Where is DCI headed?

[Daave]

I like the sounds of good bands, and good choirs, and good orchestras, and good drum corps. I just do not accept the premise that for drum corps to survive it needs to become a homogenous marching band activity. I get it. That is the trend. I just think we would be losing a unique performance/audience experience.

It is my understanding that the instructor's caucus proposes or is involved in a process by which they are consulted about proposals that are brought up prior to being presented and voted on. We are told that the instructors and designers want it and that is reason enough.

If I am correct, then (in your experience), how many others have openly expressed that they feel as you do regarding the recent changes and proposals?

Is it to few? Or, are there more than we might imagine and they are being discounted?

[Amil Muzz]

It is my understanding that the instructor's caucus proposes or is involved in a process by which they are consulted about proposals that are brought up prior to being presented and voted on. We are told that the instructors and designers want it and that is reason enough.

If I am correct, then (in your experience), how many others have openly expressed that they feel as you do regarding the recent changes and proposals?

Is it to few? Or, are there more than we might imagine and they are being discounted?

I couldn't represent the drum corps I teach because it was too expensive to send me. There were other corps that did not send people for various reasons. I do think the majority of Corps Directors wanted this, for reasons I can't explain other than the vapid reasons like, more kids (money) and more creative (questionable).

I would love to know who was in the room and what was said. Clearly, with a 17-3 vote, there wasn't much discussion.

[perc2100]

I like the sounds of good bands, and good choirs, and good orchestras, and good drum corps. I just do not accept the premise that for drum corps to survive it needs to become a homogenous marching band activity. I get it. That is the trend. I just think we would be losing a unique performance/audience experience.

Do you think this is driven by "survival?" I think it's more of a creative decision than anything else, with a supplemental benefit of potentially attracting a broader base of musicians (trombone players). I'm not sure this is a survival/reactionary type decision, and there are a TON of other things DCI could/would do if in survival mode.

[MikeD]

I couldn't represent the drum corps I teach because it was too expensive to send me. There were other corps that did not send people for various reasons. I do think the majority of Corps Directors wanted this, for reasons I can't explain other than the vapid reasons like, more kids (money) and more creative (questionable).

I would love to know who was in the room and what was said. Clearly, with a 17-3 vote, there wasn't much discussion.

If you read Mason's actual proposal, there was no mention of "more kids". I've seen many a post here claiming that, but unless I missed it, there was no mention of anything like that in the proposal. The creative reasons were stated, as well as permitting trombonists to play on their actual primary instruments, IF their corps chose to march a trombone section.

[Amil Muzz]

If you read Mason's actual proposal, there was no mention of "more kids". I've seen many a post here claiming that, but unless I missed it, there was no mention of anything like that in the proposal. The creative reasons were stated, as well as permitting trombonists to play on their actual primary instruments, IF their corps chose to march a trombone section.

It was mentioned during the talks in Phoenix, from what I was told. It was also a point mason stressed in his interview with Potter. It is continually trotted out when talked about in relation to adding woodwinds.

[tesmusic]

I couldn't represent the drum corps I teach because it was too expensive to send me. There were other corps that did not send people for various reasons. I do think the majority of Corps Directors wanted this, for reasons I can't explain other than the vapid reasons like, more kids (money) and more creative (questionable).

I would love to know who was in the room and what was said. Clearly, with a 17-3 vote, there wasn't much discussion.

Because there is nothing official, including the 17-3 number, as of yet.

[tesmusic]

I know for sure that DCI will be in Lisle, Illinois in July.

Oh, that's not what this thread is about?

[jjeffeory]

Well, I think the end game should be for DCI to be more heavily invested in marching bands and music education. Adding all brass and woodwinds makes this possible in the future but this is really more about the long run goal than the short run. Thats not to say that I don't think "pure" drum corps shouldn't exist but I think this goal is only possible if the best in the world are legitimate marching bands that allow any and all instruments. It doesn't even have to be DCI that does it but i think that there are hundreds of thousands of students in band but nothing really centralized corralling, promoting, educating or endorsing them besides band circuits who do little but host competitions. It's not enough. The divides between corps, band, orchestra, wind, choral, dance, color guard etc. make the Arts weak and DCI is really the only activity that could bring it all together strengthen it and give it a powerful comeback and reorganization nation wide.......

I mean if there is any symptom that the arts are in trouble its evident here. That people start flame wars and threatening to abandon an activity because we add a trombone. That's why the Arts struggle and THAT is "sad".

Its about the music, not instrumentation.

It's a double edged sword. What you’re describing sounds like DCI should become BOA or Music for All.

This "vertical integration" or homogenization of musical ensemble types is a sure sign that all of the marching arts are dying and a little dangerous for the entire activity really.

If they’re going to do that, just do it. Rip off the “band-aid” right now, tick off the people who are going to leave, and then we can all know where we stand and move forward.

BOA tried the summer marching band thing and failed in the 70s. That was DCI’s thing. Now it looks like DCI is trying the BOA thing and making itself less special in the process. Hope it doesn’t bring down the whole thing… This is just like other business who remake their product in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience. Most of them lose something in the process that turns off their core paying customers.

Also, BOA isn’t where most of the bands go; most bands go to their local circuits. BOA is darned expensive as well.

[jjeffeory]

Could DCI ever make much use of woodwinds beyond miking a handful of miked soloists? A major appeal of drum corps as opposed to marching bands is power. Even the top BOA bands with 250+ members can't achieve that power, because half their instruments can only be clearly heard when the other half play very softly, and preferably when standing still. In which case it will do DCI very little good in terms of increased membership to add woodwinds--and if corps can accommodate only a few woodwind players, it won't generate that much goodwill in scholastic band programs either.

But I would have said the same of allowing synthesizers, trombones, or French horns. Synthesizers allowed corps to add one or two new keyboardists each--possibly at the expense of a brass or percussion player, since membership wasn't raised from 150 to 152. French horns surely will not march. Only trombones have any chance of being used in serious numbers, but it's far from certain that the half-dozen baritone players bumped from each corps who takes on the same number of trombonists instead are going to switch to other corps who could use them.

Yes, DCI could add woodwinds and it would probably be ok. I've heard some BOA bands that are plenty powerful.

The lead bari part would just now be played by trombones, just like in marching band parts. Could have used tromboniuns (lol), but these aren't big problems.

The visual will be a problem from time to time, but I've seen contra pileups from many of the corps over the years... The trombones just don't visually mesh, but their sound isn't unfamiliar to corps via their valved equivalent.

[jjeffeory]

And others say it's the experience and not the instruments. Problem is how do you sell experience and "best of the best" to people when all they can see (or care to see) is: group with x set of instruments = group with x set of instruments...... IOW - how much musical expertice do you need to be able to pick out a DC is doing a show better than a MB.... especially when they don't know (or care) the amount of time/effort corps put in as compared to MB.

...you can't. It's just silly to say: "you're really good; you're a drumcorps. When you started the season and weren't very good and you didn't have this experience, you were a marching band then. Now you're totally awesome; you're a drum corps". It's just mind boggling to me. It's the instruments that make a Drum Corps distinct from a marching band, or an orchestra, or a brass band, or symphony, or the Marines...