Barifonium Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 LOL corps of mystery already...... Reminds me of Impulse. Everywhere we went we were from somewhere different according to the announcer xD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueStainGlass Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) I would like to see the Glassmen return... but I doubt that will ever happen. There have been rumors of alumni bringing them back under a different name until the Glassmen name is cleared of debt. I spent alot of time researching these groups and Freedom is a scary one. 19 year old is in charge and not everything seems ready for Open Class. Soundsport maybe but a tour will probably fold them in a season. Edited January 31, 2015 by BlueStainGlass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Since you used to work in this area..... Last time I was in Huntington was for a relatives wedding. About the same time thinking of getting a cell phone so decided to buy one before we left. Go to a kiosk in the Cap City Mall and asked what was their coverage in WV. Was told all the major cities but nothing in between. Told the guy that wasn't what we needed and started to leave. In a REAL snarky voice he asked why we would care about non-major areas as "there is nothing to call anyway". My response: "Well if a coal truck runs me off the side of the ####### mountain in the middle of nowhere. Being able to call 911 is a REAL good idea.". Seriously that was one of the reasons why we bought the phone but man did this clown #### me off. Just too many trips before the Interstate went thru. Gotta love the old drum corps stories... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) Not expecting this to make drum corps a household name, but it is good to see new corps starting up. I hope we can retain this growth. The DCI birth rate was declining over the decades as things got more expensive, and the hundreds of pre-existing corps and closely related organizations dried up. Around the turn of the millenium, DCI evaluation policy and rules weeded out startups of less than 30 members, further lowering the birth rate. I think the SoundSport program shows that DCI is reaching out to startups, providing an intermediate stage for new programs who do not yet have the full show, full membership or full travel range of a field competitor. That seems to be encouraging people to take that leap. That's possible. I sense though that these corps are started by people who have no idea if anyone is going to join, and are surprised when they do. I don't know that SoundSport causes them to start a corps, but it's possible. However, it's always possible that for a long time several people each year have tried to start corps, but only now are enough students showing up to call DCI and say, "Its on.". Edited January 31, 2015 by Pete Freedman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spencerg98 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 There have been rumors of alumni bringing them back under a different name until the Glassmen name is cleared of debt. That's nice to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdees Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 To their credit, DCI comes in an audits a new corps. They have a whole long laundry list of things they have to go to before DCI will allow them to be scheduled into shows. Which, hopefully will prevent the "Hey, let's start a drum corps" mentality and then get halfway through a tour and run out of money.. Soundsport is a great idea in concept, and hopefully once some kinks int he system get worked out it'll be a new stepping stone for small performance groups to build a base and move up in size in a smart, measured way. The concept of a shorter tour is also an excellent idea. Ending a regional tour at a large regional show would be ideal for the open class/soundsport units. Not necessarily heading to finals to start, then building to it eventually. And cheaper instruments (or members bringing their own) was one of the reasons given early on for going to Bb. Maybe it didn't help much then but is helping now.... I always found this theory amusing, my soprano (bought during a stint at a sr corps) cost way less than my trumpet. And that's the one I bought , the ones I actually used would barely earn scrap metal prices... but I loved those 2 valve chrome DEGs!! There have been rumors of alumni bringing them back under a different name until the Glassmen name is cleared of debt. I spent alot of time researching these groups and Freedom is a scary one. 19 year old is in charge and not everything seems ready for Open Class. Soundsport maybe but a tour will probably fold them in a season. Southwind is climbing back purely due to the efforts of a dedicated group of alumni. It's magical to see it happen. If your corps is long gone and you wanna bring it back to the field, it can be done. The impetus for the return of Southwind started with a Facebook page and an idea that we wanted to give kids the opportunities and experiences we all had (and not to be over dramatic, but changed the direction of our lives). It helps we have an alumni base (as I imagine more corps do) that kept in touch and who all have expertise in everything!! From a federal judge to marketeers to instructors to MBAs. I left the activity for a few years, and a lot changed (an I can't honestly say it was for all the better... my opinion). The worst of the changes (IMHO) is the loss of having a lot corps around to provide the life experiences to those of us who may not be the best musicians or have the money to drop $5000 on a summer tour. More than the B-flat change or the addition of mics and electronics (ugh), this bothered me the most. I'm extremely happy to see that DCI has recognized this issue and is seemingly taking steps to remedy the situation. I hope this continues. End of rant. Good night all! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandandl Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) Does anyone remember the saga of the 3 years worth of press releases DCI and fans suffered in the early '80s from a character out in Anaheim, Cal area who had (almost) everyone convinced he was bringing back a drum corps there to build on where the Anaheim Kingsmen and (original) Anaheim Velvet Knights left off? He even had photos of unis, equipt., volunteers, etc. but never of any membership. Needless to say, the corps never did take the field anywhere. Similar thing happened in late '80s with a Lion of Judah corps from Northern Florida. Lot of noise and press releases, no kids, no corps. Unfortunately today with a computer and some clever words, anyone can create a corps....in their own minds. (Not poking fun at the DCP Fantasy League.) But of course, you know the difference between neurotics and psychotics: neurotics build castles (corps) in the air. Psychotics live in them. IMHO, no new "corps" should ever be presented as news outside their area until an actual performance by same has occurred. Too many bogus situations abound. Edited January 31, 2015 by xandandl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroopAlum12 Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 To be fair, some of these corps really have taken some very good steps to ensure stability, too. Because some friends of mine are involved, I've been following the development of The Battalion out of Provo. They've been in existence for a while now, holding fundraisers and advertising/recruiting like mad. This winter they started hosting camps, with pretty good turnouts. All of this, and they aren't planning to apply for membership until next year, and then with a very limited tour. Planning things out years in advance, taking baby steps, and not moving on until the foundations are secure (aka good business!) If more startups did this, I think we would see a much higher survival rate in Open Class, and maybe even a higher rate of corps advancing to World Class status. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 To be fair, some of these corps really have taken some very good steps to ensure stability, too. Because some friends of mine are involved, I've been following the development of The Battalion out of Provo. They've been in existence for a while now, holding fundraisers and advertising/recruiting like mad. This winter they started hosting camps, with pretty good turnouts. All of this, and they aren't planning to apply for membership until next year, and then with a very limited tour. Planning things out years in advance, taking baby steps, and not moving on until the foundations are secure (aka good business!) If more startups did this, I think we would see a much higher survival rate in Open Class, and maybe even a higher rate of corps advancing to World Class status. So if they aren't applying for membership until next year, what are those kids at the camps going to do this year? If I were starting a corps (that is, if I thought the base financial stream was reasonably solid for a few years at least. Ha ha.) I would spend one or two years learning how to manage a drum corps by volunteering, talking to every director and instructor I could find, talking also to every drum corps financial adviser and fundraiser I could find (these people are often not around at at shows, so I would have to meet with them at their home offices.) as well as attracting instructor interest, a brand identity and connections with local performing arts teachers and funders, if any. Basically take a lot of people to lunch. I'd establish the parent organization (i.e. fundraising) brand first, and make sure every music and dance teacher within 100 miles understands the intent. Once the trigger is pulled (holding auditions) it's full steam ahead to do a DCI Open Class partial tour. Look how easy that was to say. Much harder to do. I so admire all these new efforts, and for some reason I believe most of these will be around in five years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroopAlum12 Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 So if they aren't applying for membership until next year, what are those kids at the camps going to do this year? Training. Educational camps, basically. They are going to continue to hold the occasional camp until they start touring, getting the kids who are interested drum corps ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.