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See you at DCA World Championships!


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27 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Seven years ago I posted this thread, in which I suggested that DCI might benefit from at least advertising in the program for OMEA finals, in which some 12,000+ kids perform. A fair number of the responses here were along the lines of: students already know about drum corps, so there's no point in reaching out to them.

do they know about DCA?

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2 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

do they know about DCA?

Doubtful. I don't think so many kids actually know about DCI either. And their parents know even less. A few years ago on the BOA liveblog, in one of the years Michael Boo was one of the commentators there, I think, a parent of a kid in one of the bands at Grand Nationals asked a question like this: "What's this 'DCI' you keep mentioning?"

That said, sometimes I get surprised. A couple years ago at a band competition in a fairly rural Ohio location, I was chatting with a parent who mentioned that her son was an instructor for one of the smaller bands there -- but he also was in a drum corps? Oh? I said. Which one?

The White Sabers.

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11 hours ago, shombell said:

I am coming to DCA finals.

All the way from London, England.

As director of Cadence I  toured with the Corps in DCA last Summer and had a blast so I am coming back to meet old friends in DCA and hopefully make new ones.

I will be found in the midst of the Cabelleros Alumni Corps on Friday night dancing my stuff as per last year.

I am arriving Thursday, going to the hall of fame dinner as a guest of Doreen Sandor on Friday then staying for the weekend.

Se you all there....

 

Welcome back, even as a spectator!!!  You guys were great last year.

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13 hours ago, Fred Windish said:

Admittedly, I can be considered part of the problem.  I choose to watch on Box5.

I hope to sign up for the Finals feed this year. If I have a dime left over after paying some bills. :tongue:

Fred, I'm in the same boat as you... that's a huge college football weekend, from Thursday evening on. Gotta figure out how to "multi-task" to catch some drum corps, too. LOL

Edited by Fran Haring
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3 hours ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Doubtful. I don't think so many kids actually know about DCI either. And their parents know even less. A few years ago on the BOA liveblog, in one of the years Michael Boo was one of the commentators there, I think, a parent of a kid in one of the bands at Grand Nationals asked a question like this: "What's this 'DCI' you keep mentioning?"

That said, sometimes I get surprised. A couple years ago at a band competition in a fairly rural Ohio location, I was chatting with a parent who mentioned that her son was an instructor for one of the smaller bands there -- but he also was in a drum corps? Oh? I said. Which one?

The White Sabers.

if in a competitive band, i'd say the odds are good the kids know something about DCI. in PA/NJ/DE/MD/CT/NY, there's a 50/50 shot they know about DCA only because so many instructors and band directors have been involved.

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10 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

when DCI stopped trying to appease older and younger and went after younger, attendance started going up. they like the product currently being put on the field....that's the market to get. 

 DCA is chasing the DCI show model as hard as they can and still keeping fans until they're literally too infirm to come to a show in many instances (Dad for one). There's some kind of bridge to the young people that's missing, or not enough of it, or a lack of awareness. I'm thinking there are several links in the chain that are missing, but they need to be thought out. It's not just one point of failure.

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5 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

if in a competitive band, i'd say the odds are good the kids know something about DCI. in PA/NJ/DE/MD/CT/NY, there's a 50/50 shot they know about DCA only because so many instructors and band directors have been involved.

Yep! Which feeds the 'regional' impression. :satisfied:

A lot of this reminds me about how of all things.... I became a NASCAR fan.

 

@ 1969, I was 6, and NASCAR was a mainly Southern activity with an occasional delayed and condensed feed on ABC. I met Bobby Issac at a small  Chrysler=sponsored car show in Reedsville, PA. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Isaac

Now, an appearance like that from a guy like that would cause a mob. Dad and I had him to ourselves and his car for about 15 minutes. :satisfied: Buddy Martin from Sox & Martin was also there with their 'Cuda dragster and got far more attention.

 

The thing is, he was really good and kind to Dad and I. He made me a fan, even though I might see him race 3 times a year on ABC at that time. It's a great memory of doing something great with Dad. I've heard other great stories from guys my age how Issac reached out to them as well at different venues and also made them lifelong fans.

 

What more or how should the corps do that kind of small thing/outreach to really catch people like that? Those are seeds that grow, a long term investment in some instances. A small personal touch can mean a lot.

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The ‘aging’ DCA audience factor is substantial. Watching the early part of Peckville on Box5, I was shocked how older, heavier, and slower to move the audience was. I touch all those categories, myself !   Sounds trite, but things change and we all adjust.

In my situation, enjoying drum corps from my living room is not a need, but a want. My support for DCA and DCI is as strong as it ever was, but manifests itself in changed ways.

Agree with BigW, a variety of adjustments by DCA must occur to reverse the present decline in participation. 

 

 

 

 

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7 hours ago, BigW said:

DCA is chasing the DCI show model as hard as they can and still keeping fans until they're literally too infirm to come to a show in many instances (Dad for one). There's some kind of bridge to the young people that's missing, or not enough of it, or a lack of awareness. I'm thinking there are several links in the chain that are missing, but they need to be thought out. It's not just one point of failure.

I think part of what's missing is alumni involvement honestly. I can't even get my former dca corps to answer emails. They're busy though so I get it. I'll be going to a big band competition down here soon. And I'll be wearing both dci and dca alumni swag.

Edit: In my area of the country, we went through an odd phase. In the mid to late 80s, all the band directors were former DCI guys and gals. Hell, my band director my freshman year sent me to my first camp with Spirit. They used their experience as alums to push the talent towards DCI. If you missed a show or camp, you used your corps experience to learn fast, catch up and lead. The next generation of band directors HATED corps. I truly don't get where it went so "wrong." 

Edited by Weaklefthand4ever
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9 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

if in a competitive band, i'd say the odds are good the kids know something about DCI. in PA/NJ/DE/MD/CT/NY, there's a 50/50 shot they know about DCA only because so many instructors and band directors have been involved.

Ohio is a weird bag; the majority of the bands are non-competitive and are Big10 Clones with some going so far to literally copy Big Ten uniforms and shows. 

This also leads to a weird situation where we've encountered directors who outright ban, or discourage their students from marching DCI. This further goes for DCA as we had problems with that in Cincinnati Tradition and the Columbus Saints with HS students dropping weeks before finals because 1.) Can't miss the football game on Friday of DCA 2.) Director learns they are marching and makes them quit or lose their spot in band. 

 

We're considering advertising in OMEA this year and potentially going to the conference and setting up a booth. 

 

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