40 year dominance

[MikeN]

3 hours ago, snake33 said:

OK, you got me, their B Corps did not dominate the lower division the entire time but what a great new perk. Now a grass roots Corps out there somewhere east has even less of a chance to make it. 

As a board member at a relatively young OC corps, I can state definitively BDB has no bearing whatsoever on whether my corps “makes it.” If anything, I admire the heck out of how they do things, and have asked the org for advice before.

Dont get hung up on scores. It’s hard, because ... you know... *scores*... but enjoy the awesome shows we’re getting from everyone.  

Mike

[bayareafan]

No offense, but to me this thread is kind of much ado over nothing.  BD has been the most consistently strong corps, but I don't think that has been bad for the activity.  If anything, it makes other corps work harder to try and beat BD.  I've been watching drum corps shows since the early 80's and while the number of corps has shrank, the performance level across the board has improved dramatically.  DCI shrank because it wasn't sustainable to have so many corps.  DCI has now right-sized to what is a sustainable number of corps for the activity.  Participation and attendance at shows has been growing for quite a number of years there's just no doubt that corps today perform better on average than ever before.  So corps have gotten better and fan interest is rising despite BD being the most dominant of corps.   I don't think they've hurt the activity at all - they've helped.

You should also remember that while BD has been the most consistent corps, there have been times when other corps dominated for several years.  Back in the 80's everyone starting following The Cadets lead because they went on a tear and were the strongest corps for several years.  In the 2000's for awhile The Cavaliers arguably dominated the activity.  And anyone that watches Bluecoats or Crown these days knows that there are championship titles in their future, and almost certainly one for SCV this year.

DCI is alive and well and while I think they should always be looking for ways to help corps that are not as strong get better, the activity overall seems to be moving in the right direction.  I think if you ask the members of almost any corps they'll attest to how meaningful their experience as a MM is to them.  So, to me, this is a bit of a non-issue.

[Bluzes]

1 hour ago, GUARDLING said:

Great staff DID come from the places you say

And there are great staffs today, but have a personal issue with them. It's a discussion forum and draws from a vast amount of personal experience. I relate more to the kids who were rejected. In my day it was almost impossible to be rejected from drum corps. However it was common place to be ridiculed and demeaned by college educated music teachers. Mr Rizzo who I would think Dennis DeLucia may know from  Passaic Valley HS where I went. Told us we we're not getting a musical education in drum corps and must quit or no music classes at all, all year. That's what I received. What musical academia gets today is for our crew to sit there on finals night. Make side bets and award the most tasteless staff attire dirty sock award. It's a feeble attempt to justify their own existence.  

[GUARDLING]

12 minutes ago, Bluzes said:

And there are great staffs today, but have a personal issue with them. It's a discussion forum and draws from a vast amount of personal experience. I relate more to the kids who were rejected. In my day it was almost impossible to be rejected from drum corps. However it was common place to be ridiculed and demeaned by college educated music teachers. Mr Rizzo who I would think Dennis DeLucia may know from  Passaic Valley HS where I went. Told us we we're not getting a musical education in drum corps and must quit or no music classes at all, all year. That's what I received. What musical academia gets today is for our crew to sit there on finals night. Make side bets and award the most tasteless staff attire dirty sock award. It's a feeble attempt to justify their own existence.  

Lots of band directors back in the day felt drum corps was a distraction at best. It's a little different today with band directors involved and drum corps people in the majority in band programs. Yes, I also remember if you were breathing you got into a corps, remember it was said it kept us off the streets, It's a very different world today and kids at a very young age are in competition over the simplest things. The good or bad of that.

[skevinp]

2 hours ago, flammaster said:

I have a red set of drums...

And you're always lording them over the rest of us red-set-of-drum-less individuals who can only rely on meaningless threads for entertainment.

[Bluzes]

5 minutes ago, GUARDLING said:

Lots of band directors back in the day felt drum corps was a distraction at best.

Right drum corps overlapped with marching band. That's all been fixed the activity is better off today for it. We find a way to make finals more colorful, harmless.

Now getting back on topic. We went full circle first it was the staff that made BD great, then we find out all staffs down the line were great so we're back to square 1. Big companies who change staff all the time remain consistent in their products and services, can't point to that.

With BD it's the intangibles, things that are implied (undocumented comfort level) , attitude, reaching deep inside for improvement, pushing harder everyday. That comes from the MMs. 

I would rate the MMs as the number one reason for 40 years of dominance with finances & staff lagging behind

[GUARDLING]

23 minutes ago, Bluzes said:

Right drum corps overlapped with marching band. That's all been fixed the activity is better off today for it. We find a way to make finals more colorful, harmless.

Now getting back on topic. We went full circle first it was the staff that made BD great, then we find out all staffs down the line were great so we're back to square 1. Big companies who change staff all the time remain consistent in their products and services, can't point to that.

With BD it's the intangibles, things that are implied (undocumented comfort level) , attitude, reaching deep inside for improvement, pushing harder everyday. That comes from the MMs. 

I would rate the MMs as the number one reason for 40 years of dominance with finances & staff lagging behind

2

2

Well ok..lol...I think MMs also go with a very definite expectation of what they need to be and is expected. it all works hand in hand. At least for some.

Edited August 4, 2018 by GUARDLING

[Bluzes]

15 minutes ago, GUARDLING said:

Well ok..lol...I think MMs also go with a very definite expectation of what they need to be and is expected. it all works hand in hand. At least for some. Actually, I do enough of auditions that I do know this.

Be kind someone may think negativity of the encounter (for Life). Then blame it on the poor hard working, totally dedicated, left their family home, endured all kinds of satisfices STAFFs 50 years from now. Dci is a bunch of fun for us and we know they are a the hardest working individuals alive, and deserve the careful scrutiny come finals.

[Jeff Ream]

9 hours ago, queenanne_1536 said:

Ha, I'm not sure if we agree :) I guess it depends on the level of budget you have. If BD had Madison's budget, I absolutely believe we would see quite a rapid decline in placement, due to loss of staff alone. Loss of staff leads to loss of talent and so on and so forth.

No the level has never been the same, and I doubt it will ever be. Back when I marched in the mid- to late-80s most people in my corps were local, or at least a state or two away. Not so these days. Within the top talent there are a lot of musicians and dancers that want to work with the best instructional staff. Take that staff away and everything would suffer severely.

Well let’s talk budget here. The Cali corps DO go coast to coast. Easy and Midwest don’t.  And the Cali corps do it every year. Gee think that doesn’t cost more?

[flammaster]

It is a whole different mind set. that really is all there is to it. Don't think about it. Do it.