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Significance of the new MiM ( aka DCI G7 corps) Fall shows?


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Surely someone will determine if these shows impact BOA or other circuit shows...

Well, it becomes an option if you want to plan to attend and how it relates to your main strategy for the fall. As you say- if it gets in the way of an essential event, yeah could be an issue.

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Surely someone will determine if these shows impact BOA or other circuit shows...

the only BOA regional close to Annapolis is a few weeks prior. if MIM starts running head to head against BOA, then we'll see. if anything it may impact local circuits more

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Surely someone will determine if these shows impact BOA or other circuit shows...

We'll see once the lineups are released.

Thing is that some Western states have marching band into late November/ early December. An October 18th show (SLC) is pretty early in their season.

I'd think that the USBands Regional show in Las Vegas in November 1st would compete with the BOA Regional show in St. George on the same date.

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Based on what ??? It's very easy to be a hater and spew out random comments with no basis...

in my opinion, there is a different level of professionalism at USBands shows vs. BOA shows, in terms of the judging, but perhaps more importantly, in terms of how the shows are operated from a logistics stand point and how the show sites are organized... in general the day seems to flow a lot smoother at BOA shows.

in my experience.

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Why would BOA pursue a partnership with DCI which disrupts their current (successful) event model?

Frankly, the guys judging at a BOA event and doing Sunday clinics on request are largely already the same folks they'd be "gaining" from any partnership. I know this is a DCI board, and we get a bit of myopia here at times, but the reality is that DCI should be pursuing a partnership with BOA, not the other way around - and I'm not sure BOA would be all that interested. They know what they're doing, and don't need the "help."

BOA runs events. Does a really good job of it, and they don't use corps people or band people. They use events people. Their legal ducks are in a row, they're back on solid financial footing, they're managed extremely well (and consistently, which is a not insignificant point given the context of YEA...), they have great relationships with the venues, and every detail of every show is relentlessly scouted, planned, and controlled. That and the promise that BOA judges are arguably better in consistency of commentary and professionalism than what you're going to find at any other high school band show add up to a value to the customers - high school band directors. Listen to what the band directors on this thread have been quietly saying, and realize that for every band student with a corps affiliation, there's over 100 without it. BOA doesn't need DCI. DCI needs BOA more so than the inverse.

Someone made the point that USBANDS is overextended - their resources don't match their vision. This seems like it could be an attempt to overcome that structural deficiency, and I hope they succeed. Consistency of the brand is a problem with that circuit, and it starts at the top, I'm afraid. These are problems that BOA doesn't have. If there would be some sort of formal agreement between DCI and BOA to partner on events, there had better be some analysis that it's something which is making their shows demonstrably better, rather than change for the sake of "cool! DCI!"

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Okay, we now have the location of the four shows:

Denton, Texas

Salt Lake City, (Northern) Utah

Annapolis, Maryland

Atlanta, Georgia

I see no problem with these four shows on the dates given. I am surprised they are not running a show in the neighborhood of BD/SCV, which as far as I know would be a logical location.

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I find these comments interesting. The high school marching band world I more expansive than I thought.

Regarding band shows--it's possible that a unit could bring as many as 300 fans to a show when you consider parents would attend, friends of those who march may attend, and schools can usually count on people who will go to show school spirit. So a local or regional band show has the potential to be well attended, and from the comments mentioned thus far as well as various comments on other threads, this seems to be the case.

While this seems to be an activity that has been growing and continues to grow, which is good, I am not sure if a G7 model would work. One reason involves support. Do people who do not have children involved or a connection to a marcher attend these shows and are there enough to make it profitable? I know I travel far and wide to attend drum corps shows and I do not know too many marchers and have not known someone who has marched that I would attend a show just to support that person for years, but I attend because I love drum corps. I know I attend high school shows on occasion but it has always been to support relatives and children of friends. I don't go if I do not attend a connection which has no bearing on whether a band is good or bad. This brings me to point number two: I travel for drum corps shows. When I go to Indy, Allentown is on my itinerary and I may take a trip to DC, New York, Amish Country, or Pittsburg as I travel. It's part of my vacation and an extended road trip. Can fans take the time in the fall to make these trips? Now for my third point, would schools allow kids to miss classes to travel to these events? There had been talk about ten years ago of trying to start a NCAA type basketball championship for high schools and attendance was the roadblock. Add to this the expenses involved and safety and liability issues. Even as a summer activity, some of my issues would remain.

In theory, this may be an interesting idea, but in reality, I'm not sure it could happen.

Edited by Tim K
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Why would BOA pursue a partnership with DCI which disrupts their current (successful) event model?

Frankly, the guys judging at a BOA event and doing Sunday clinics on request are largely already the same folks they'd be "gaining" from any partnership. I know this is a DCI board, and we get a bit of myopia here at times, but the reality is that DCI should be pursuing a partnership with BOA, not the other way around - and I'm not sure BOA would be all that interested. They know what they're doing, and don't need the "help."

BOA runs events. Does a really good job of it, and they don't use corps people or band people. They use events people. Their legal ducks are in a row, they're back on solid financial footing, they're managed extremely well (and consistently, which is a not insignificant point given the context of YEA...), they have great relationships with the venues, and every detail of every show is relentlessly scouted, planned, and controlled. That and the promise that BOA judges are arguably better in consistency of commentary and professionalism than what you're going to find at any other high school band show add up to a value to the customers - high school band directors. Listen to what the band directors on this thread have been quietly saying, and realize that for every band student with a corps affiliation, there's over 100 without it. BOA doesn't need DCI. DCI needs BOA more so than the inverse.

Someone made the point that USBANDS is overextended - their resources don't match their vision. This seems like it could be an attempt to overcome that structural deficiency, and I hope they succeed. Consistency of the brand is a problem with that circuit, and it starts at the top, I'm afraid. These are problems that BOA doesn't have. If there would be some sort of formal agreement between DCI and BOA to partner on events, there had better be some analysis that it's something which is making their shows demonstrably better, rather than change for the sake of "cool! DCI!"

Mostly agree, but one minor point. Mostly for clarification, not disagreement.

DCI would absolutely be the one to benefit the most. And that reason is because MFA/BOA already leans heavily on the drum corps community, leaders and educators. The post above seems to imply a more complete disconnect. While DCI and the corps are not operational, the people of drum corps are a vast and heavily utilized resource for MFA/BOA.

Take a look at this year's Summer Symposium brochure. (warning, 16 pages of PDF file)

LINK ----> http://musicforall.org/images/PDFs/2014/Summer_Symposium/Brochures/MFAcamp14brochure.pdf

I do understand that the show/camp operations are run entirely (and successfully) by BOA/MFA folks at the functional level. But short of the page on Jazz and the page on Strings, you'll be hard pressed to find another page of the 14 that doesn't include multiple references to specific drum corps, or naming leadership and staff. So, they do lean on drum corps folks. And without a DCI brand link.

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I do understand that the show/camp operations are run entirely (and successfully) by BOA/MFA folks at the functional level. But short of the page on Jazz and the page on Strings, you'll be hard pressed to find another page of the 14 that doesn't include multiple references to specific drum corps, or naming leadership and staff. So, they do lean on drum corps folks. And without a DCI brand link.

Wholeheartedly agree, and that was kinda my point. They separate operations and education, and their education staff already include the same people they'd be getting from any kind of formal DCI branding - but the MFA contacts are already more extensive than DCI's because they reach out to college and high school educators, as well as professional artists, that DCI has no relationship with.

BOA, DCI, and WGI run in parallel. Same people, different structures.

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