JimF-LowBari Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 I heard drum corps died the year before DCI even started, in 1971, when my corps (Garfield), the Scouts and Cavies did themed shows. In fact, it was on a t-shirt, and something similar was written in an editorial by Dick Blake from Drum Corps News (in the winter prior to the shows hitting the field). I do belive he retracted his statement later on, glad to say. Oh yeah, theme shows.... something else we can blame the Cadets for...... Where Tony S (head of VFW when ya need him)...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 But it matters to those corporate partners that give money to the activity to help keep it afloat. That is laying it on a bit thick. While it is trendy to call corporate sponsors "partners", and suggest that they just "give money to the activity", that is not accurate. They are in it to make a buck, not give bucks away. Their discounts and ad buys merely reduce the cost the activity pays to use their products. Equipment vendors do not keep the activity afloat - that is the responsibility of individual corps leadership and DCI. The recruiting aspect was just one way of looking at it. The real issue is money. Money moves busses, feeds kids, pays for instruments. When DCI moved to Bb instruments it wasn't just just so arrangers could write better music, it was also because our corporate partners knew they could sell more instruments... and as a result they probably have. When DCI added electronics it wasn't just to do it because it sounded cool, rather, it was because the marketplace put us in a position where we needed to in order to keep up with the bands that were already doing it. In all the overreaching rhetoric used to sell the any-keyBb/F brass change, I never once heard anyone claim "arrangers could write better music". Music can be written just as well in any key. But I digress. There are too many misconceptions above to address all at once, so let us focus on the path forward. Pretending your premise has merit, you are now suggesting - no, insisting - that DCI add woodwinds. In order for the instrument makers to use this change to sell more woodwinds, they will need ranks full of them in world class DCI corps. An occasional amplified woodwind solo will not suffice for that purpose. That raises two questions. a. How much will it cost ($$$)? Unless manufacturers plan to donate 80 woodwinds to every DCI corps, I think most of us understand that even after the sponsorships and ad deals, this change will impose a net cost to the corps, at a time when people are claiming that the cost of the activity is the #1 crisis. b. How much will it cost (fans)? What really sustains the drum corps activity is their fan base. Decade after decade, drum corps has drawn paying audiences in ways that marching band has not matched. We know woodwinds would drive away part of that fan base, so without a demonstrably larger countereffect, this change would deliver another devastating financial blow to the drum corps activity. The point is, there are always outside influences that spark change, and the people that have supported said change are getting nailed to a crucifix for trying to keep this activity alive before it's forced to go extinct. First of all, the post of mine that generated this response went no farther than to point out that recent instrument changes have not generated growth. How that equates to crucifixion is beyond me. More importantly, regarding extinction... what you suggest (adding woodwinds to DCI) would transform DCI into marching band, thereby rendering the American junior drum corps activity extinct. How ironic. If you think you have the answers, go run a drum corps and find out how difficult it is. Hop has 30 years experience on every single one of us. But if you think you can do it better, then stop ranting on an F-ing message board, grow a pair, and go do it already! Some of the directors voting "no" to these ideas have 30 years experience on us too. You think you know better than them... and here you are, saying so on a message board. Why should the rest of us not have that same privilege? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 (edited) Ugghh. how many times have i and many others responded to this challenge, debunked it, and yet here it comes again? and how many false sport analogies do we need to listen to? and how many times do we have to state that DCI isn't a major sports league and doesn't believe it is one either (it's called MARKETING speak) btw congrats to Jordanw for torpedoing another sports analogy. Well, it wasn't ME ( nor others ) that recommended that DCI come up with the branding of DCI with analogies to sports at almost every turn. Maybe you were not around when DCI had a segment on its live telecast comparing the heart rate of a percussion performer with that of a college sports athlete... or marketed itself as " Music's Major Leagues ".... or partnered with ESPN( which afterall is a SPORTS teams network).... or secured sports coaches like Bobby Knight, and pro sports players like Steve Young to comment on its live broadcast... or secure sports announcers like Curt Gowdy to be its chief broadcaster at finals....or for DCI announcers like Dennis Delucia to comment on the " athleticism " of its participants each year... or for Rondo to comment about " its going to be a shootout at the ok corral today in Indy " and other sports metaphors.... or that its finals are in competition.. on a football field... in a football stadium... maybe you wern't around during all this, or you were, but never noticed all the sports analogies and comparisons to sports and its athletes made by DCI itself over the many years its been in existence. Edited December 27, 2013 by BRASSO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowtown Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Without reading 50 plus pages is there any BOD drama or just the off season navel gazing drama in this thread? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HockeyDad Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Without reading 50 plus pages is there any BOD drama or just the off season navel gazing drama in this thread? Off season navel gazing. You got a problem with dat? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrownLeadSop Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 (edited) Ugghh. how many times have i and many others responded to this challenge, debunked it, and yet here it comes again? and how many false sport analogies do we need to listen to? and how many times do we have to state that DCI isn't a major sports league and doesn't believe it is one either (it's called MARKETING speak) btw congrats to Jordanw for torpedoing another sports analogy. I think you're talking about me. If so, I am happy to play the role of a nuclear-powered submarine. Call me Seawolf. Edited December 27, 2013 by CrownLeadSop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Well, it wasn't ME ( nor others ) that recommended that DCI come up with the branding of DCI with analogies to sports at almost every turn. Maybe you were not around when DCI had a segment on its live telecast comparing the heart rate of a percussion performer with that of a college sports athlete... or marketed itself as " Music's Major Leagues ".... or partnered with ESPN( which afterall is a SPORTS teams network).... or secured sports coaches like Bobby Knight, and pro sports players like Steve Young to comment on its live broadcast... or secure sports announcers like Curt Gowdy to be its chief broadcaster at finals....or for DCI announcers like Dennis Delucia to comment on the " athleticism " of its participants each year... or for Rondo to comment about " its going to be a shootout at the ok corral today in Indy " and other sports metaphors.... or that its finals are in competition.. on a football field... in a football stadium... maybe you wern't around during all this, or you were, but never noticed all the sports analogies and comparisons to sports and its athletes made by DCI itself over the many years its been in existence. maybe because they were being broadcast on a "sports network"? if you can't distinguish between a marketing pitch and reality, not sure anyone can help you. and you're being less than honest -- we've been this path soooooooo many times. EVERY SINGLE TIME this idea is ripped to shreds (which is not very diffificult -- because DCI is NOTa sport (nevermind a major sports league)). yet every six month the same folks who were obliterated on this board seem to forget those threads and trot out the same old garbage. please. stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Without reading 50 plus pages is there any BOD drama or just the off season navel gazing drama in this thread? The real drama is pretty much covered in the first five pages or so. After that it's just, as befits a discussion forum, discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 I don't know. outside of the usual musical manufacturers, which sponsors have been lining up at DCI's door? Not the point -- why are DCI's current sponsors not lined up behind these new initiaitves? Just curious... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 If figure skating is considered a sport, I'm not sure why drum corps shouldn't be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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