Just A Thought!

[leanlion]

13 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

actually I am open to many ideas...except the one you proposed LOL

is that all you got to offer.

100,000+ posts with opinions on anything and everything and you punt.

jeff, our world awaits your wisdom.

don't let our new cultural sensitivities stop you.

must thank keith hall for starting this topic and the other posters lively comments that followed.

 

 

 

 

[BigW]

There are two issues that seem to be a common thought of what DCA needs to do.

 

1: Have more online presence. There are some videos... it takes time, work. DCA management aren't full time. Neither are the corps management. Somehow, this needs to happen- show how cool these corps are, show the good that is definitely there. For example, would Vic Firth do the percussion run through videos that are so cool for a DCA corps they sponsor? I would love to see it! That's for starters.

 

2: If I'm thought of as a "troll" in some circles, so be it. There's been a constant issue for years about the championship venue. I figured it got worked out with Annapolis, but that didn't work as well as most of us would have hoped. I'm not as choosy about this as others. I played in some real dumps for DCA regular season contest venues BITD. The ones out there now that I've been to are markedly better. Would DCA be better served at a place like Lucas Oil, with 3-4k showing up? Ahhh... no. There has to be a place where the fit is better. If Williamsport adds stair rails, upgrades the restrooms, has some intermission during finals so people can grab a snack and hit the restrooms, and cuts out the 10 buck premium parking highway robbery... I think it's a good start. Get nearby Reptiland to round up the snakes... even better. Also make sure all the rehearsal sites are acceptable, (the one I was at was really good for the record)... I have a guess that one is the easiest fix.

 

3: I know it's been tried, I know when it's been done it's been a positive thing... it's a question of time, setting up the whole situation- Outreach to the scholastic end. Clinics... teaching materials...there's a wealth of fantastic instructors and groups who  could really sell the brand in such a positive way if this was done. I know, I know, no time. There has to be a way to make this time. Someone on staff that functions mostly or totally as some sort of educational liaison? Build that bridge, students and directors will cross, at least those who understand.

 

Those areas, most, if not all of us can find a common ground. It would help in a massive way concerning the nagging negative perceptions outside DCA.

[Jeff Ream]

5 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

Thoughts not directed at anyone in particular:

The first thing to go will be the separate sheets.  All this fluff about DCA having some sort of unique brand of entertainment focus is baloney.  Entertaining - yes.  Unique - no.  Look at the shows.  They do the same kind of drum corps that DCI does.  Changing to DCI sheets would save the time/effort/money of maintaining a proprietary system that no one else in the marching arts uses, while allowing DCI and DCA to cross-pollinate their judging pools.

The rest probably will not change until DCA becomes insolvent, or has too few remaining corps to be viable separately.  And that could happen from either corps folding, or leaving DCA to do DCI instead.  As DCA corps memberships get younger, the transition to junior corps becomes possible.  Smaller DCA corps may one day see DCI SoundSport as an alternative.

i will not disagree however to go to the DCi system, you need more judges per show, which drives up cost...which is why they did away with the field visual judge.

 

I will however agree that the communication part of GE is pure extra GE hogwash, and I have seen the sheet and I have sat underneath judges judging it, and the sheet and what came out of their mouths didnt line up.

Also the need for entertainment to be mentioned on all sheets, which is such a subjective thing is, IMO a waste

[Jeff Ream]

3 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Ever stop to think lot of young people want to do Weekend Warrior circuit because of fills their need better?

and still waiting for that first corps to go from DCA to DCI.... 

doubt it'll happen.....because of cost. Open Class doesnt make what people thing they do per show, and to go from DCA to flat out DCI World Class isn't going to happen overnight

[Jeff Ream]

2 hours ago, Fran Haring said:

Remember that?

13 corps total in 1993.  All 13 were put into finals.

I recently saw a FB post talking about the days when "there were 30-40 corps"...I believe the poster meant at the championship.

In fact, the most ever at DCA was 26... in 2005.  Basically, it wasn't until 2004 that the  "corps at prelims" count regularly hit 20 or more for several years, before dropping back to the upper teens. 

Before that, the norm tended to be between about 15 and 19 for any given year.  23 corps in 1987.... but that was an outlier.

 

agreed. even when you had DCA and RCA, you had several corps doing both, so you still didn't get 40 corps total

[Jeff Ream]

1 hour ago, Fran Haring said:

Good point... I guess I mean the overall vibe of the product.

Just my observation here, and again, whether this is good or bad I have no idea... but it seems the DCA corps have been moving away from the "personality" edge they once had on several of the oh-so-serious DCI units. (Obvious exceptions, like Bridgemen, Velvet Knights, etc.) 

And, current day, I'm finding that more and more of the DCI corps are beginning to show off their personality again. That's pretty cool to me.

and what happens in DCI eventually trickles over

[Fran Haring]

5 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

Also the need for entertainment to be mentioned on all sheets, which is such a subjective thing is, IMO a waste

For me, I've always defined "entertaining" as.... "would I pay to see that corps and that show again?"

Others, I'm sure, have their own definition.  LOL.

[JimF-LowBari]

2 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

agreed. even when you had DCA and RCA, you had several corps doing both, so you still didn't get 40 corps total

Even counting some corps twice (ones who did both). According to Ron Allards records (and he has 78 AL Sr results lol) max number of corps at RCA championship was 15. Usually 10 to 12 range.

[Jeff Ream]

1 hour ago, leanlion said:

is that all you got to offer.

100,000+ posts with opinions on anything and everything and you punt.

jeff, our world awaits your wisdom.

don't let our new cultural sensitivities stop you.

must thank keith hall for starting this topic and the other posters lively comments that followed.

 

 

 

 

oh a post count shot. I'm so hurt.

Perchance if you actually read those posts, you'll see I have offered up probably hundreds of ideas. Usually all focusing back to one topic especially....marketing....or the general lack thereof you see. Do you know who the DCA PR person is? I finally met him last weekend. I wasn't sure he existed because everything thats put out comes from the Preident...social media, press releases, tv interviews...you name it. I saw no marketing for finals living 2 hours away from the show site. Zero. I asked friends in Scanton about 90 minutes away....zero, same with State College. band circuits have approached about strategic partnerships....nothing. ignored. Once you get strong marketing and get more eyes on the product, lots of smaller things fall into place. Judging by the attendance last week, the DCA fan base is getting older, and the movement to bring n youth isn't visible. DCI suffered the same issue 10 years ago. You need to grab the kids, and try to retain the older crowd as best you can. 

[Jeff Ream]

4 minutes ago, Fran Haring said:

For me, I've always defined "entertaining" as.... "would I pay to see that corps and that show again?"

Others, I'm sure, have their own definition.  LOL.

i'm pretty much with you.