truman Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I've been active in the activity since 1975 and have long stated, "Drum corps is whatever drum corps becomes." Agreed sir, but that does not mean it cannot become whatever we want it to become. We can make choices and decisions that will control this evolution. What do those who are in control of making decisions today have as a vision? That is always the crucial component when implementing change, and the thing we require to buy in or to support changes. I truly believe DCI needs to consider changes they make, no matter how small, that secure the buy in of every fan they have already. If there is a chance that the change will alienate or disengage any of their current fan base, it must be weighed with utmost care and concern. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I've been active in the activity since 1975 and have long stated, "Drum corps is whatever drum corps becomes." Drum corps has become an activity in which far fewer participate than was the case in 1975. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) Agreed sir, but that does not mean it cannot become whatever we want it to become. We can make choices and decisions that will control this evolution. What do those who are in control of making decisions today have as a vision? That is always the crucial component when implementing change, and the thing we require to buy in or to support changes. I truly believe DCI needs to consider changes they make, no matter how small, that secure the buy in of every fan they have already. If there is a chance that the change will alienate or disengage any of their current fan base, it must be weighed with utmost care and concern. It would be ok if here in 2014 we all were having this disccusion on divided opinion on these changes amidst a growing activity where new Corps were emerging to replace the disbanded Corps, where new fans were coming into the activity in larger numbers than the numbers of fans that have left. But its not. Despite all the changes, all the permutations, all the accommodations to the marching band community over the years, all the marching talent at the staffs disposal, etc the Drum Corps community is struggling to keep itself afloat, and have a fan base that is growing in large enough numbers sufficient enough for future long term sustainability. Edited February 11, 2014 by BRASSO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) Drum corps has become an activity in which far fewer participate than was the case in 1975. same with Boy Scouts, CYOs, American Legions, VFWs, Boys and Girls clubs Community clubs...etc etc..........different world...............Although I do think HS band participation has increased and a much higher quality from BITD Edited February 11, 2014 by GUARDLING 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Is DCI's leadership so out of touch that they didn't realize that this news would result in an enormous outcry from the fans? It was obviously going to leak and need to be addressed sooner than the weekly email. When the director of our company (an arts organization) parted ways with us last year, our staff called all key constituents (several score people), sent an email to all our customers (many thousands of people), and crafted a statement for the press (a couple dozen outlets), and made members of the leadership team available for interviews, and all of this was completed in the same day. And we have a smaller budget than DCI. again...when you have an internal power struggle, what seems like a good idea and smart busines to some is seen as a waste of time and resources to others 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 An you know this as factual? Would it make any sense to do those things? Maybe there's a Nawlin's Jazz Ensemble and we see a sousa and trombones. Cool. Maybe someone wants to do the Firebird Finale with a fantastic french horn player mic'd up. Very cool. THOSE things make sense. Replacing tubas with sousas for the whole show? Makes no sense. Replacing mellos with horns for the whole show? Again -- makes no sense. DCP contains the largest collection of 'chicken littles' on the web. It truly is the SLIDEPOCALYPSE !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 The Blue Devils in the last couple of years, The Cavaliers, and Phantom Regiment all used non traditional instuments for a solo spot (I believe a flugle horn, A soprano and heralding horns--am not sure of the names) and there did not seem to be a big reaction to it (mostly positive if i remember). ANd though it is difficult to imagine doing the drills corps do today with a line of trombones, would having one as a soloist really be that different from some of the other soli we have heard with different instruments? I am just trying to see the difference. The flugel horn isn't non traditional. Crossmen used a line of them recently and some corps have historically had flugel horns in the line before. Not new. The Herald horns were novel, but not that different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrownLeadSop Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Possible ways to reduce costs: - less staff. seriously people, some of the corps have 75 people teaching/planning/designing. while the salaries for individual positions are meager, cut several and save more. in addition it'll be a reduction in mouths to feed (food cost), bus weight (fuel), flights in and out of camps/rehearsal locations. - is there a way to negotiate housing costs? how much is being charged here? - i agree with what was stated earlier about bringing the number of participants down from 150 to something less than that. yet again, less food cost, fuel, etc. Here's the thing about staffing: if you cut staff members, you have to pay others more money to stay on longer. Staffing is not an hourly gig, you generally get a set base for the summer paid out over the course of it. So people that are planning to be on all summer long would likely demand higher pay. The people that are in and out (your band directors, designers and generally the A-list guys) probably won't stay on longer even if you do pay them more, but you've gotta have coverage and get instruction done daily, so you have to pay others to come and cover. Or, you could fire all of your talented instructors, the quality of the product would go down and you'd make less money in souvie sales, etc. No one does it for the money, but even fewer do it for no money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Drum corps has become an activity in which far fewer participate than was the case in 1975. I've got to disagree. When I was in high school marching band in the early 1970s, there were just two "corps style" bands in the state of Illinois...the Dundee Scots and Herscher. (A couple years later, Irving Crown, Dundee's neighbor, became hot.) Now, it seems every band is what we would have called "corps style" back in the day. What happened? Corps members went out into the marching band world and took their training to the bands, and directors started recruiting such people to keep up with the other bands. Therefore, there are MORE kids now getting their drum corps "fix" in their own marching band, unlike in my day, when that wasn't an option. The influence of drum corps is far beyond what we see on the field in August in Indianapolis. There was a newspaper article in Indiana a few years ago that revealed a number of the most competitive marching bands were spending $280,000 ON AVERAGE on the creation and instruction of their field shows, plus equipment and other items. Heck, if it wasn't for the marching bands, lots of high schools wouldn't have a single marimba. Now, lots of high schools have multiple marimbas, vibes and everything else they can fit in their front ensembles. Where did that come from? Drum corps. Who taught the kids how to march? Drum corps kids who became instructors. Who teaches the school drum lines and guards? Kids who came out of DCI and WGI. The drum corps scene is more active than ever, but more and more of it happens during the late summer and autumn. In many schools, kids are paying special fees to be in their high school marching bands to help cover travel and other expenses. That is money they don't have for summer drum corps. College tuition keeps going up and up. That is money they don't have for summer drum corps. The expense of running a drum corps can't be pinned largely on electronics, amplification and what else comes along...The major expenses include travel and insurance, which have increased over the past years almost exponentially. Yes, corps have had to get trucks that can transport more stuff, but that's not where the activity has taken the biggest financial hit. But I return to the point I wanted most to make: More kids than ever are getting the drum corps experience. We just don't see them on the DCI tour. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Maybe someone wants to do the Firebird finale with a fantastic French horn player mic'd up. Very cool. We need to have an actual French horn for that solo part, just like symphony orchestras would have! And we need to need to mike the soloist, just like symph--er... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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