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The Inevitable Woodwind


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Wouldn't this also add a bus full of $3,000.00 tour fees as well?

Tour fees wouldn't come close to covering all the added costs. Then there's the question of whether you'd be able to fill up those new woodwind sections or not, assuming that you make room for the woodwinds by adding new spots to corps rather than cutting brass, percussion, and guard spots. Is there really enough interest out there? That's a question that hasn't been answered. Then lost fees from upset donors, potentially lower ticket revenues (these are much more serious concerns with woodwinds than they were with earlier changes) . . . I can't see anyone but Hopkins wanting this.

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That's certainly true, but I always thought he never did it because he knows that Cadets NEED DCI. Being 10-time World Champions and perennial contenders only happens if you're in DCI competing against everyone.

But money is also a huge factor. When Star left DCI and showed the activity the blueprint on how to be viable, if not outright successful, as a non-competing organization, I assume no one followed because the heart of that blueprint = a HUGE benefactor.

And I also wonder if those organizations would lose alumni/fan financial support/donations straying too far from the activity.

And it's also interesting that Blast! and Brass Theater were successful enough to spawn world tours over a decade later while still utilizing what is essentially 2014 instrumentation. Woodwinds, however, never took off.

That, on top of the myriad of logistical problems w/woodwinds already mentioned, suggest wide-spread woodwind use is certainly NOT inevitable anytime soon.

there's more to it than that. DCI owns the materials of the Cadets from 1972 to the day they leave. all video/dvd/cd...it's DCI's. Cadets can't use it without having to pay.

and yes the Bill Cook factor says a lot about Blast. Shockwave never really did anything.But woodwinds will happen. Could be a year, could be 15 years, but it'll happen

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That's true, but the vast majority of front ensemble equipment is pretty durable: and still sounds great made out of durable material (unlike a plastic clarinet, for example).

You're right about front ensembles becoming cumbersome with equipment, and they definitely have grown throughout the years. But I think there's a difference between lots of instruments vs lots of really delicate instrumnts

even if one of the arguments for passing amps was that pits would shrink.

oops

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No need to be snarky - I did, in fact, read your post. I just don't think that it's going to be any kind of impediment at all to corps using woodwinds, as they have not so far shown much interest in the costs of their previous changes.

Mike

Not trying to be snarky; and FWIW THIS argument is a good counterpoint to what I said.

I guess at this point we're ALL speculating. If woodwinds pass or not, it wouldn't surprise me either way. In my mind, the logistical nightmares of woodwinds in DCI are equal to the finances of upkeeping ww's, and I suspect anyone who teaches HS band and has to constantly deal with woodwinds would agree. It wouldn't surprise me if woodwinds pass, but it also wouldn't surprise me if corps directors & staffers aren't willing to deal with those nightmares anytime soon.

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Let's also not forget, when the addition of anything goes over well for a successful corps, we almost certainly will see MORE of whatever that 'thing' was the following year among other corps. Madison will likely do a very nice job with the trombone addition. If Madison scores well this year, the crowd loves them (pretty much as always) but also heavily praises their use of trombones, and they receive special positive mention on trombones from judges, etc. you can 'bet the house' on other corps including them in the future, together with items like saxaphones.

Just imagine how things would have changed if a Jersey Surf-type presentation placed in the top 3 at Finals!

Edited by Fred Windish
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Just imagine how things would have changed if a Jersey Surf-type presentation placed in the top 3 at Finals!

Man.... I wish!!!

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Let's also not forget, when the addition of anything goes over well for a successful corps, we almost certainly will see MORE of whatever that 'thing' was the following year among other corps. Madison will likely do a very nice job with the trombone addition. If Madison scores well this year, the crowd loves them (pretty much as always) but also heavily praises their use of trombones, and they receive special positive mention on trombones from judges, etc. you can 'bet the house' on other corps including them in the future, together with items like saxaphones.

Just imagine how things would have changed if a Jersey Surf-type presentation placed in the top 3 at Finals!

nothing would have changed..IMO...shows like that are usually a single corps..just like back in the day.....Bayonne...then VK.......if thats what you were saying.......

Edited by GUARDLING
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Just imagine how things would have changed if a Jersey Surf-type presentation placed in the top 3 at Finals!

Well, if they were actually clean, that'd help...

On the flip side Crown did pretty well with a rock show, Cadets made Top 3 with a Christmas show and SCV did well with a mainstream literal translation of a hit Broadway Musical. Bluecoats also did great placing 5th last year with a pretty mainstream, mass-appealing-design type of show.

It's easy, I think, with such diverse show designs that there are MANY different ways to "entertain" in a broad sense.

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