Class prelims where I viewed them for an additional time this season, the tempo of La Habanera was slower than Oregon's backfield march from coffin to coffin.

I don't think they played that song, but regardless, this is just a difference in taste. They performed in a way that enabled them to make marked improvement over one year. That's not my spin, that's the truth.

The show was overly controlled for such a large venue.

I think it's fair to say that Open Class show are not designed for Lucas Oil, and that performing there is just a bonus. Besides, the legitimately beat nine other Open Class corps (and two World Class corps).

That's an instructors' problem, not the kids. We agree that they will certainly be missed.

Yes we do, which makes your other comments most perplexing.

(Edited to correct typo.)

Edited August 15, 2013 by N.E. Brigand