Jeff Ream Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 The Crusaders Sr. Corps would love to get recent age outs from the Boston Crusaders DCI corps, but we NEVER do. The fact is that most don't live in the Boston area, and today's drum corps kids have many musical options for them. I don't think alumni corps is an appealing option after they have competed at the top level of DCI. But a corps needs to replenish its membership to survive. Our first year in 1991, we had about 60 horns but attrition brought the number down to about 26. Now we are back up to about 50, of which only 7 or 8 are in the original group of 60. We have a full drum line of 19, and maybe one bass drummer was an original. One cymbal player was an original guard member. I don't think any guard members were original. We have had about 28 deaths over the years. We picked up some of our members from Light brigade and St. Kevins when those units broke up. i don't think kids today want to play the older music either 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted November 4, 2015 Author Share Posted November 4, 2015 (edited) Agree with Jeff Hanover started picking up more younger (non-family) members when they went away from all parade type music and started getting challenging charts. Challenging as lot more complex than anything I ever played. And to be honest I don't know how long I would enjoy playing stuff that didn't mean anything to me personally unless something else (like a challenge) was involved. And have heard some groups that seemed to play with the "If loud is good then louder is better" mentality which just kills the sound when playing inside. In WSM we got nailed on paying attention to how we blended with the rest of the horn line. Every horn instructor I ever had would cringe at what some corps put out. Not going to give names but ugh..... LOL when we could go to concerts they would be our "bathroom" (IOW hot dog) corps. Edited November 4, 2015 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Holland Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 (edited) I think you've got a mix of concerns going on here for membership in the ranks, and getting butts in the seats. But it all goes back to variety, and quality. First, regards to the show, you can only sit through so many corps who operate under the "louder is better" performance style. This has already been stated. Because instead of hearing those old charts played in good quality, you hear them blatted out with poor musicianship. Fix the quality, and it'll likely help numbers. Do you want to pay to see someone perform poorly, do you want to pay to see the exact same show as last year? Cabs and BAC Alumni play very well. Meaning tunes are in tune, and in time. They are playing the dynamics as they should be, and giving you variety to see and hear. I do not believe there are many other groups who do this from what I saw last season. The other concern about attendance is that the people who love those old style shows are dying off. It's hard to market this to a younger crowd when in band classes they see videos of DCI and DCA corps who are performing at an entirely different level than these groups. Its like buying that big LED flatscreen and mounting it on your wall. Then going into your kitchen to see your old college tube tv on the counter. Which would you pick to watch? As for getting people into the ranks of corps, its a quality and variety concern. My students don't have the desire to play parade style tunes over and over. They also don't look to join ensembles that don't play well, and most directors won't encourage students to go to groups that don't challenge them. If it sounds like an easy tune being played, and its played poorly, they don't even look twice at the ensemble on the field. They pull out their phone and go back to playing angry birds or whatever the heck it is they do. Edited November 4, 2015 by C.Holland 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Agree with Jeff Hanover started picking up more younger (non-family) members when they went away from all parade type music and started getting challenging charts. Challenging as lot more complex than anything I ever played. And to be honest I don't know how long I would enjoy playing stuff that didn't mean anything to me personally unless something else (like a challenge) was involved. And Hanover's horn line plays those challenging charts at a very high level for an alumni/exhibition corps, IMO. Such a great sound. Balanced, no one trying to be a hero and blow the bells off the horns. Always a pleasure to listen to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 Thanks Fran, by the time I left the horn line had a real mix of people. Mix had students, music teachers at all levels (including a community college) and bunch of other white and blue collar folks including ex-cop, airport worker, WalMart employee and guy who runs the family food truck. Charts from various sources and bravo to management for looking for these new charts and (I assume since I never heard) spending the money for them. Then we have a Bari playing horn instructor who wrote some stuff that had us shaking our heads. Some of us looked at those charts and thought "You gotta be kidding" but thru pride and going over the nasty runs v..e..r..y.. slowly we got it. LOL in 6 years of competing in the 70s only had a 16 note run one time and that was "Granda Smoothie" a concert number. <Bleep> our "Stars And Stripes" written by the horn instructor had some runs that made Smoothie look tame. And that was a parade number.... I was in during the parade to other types change over and I just remember hearing before the first (and my only) appearance at Plymouth the corps goal was to have a complete mix in the show. Complete mix = every song was different from every other song..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leanlion Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Many valid points stated and leads me to think that alumni corps might look to the very popular and free mini corps show on Friday night. For the most part quality, limited size and current musicianship standards are on display as competition is in play. For some alumni units standing around on a football field and blowing it out their *** isn't an appealing sight for an audience on a weekend morning. Witnessing a corps at far less than their glory days can be painful at times. An important part of the DCA weekend is the sense of gathering one final time or once again. Picking up the sticks or testing their lips is priority for some but fraternity and story telling at a friendly tavern seems a better use of their time. Going to the Hall of Fame luncheon can bring back the good times and updating their resume. Alumni corps are more a reflection of how important your participation was to you at some point in the distance past and truly a sweet memory. But the truth be told the word alumni today doesn't reflect the actual membership but rather a tribute to tunes that seemed important at the time. Heritage is important and to be done well is worth the effort but to be a shell of what it once was is melancholy enterprise. All this said, I am amazed by the number of alumni corps that have come and gone over the years or evolved into a new ensemble. The drum corps effect lingers on long past your salad days and goes to show how permanent the memories are. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajlisko Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 >>Alumni corps are more a reflection of how important your participation was to you at some point in the distance past and truly a sweet memory. But the truth be told the word alumni today doesn't reflect the actual membership but rather a tribute to tunes that seemed important at the time. Heritage is important and to be done well is worth the effort but to be a shell of what it once was is melancholy enterprise.<< This is a TERRIFIC statement ... the interjection of "heritage" and "tribute" are extremely accurate and insightful ... kudos to the author who wrote this ... Thanks ... :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Holland Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 I concur with this statement. Heck, if they set up the largest ballroom at the convention center for an Alumni Spectacular, or found a nice place outdoors downtown for standstills, put out a cash bar and brought it some food trucks, this might feature the groups better than a mostly empty stadium. Make it like a festival atmosphere. Heck, hey DCA... give me a call I'll help you organize it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 I concur with this statement. Heck, if they set up the largest ballroom at the convention center for an Alumni Spectacular, or found a nice place outdoors downtown for standstills, put out a cash bar and brought it some food trucks, this might feature the groups better than a mostly empty stadium. Make it like a festival atmosphere. Heck, hey DCA... give me a call I'll help you organize it. Or do what a few of the competing and alumni corps already do...play outside the convention center around the river on Friday and Saturday nights. Heck, the amount of people hanging around both inside and outside watching those corps "rehearse" absolutely dwarfs the Alumni Spectacular attendance, at least by my observations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Or do what a few of the competing and alumni corps already do...play outside the convention center around the river on Friday and Saturday nights. Heck, the amount of people hanging around both inside and outside watching those corps "rehearse" absolutely dwarfs the Alumni Spectacular attendance, at least by my observations. The Cabs Alumni ensemble run outside their hotel on Saturday night each year is like its own street festival. Always a big crowd for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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