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Will DCA be around in 5 years?


Will DCA be around in 5 years?  

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  1. 1. Will DCA be around in 5 years?

    • Yes
      33
    • No
      66


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On 9/3/2022 at 9:56 PM, Musicman1084 said:

I've always wondered how that's even possible.  Aren't there only ~3 weekends left in the season after DCI is over? Doesn't seem like a lot of time to learn a show, even for experienced marchers.

Have seen it done years back. Then the DCI folks learned the drill only for the most part. 

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12 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Have seen it done years back. Then the DCI folks learned the drill only for the most part. 

Have also seen on some corps' instagrams that there were guard members that were fully integrated into the show. Bush, for instance, has a CG page that shows several members wrapping up with Cadets, Bluecoats, etc and then performing during LDW. Even with work that may not be as challenging, I'm shocked to see that folks are able to learn and be show-ready in only three weekends' time. That's quite impressive.

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5 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

Labor Day weekend is the pressing organizational issue imo. 

i think that's 1/3 of the compounding issues.   The "every corps/every show for itself" method of operation isn't beneficial to it.  Its want to be DCI Lite isn't beneficial. 

 

It can't operate like this is 1990 and attract members of today.  

I think the 3 classes was actually a good move.  I've seen some uptick in social media presence from the DCA leadership, which should help it.   I hope that the collective leadership can get on board with actually supporting growth of the small groups into Class A.  And finding ways to help them develop and grow. 

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On 9/4/2022 at 12:49 AM, C.Holland said:

Let’s be real here.  And serous for a minute.
 

The issues DCA face. 
 

rehearsal space costs a fortune now.  There’s nothing free from a school anymore unless one of your BOD members is high up in the school district. Even then, schools still want costs paid for. 
 

age outs of dci live all over now. And many are Not necessarily where dca corps are. And they fly to dci camps. DCI brings their camps to where the greatest number of paying students would be. (Texas, Florida, Georgia, indiana) 

note none of those states have dca.

High school and university are in session. And many have football games this weekend. 
 

and frankly, it’s costs between 3000, and 6000 (before travel) to March dci. You’re already poor waiting on real life and paychecks to start. 
 

DCA is no longer for the more seasoned performers. It’s become the training ground for dci.  DCI Lite.  I’m 42. I’m can play a horn as good as anyone (I do it for part of my rent around nyc).  I can still move as good as most.  But the weekend schedule isnt as advertised, and is longer than the NBA season. (go look at reading’s schedule and tell me it’s acceptable for a human with a busy job and a family)  it’s not conducive to actual performers. Heck it’s not conducive to people with jobs and responsibilities. But it’s Also not attractive to my age group to do anymore. We have the bankroll, we don’t really want to give up every weekend (or more in some cases) to pay to run around a field when we can be paid to be onstage.  We’re happy to teach, we love to go watch it a bit, but there’s not a ton of fun being in a line with kids who just got their license. It’s an age gap that the drum corps activity ushered in.  It’s a bit unattractive to many of my age group to want to participate in. And I say this as someone who loves to be around it. 
 

A small recap. the combined arms race for designing a show built to attract participants from year or year, the majority of participants catered to are now kids, the costs to do it rise every year, age outs rarely live near a groups and are seriously in debt from dci, and the schedule is grueling for anyone over 25 out of college with a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders.   
 

it’s an up winnable situation. One that I’m happy to buy a cocktail for any of the directors keeping their group going with lol these hurdles to jump. Cheers to all of you doing the impossible. Especially when we all just had a pandemic that costs lives and livelihoods.  And isn’t over. 
 

this is some serious ####. 

Note: Georgia has a DCA corps last time I looked. 🙂 just saying.

 

As for the rest of your post I agree with just about all of it. DCA sometime around 2006 decided it was going to a DCI light version and set the wheels in motion to spiral into what it has become and lost till this day. 

Your average 35+ year old does not have the working/ off time/  schedule nor the want desire to hang with a bunch of people/ kids  outside their age group that they share little/no social activity outside of the musical.activity. 

 

Now that electronics and housing have added a huge cost to tuition cost, no longer can a local geographical unit in the NE offer cheap.or free dues like it did in the past. 

 

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6 hours ago, C.Holland said:

i think that's 1/3 of the compounding issues.   The "every corps/every show for itself" method of operation isn't beneficial to it.  Its want to be DCI Lite isn't beneficial. 

 

It can't operate like this is 1990 and attract members of today.  

I think the 3 classes was actually a good move.  I've seen some uptick in social media presence from the DCA leadership, which should help it.   I hope that the collective leadership can get on board with actually supporting growth of the small groups into Class A.  And finding ways to help them develop and grow. 

have to fix finals first if you ever plan to get more than 13 corps ( assuming Sun comes back and no one else goes inactive). then you can address the every corps/every show model.

 

3 classes make more sense with more corps. this year you're telling one corps per class "sorry, no tin on a ribbon for you"

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15 hours ago, camel lips said:

Note: Georgia has a DCA corps last time I looked. 🙂 just saying.

 

As for the rest of your post I agree with just about all of it. DCA sometime around 2006 decided it was going to a DCI light version and set the wheels in motion to spiral into what it has become and lost till this day. 

Your average 35+ year old does not have the working/ off time/  schedule nor the want desire to hang with a bunch of people/ kids  outside their age group that they share little/no social activity outside of the musical.activity. 

 

Now that electronics and housing have added a huge cost to tuition cost, no longer can a local geographical unit in the NE offer cheap.or free dues like it did in the past. 

 

DCA was getting younger long before 2006. pretty sure the average of my corps in 96 was at worst the mid 20's...i'm thinking a little lower only cause of all of us #### 26 and 27 year olds.

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12 hours ago, C.Holland said:

i think that's 1/3 of the compounding issues.   The "every corps/every show for itself" method of operation isn't beneficial to it.  Its want to be DCI Lite isn't beneficial. 

 

It can't operate like this is 1990 and attract members of today.  

I think the 3 classes was actually a good move.  I've seen some uptick in social media presence from the DCA leadership, which should help it.   I hope that the collective leadership can get on board with actually supporting growth of the small groups into Class A.  And finding ways to help them develop and grow. 

This. All of it. 

The DCI Lite thing... it's an arms race DCA will never win.

Had a PM exchange with a friend on this topic. I've hesitated to share publicly what I said because some might see it as DCA bashing (it's not... it's just one old relic's opinion 🙂), and I figure my friends there don't need me piling on, when I certainly am not part of the solution. If there is one.

Maybe someday I'll put it out on FB and then duck for cover. 😂

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9 hours ago, camel lips said:

 

Your average 35+ year old does not have the working/ off time/  schedule nor the want desire to hang with a bunch of people/ kids  outside their age group that they share little/no social activity outside of the musical.activity. 

 

I was in High School and my Sr corps had members High School to 40 or so. There were groups that hung together when we weren’t practicing. Just like any other place the groups were people of same interests and usually same age group. Don’t see how having wide range of ages in a corps is a problem.

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6 hours ago, Fran Haring said:

This. All of it. 

The DCI Lite thing... it's an arms race DCA will never win.

Had a PM exchange with a friend on this topic. I've hesitated to share publicly what I said because some might see it as DCA bashing (it's not... it's just one old relic's opinion 🙂), and I figure my friends there don't need me piling on, when I certainly am not part of the solution. If there is one.

Maybe someday I'll put it out on FB and then duck for cover. 😂

monkey see monkey do.

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