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Time to Say Goodbye, after 15 years


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40 minutes ago, MikeD said:

Think of a pyramid of organizations for marching/music.

The organizations in the bottom 90+% are the bulk of the units. There are then a relatively very few top level groups.

Back in my era (pre-DCI), the entire pyramid was pretty much drum corps units. Hundreds of smaller corps at every level from parade corps through circuits such as the Garden State Circuit here in NJ, with others at that level around the country. There were then the national level corps at the very top. Even when there were hundreds of corps, there were still only a handful at the top, similar to today. Kids in smaller corps moved up the pyramid all the time. My own example is that I marched a parade corps from age 10-14, then a GSC corps 15-16, and then Garfield ages 17-19. 

Flash forward to today. The 90+% of units under the very top are the competitive HS bands, by the thousands now. At the very top are the WC DCI corps. Kids who participate in those thousands of competitive bands eventually become the members of the WC corps. All that is, except the WW players. I just see no reason in 2019 to leave them out. DCI is the very top of marching/music. Why should WW players be excluded from that level? 

Plus, having instructed and written for many bands over time, and judged a couple of hundred competitions, I like the sound WW add to an ensemble.  

 

People will always be excluded be it that they play clarinet and don't want to switch to brass or someone that simply can't afford it. Life isn't fair. It's drum and bugle corps and woodwinds aren't a protected class.

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23 minutes ago, cybersnyder said:

People will always be excluded be it that they play clarinet and don't want to switch to brass or someone that simply can't afford it. Life isn't fair. It's drum and bugle corps and woodwinds aren't a protected class.

Who said they were? It's just my opinion that it is silly to exclude WW in this day and age. 

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2 minutes ago, MikeD said:

Who said they were? It's just my opinion that it is silly to exclude WW in this day and age. 

I get it, i just think it’s the line between marching band and woodwinds. Bring back majorettes?

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4 minutes ago, MikeD said:

Who said they were? It's just my opinion that it is silly to exclude WW in this day and age. 

Include WW and there is no reason for drum corps. Except for the vague “excellence” argument. One person’s excellence is another’s mind-numbing boredom. “Excellence” is not a compelling reason to pay $5000 to do something you can do for free in high school or as part of your college curriculum. 

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25 minutes ago, MikeD said:

 It's just my opinion that it is silly to exclude WW in this day and age. 

I agree.

Wildwood should be included in any discussion of great Jersey Shore towns. :tongue:

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18 minutes ago, HockeyDad said:

Include WW and there is no reason for drum corps. Except for the vague “excellence” argument. One person’s excellence is another’s mind-numbing boredom. “Excellence” is not a compelling reason to pay $5000 to do something you can do for free in high school or as part of your college curriculum. 

Sure it is, if the potential members wish to do so. That is how summer enrichment activities exist. Many, such as Interlochen, charge double what DCI charges. Colleges have summer programs in all sorts of areas for HS kids; they, make lots of $$$ from them. Are you trying to say the only reason for drum corps to exist is because the organizations have no WW? Seems a rather odd rationale to me.

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13 minutes ago, MikeD said:

Sure it is, if the potential members wish to do so. That is how summer enrichment activities exist. Many, such as Interlochen, charge double what DCI charges. Colleges have summer programs in all sorts of areas for HS kids; they, make lots of $$$ from them. Are you trying to say the only reason for drum corps to exist is because the organizations have no WW? Seems a rather odd rationale to me.

You know what I mean. Thanks for playing dumb. Not so long ago drum corps was quite different from marching band. Today there is little difference, and thus little reason for DCI to exist. Add woodwinds and there is no reason. I’m not the one who lost the vision of what made drums corps what is was. Hint:  it wasn’t “excellence” or being the top bands in a pyramid of bands. 

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15 minutes ago, Fran Haring said:

I agree.

Wildwood should be included in any discussion of great Jersey Shore towns. :tongue:

Only place we could afford to go to. Of course it was a house people in our church owned. Cold water walk up with hot shower provided by outside water tank painted black and in the sun (hottest around dusk). Bring your own radio or tv for entertainment and every room had beds including living room (owners had lot of relatives). 
lol corps members would gripe if tour facilities were this sparse

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16 minutes ago, MikeD said:

Sure it is, if the potential members wish to do so. That is how summer enrichment activities exist. Many, such as Interlochen, charge double what DCI charges. Colleges have summer programs in all sorts of areas for HS kids; they, make lots of $$$ from them. Are you trying to say the only reason for drum corps to exist is because the organizations have no WW? Seems a rather odd rationale to me.

Well some of the young people who did parade and standstill only alumni type corps did it because they wanted to try something different. Sounds like DCI is positioning itself to compete with the groups you named for the $$$$$ because even less difference

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