What really makes Drum Corps so different

[BigDale]

In Hopkins's official 2007 proposal for electronics, he absolutely did say that one reason the change was needed was that DCI needed to continue to attract large audiences like he saw at shows in Texas, and that those audiences were primarily composed of young people, and that those young people had been raised on rock 'n roll rather than opera

Hmmm...odd, because I was not raised on opera. I discovered my love for classical music and opera through drum corps, Gen. Putnam's Men to be exact. Our opener of Carnival Overture in 81, as well as our closer of Brahm's 1st Symphony made a profound impact on my musical tastes. As well as the classical radio station in Montreal, something very foreign and wonderful to my NW Ohio ears and brain.

[cixelsyd]

I don't recall seeing either of the items Jeff noted in the text of the proposals, just fyi. I hope he can post some examples of where the proposals mentioned an increase in the number of corps or audience, as I just don't recall reading that in the proposals.

Maybe you should read them again. It seemed clear enough to me that this excerpt from the amplification proposal asserted that the change was intended to increase audience:

Today --- When we go to Texas we see the possibility. The 11,000 people in the stands are predominantly students. They watch MTV, they listen to Rock and Rap, they do not attend the opera, they read Seventeen, and they look at drum corps, when we are at out best, as “ Rock Stars for Bands”. We give credence to what THEY DO. We are indeed, a personification of what is possible.

They love the excellence of drum corps. These kids love to see the THROW DOWN; they want us to go fast and play loud, and to let them have FUN.

None of this will change. The introverted pondering production will be the same, and the jovial, fun; fast paced, crowd-pleasing extravaganza will be that again ---- just more so.

In my opinion, we need to recognize that kids are in the stands. They grow up plugged in. We can show them it is not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.

Tomorrow – Our audience is declining. We have the facts.

This in mind, a reasonable evaluation would be that the young people are not coming into the stands to replace those who depart for reasons of their doing, and simply because they are called from this world.

There are 20,000 marching bands; there are 2 million young people in marching bands; DCI needs to go after these young people as our primary audience.

[cixelsyd]

This is a bit of an oversimplification, I'm afraid. "The consumer" - who is "the consumer?" Is it the legacy nut, or the potential modern marching member, or their parents, or the recently aged-out, or... you get my point. "The consumer" is a misnomer - there isn't likely one good definition of that group as it's so diverse.

Summing up a century of spectator trends in one sentence requires some simplification. You are correct to point out that the total audience is an amalgamation of people there to watch friends/family march, people drawn to the vicinity by a larger community event, people who are alumni and/or fans of the activity, and so on. Since both activities have alumni and marchers with family/friends, and both have staged events in conjunction with larger events in the community, it would appear from simple deduction that the difference must be in the "fan" category.

Adding instruments is not the problem. If a corps doesn't want to use the instruments, they don't have to.

You must be new here. We have had a number of lively discussions over the years regarding whether instruments added to DCI via rule change are "optional". I think you can answer that question just from observation. Take a look at the three recent rule changes -

Bb/F brass

pit amplification

electronic instruments

- and ask yourself how many DCI corps you see opting not to use any one of those components.

Herein lies the problem. People are confusing change in the activity (that they have a negative predisposition to) as the reason for its unsustainability.

I am not one of those people. I think the sustainability of competitive drum corps has been an issue throughout history.

What if I told you that drum corps "worked" 20 years ago because of the environment 20 years ago? What if I told you that maybe the changes are actually what's keeping DCI afloat, by keeping it familiar to BOA students and their families ($$$)? I'm not saying this is necessarily 100% the case, but the assumption that the changes are the reason for the activity's unsustainability is a little short-sighted to me.

Or maybe the unchanged aspects of drum corps are keeping it afloat.

[cixelsyd]

As for B (accommodate corps like Racine Scouts and Blue Saints with equal vigor as the Cadets and Blue Devils), drum corps isn't and shouldn't be a socialist collective where the workers share everything irrespective of their contribution. If the past 40 years of change in our society have proven anything, it is that vision doesn't work.

How so? I am not aware of any instance where that has been tried.

[CrownLeadSop]

I'll say it again - what if drum corps is being held afloat by amplification, modern show design, Bb horns, etc.? Do we have any indicator that these things are hurting the activity? Perhaps they stunted an otherwise unrecoverable decline. Maybe they're even the Captain Whitaker to our locked elevator. Many are quick to criticize amplification as the cause for the decline of the activity and look at drum corps audience size in a vacuum, when that's not only the wrong way of going about it but just generally irresponsible. Again, I'm not a huge fan of amplification, but I know a lot of high school band kids grew up with it and love it. They're the biggest segment of DCI's audience and it makes sense that DCI would go after them.

Also, I'm of the opinion that there's no such thing as the "good ole days" - mostly in a social/political sense, but I'm not sure it doesn't apply here. Is the product different than it was even just 20 years ago? Sure. Is it worse? I wouldn't necessarily say that. Just look at the reception Crown got "despite" using narration and vocals and amplification and purple pants.

[CrownLeadSop]

You must be new here. We have had a number of lively discussions over the years regarding whether instruments added to DCI via rule change are "optional". I think you can answer that question just from observation. Take a look at the three recent rule changes -

Bb/F brass

pit amplification

electronic instruments

- and ask yourself how many DCI corps you see opting not to use any one of those components.

Not new here - I just avoid this place as best I can, as do many other recent age-outs, current marching members, staff, etc. I wonder if it has something to do with discussions like these.

I similarly wonder if drum corps hopped on the bandwagon after seeing the things that they could do with new instruments and tools. Many rules changes take a few years for 100% adoption, no?

As to the question of fandom - my point is that the notion that DCI is "arguing with its fanbase" by introducing new instruments is not really that accurate. As the article above indicated, DCI wanted to target the youth in the marching band activity. Many that come from that activity are introduced through their band, and it's likely that their band is using microphones, etc. There's a deviation of the product by way of excellence, but otherwise, introducing Bb horns and amplification, DCI effectively knocks down a barrier for their target audience (and sole potential membership group).

[cixelsyd]

This argument about not changing Coke into orange juice doesn't make sense (even putting aside the fact that Coke has added cherry, lime and vanilla flavored Coke to its line-up). That Coke still sells the classic formula doesn't alter the fact that tastes have widened and changed and that Coke's soft drink business changed with them.

Do you think that is somehow analogous to this discussion? The idea being discussed (adding woodwinds to drum corps) does not widen the product line - it does the exact opposite. DCI would become marching band, a product that already exists, while the drum corps product would be taken away.

In this context, it particularly doesn't make sense because I'm certain you're not arguing that drum corps should have frozen itself in time, selling only one flavor forever.

You have that part correct. Drum corps has never been just one flavor. Not in 2013, not in 2003, not in 1993, not in 1933... not ever. And it has never been frozen in time, not even when rules remained in place from year to year.

[glory]

In 2005 I called a friend of mine that I aged out with to tell him that we had a mutual friend whose son was marching in the 2005 Blue Devils and they were going to be at the local show. He had been out of the DCI loop for a while and was rather excited to go see a show. We purchased tickets, and then went to the BD rehearsal site that afternoon to visit with our friend, see his son, catch the end of rehearsal, and see the run-through. After he saw and heard the run-through (Dance Derby) he went to our friend’s son and spoke some kind words to the kid; and after speaking with us for a while he then promptly went home. It had nothing to do with him being an old-school fart; he was just not interested in being screamed at by an amplified voice which distracted him from enjoying the corps. After much conversation I convinced him that the Dance Derby concept was just an abortion and that DCI was not going in the direction of the weird; so in 2006 we again decided to attend a show together. The White Rabbit concept from the Cadets was the final nail in the coffin; he has no interest in ever attending another DCI show.

(emphasis added by glory)

So someone who choose to remain out of the DCI loop was coaxed into returning to see a show by you. And his decision to remain out of the DCI loop is attributed to electronics. That doesn't hold water.

I think a fairer reading of the facts is someone abandoned drum corps when it was acoustic. Your friend made his choice before any plug went into any socket. The only blame attributable to electronics or amplified voice is not winning him back. Too bad you didn't invite him in 2011 instead.

HH

[glory]

...You must be new here. We have had a number of lively discussions over the years regarding whether instruments added to DCI via rule change are "optional". I think you can answer that question just from observation. Take a look at the three recent rule changes -

Bb/F brass

pit amplification

electronic instruments

- and ask yourself how many DCI corps you see opting not to use any one of those components ....

I know this might blow a few minds but think about this: Maybe all those corps actually think Bb, amps and electronic instrumentation are a good thing.

Folks here want to think corps went kicking and screaming into Bb and electronics. Allow me to suggest that wasn't the case. Different from the DCP mindset, they saw advantages and possibilities. No one was coerced or compelled. Truth.

HH

[cixelsyd]

As to the question of fandom - my point is that the notion that DCI is "arguing with its fanbase" by introducing new instruments is not really that accurate. As the article above indicated, DCI wanted to target the youth in the marching band activity.

Just to avoid confusion, the quote I think you are referring to above was not an article. It was an excerpt from the 2002 DCI rule change proposal to add amplification and electronics, authored by George Hopkins.

Many that come from that activity are introduced through their band, and it's likely that their band is using microphones, etc. There's a deviation of the product by way of excellence, but otherwise, introducing Bb horns and amplification, DCI effectively knocks down a barrier for their target audience (and sole potential membership group).

I do not see how the absence of amps or any other particular item equates to an audience "barrier". In fact, people are sometimes more curious to watch something they have not participated in. How many NASCAR fans have actually driven in such a race?

More importantly, there is a distinction between focused marketing to a demographic vs. targeting them to the exclusion of everyone else. If the latter was the proper course of action, then DCI should have just become a marching band circuit from the day they decided to focus on the youth demographic back in 1996. What do you think?