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Disturbing DCI rumors


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56 minutes ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Easier just to say why they love it... the kids in it.....

 

Thing is, they don't say they "love" it.

In fact,other then their child,they show no real interest in the activity.

They say things like "I'm at the show because my son or daughter is in ___________."

What's also  interesting is how many of the parents never even heard of drum corps 

till their kid made a corps.

 

 

 

Edited by rpbobcat
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9 minutes ago, rpbobcat said:

Thing is, they don't say they "love" it.

In fact,other then their child,they show no real interest in the activity.

They say things like "I'm at the show because my son or daughter is in ___________."

What's also  interesting is how many of the parents never even heard of drum corps 

till their kid made a corps.

 

 

 

Ok gotcha now.... “I’m here because my kid is in the corps/show” more to the point. I was thinking of parents who say they love ..... only because the kid is in it. Of course saying and really meaning it....

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32 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

designers don't care about cost. that's someone else's job to figure out

Doesn’t sound like it’s DCIs job to worry about it either /sarcism

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On December 24, 2019 at 10:12 AM, Glenn426 said:

Imagine being a kid in 7th grade beginning band not knowing anything about DCI or any of its offshoots. and choosing to play Alto Saxophone because you like the sound and your dad always played Coltrane and Charlie Parker on Sunday mornings growing up. Your best friends choose Trombone and Trumpet. You go all through Middle School and you are killing it on Alto, All-state First Chair etc.., Highly decorated. Your friends are holding their own but they don't practice as much and while talented, do not earn the accolades that you do.

 

Then you go to HS and you are introduced to Marching band, and by osmosis DCI. You and your friends love the Blue Devils and are their biggest fans. You go to see BD live at a local show and you fall in love, Your friends immediately decide they want to be a Blue Devil one day. And your friends start working on their skills. you on the other hand (the better musician of the three and most decorated musician in your school) also want to march BD but you have to learn a brand new instrument to try and make BD because WW's aren't allowed. The three of you go to auditions and your friends both make it, but while you can march just as good as they can, you don't have a great tone quality, your range is limited and your articulation is not as pristine as a natural brass player. You are Cut. and cant march BD with your friends. Even though you are the most dedicated musician of the three, the most talented, the one who would likely pursue music performance as a profession because you already have a scholarship to prestigious music school for Alto performance. 

Being in those shoes it would be hard not to think that DCI is discriminating against your kind of musician, One that is just as qualified, one that would make a great member, and contribute more to the organization through your musicianship and professionalism.

 

Having taught Marching band in South Florida for 15 years, I not only saw this once or twice but numerous times across my teaching career. Often times my best marcher in the program was a Woodwind player that could never enjoy DCI like their Brass counterparts simply because of a choice they made when they where 11 years old not knowing how that would impact their teenage years.

And all because DCI never had WW's in its history and tradition so there is no room for growth and understanding how that impacts the Youth of today.

You wonder why DCI gets a bad rap from certain directors and certain school districts and I'd bet that it has roots in this type of thinking towards a young Woodwind player with dreams of marching DCI but never being accepted in the DCI community as the most evil thing that has ever occured.

Your story of the alto sax player is my story- exactly.  But I didn't feel discriminated against, left out, or slighted at all.  Drum and bugle corps were drums and brass, and I didn't play brass, I played sax.  Just as there are string quartets, chamber orchestras, big bands, and bagpipe ensembles, drum and bugle corps were a unique ensemble with brass-only instrumentation.  That is what it was and I never considered saxophone to belong to that ensemble just as I don't consider the electric guitar to belong in a chamber orchestra.  I wanted to be in DCI BECAUSE there were no woodwinds.  To me, the brass and percussion created such a powerful, unique, and cool ensemble both audibly and visually.  It was NOT band it was something way cooler, IMO, 100% because of the unique nature of being all brass and percussion.  So, I did what multitudes of other woodwind players did and currently do, I picked up a brass instrument and got to work, eventually making it into a world class corps.  Both my kids are young woodwind players (oboe/saxophone) who would like to march DCI in the future.  Both HATE the idea of woodwinds in DCI.  They like the sound and look of brass and drums.  Drum & Bugle = percussion and brass... Why is this so hard to understand and accept?  What if the fictitious sax player in the quoted post joined a woodwind ensemble that didn't feature brass?  Does his brass playing buddies cry foul and we destroy the woodwind ensemble because it doesn't allow brass?  Long live the power and purity of all-brass while we have it, looks like the days are numbered.  

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58 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

no offense, as i'm not a woodwinds fan, but for someone that says it left you and you lack caring, you're sure on here a lot.....showing you care

There are degrees of caring don’t you think?  The kind where you allocate vacation time to plan out of town trips to one or more shows, such as Finals. There’s the kind where you catch local shows every summer. Maybe if it’s within a couple hour drive. There’s the kind where you don’t go to shows anymore because you can’t stand indoor sound or electronics or tinny sound of individually mic’d players etc., yet you will still write a check to support one or more corps. There’s the kind where you still enjoy listening to the accoustic sound through progressively older recordings. 
 

Also there’s something to be said, I think, to not yield the discussion lest this become a place where people claim, “look - no one is complaining, it must have universal support”.  
 

So, that canned retort - you’re still here, you must care - what is that even supposed to mean?  “Care” and “agree” are not the same things.   If I don’t care does that mean I must stop posting here?

Edited by HockeyDad
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53 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

the stock market will close on Wall Street in New York City.

 

 

you're welcome

Thanks, smarty pants.  Ok, "At what price level will the DJIA..."  Oh, NM.

 

Edited by garfield
It wouldn't accept what I originally typed.
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4 hours ago, waliman4444 said:

What I fail to understand, is the NEED for woodwind instruments when we have electronics that can reproduce just about any sound(instrument) ..So designers NEED to alter the current aesthetic for bandos who want to march drum corps?..As have many mm's you learn to be a multi instrumentalist to FIT in if drum corps means that much to you..Seems like the sacrifice part is eliminated as drum corps says: " come on in woodwinds, we've changed to meet YOUR needs"..IMHO..peace

Just about every member who marches today is a bando. 

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On 12/24/2019 at 10:12 AM, Glenn426 said:

Imagine being a kid in 7th grade beginning band not knowing anything about DCI or any of its offshoots. and choosing to play Alto Saxophone because you like the sound and your dad always played Coltrane and Charlie Parker on Sunday mornings growing up. Your best friends choose Trombone and Trumpet. You go all through Middle School and you are killing it on Alto, All-state First Chair etc.., Highly decorated. Your friends are holding their own but they don't practice as much and while talented, do not earn the accolades that you do.

 

Then you go to HS and you are introduced to Marching band, and by osmosis DCI. You and your friends love the Blue Devils and are their biggest fans. You go to see BD live at a local show and you fall in love, Your friends immediately decide they want to be a Blue Devil one day. And your friends start working on their skills. you on the other hand (the better musician of the three and most decorated musician in your school) also want to march BD but you have to learn a brand new instrument to try and make BD because WW's aren't allowed. The three of you go to auditions and your friends both make it, but while you can march just as good as they can, you don't have a great tone quality, your range is limited and your articulation is not as pristine as a natural brass player. You are Cut. and cant march BD with your friends. Even though you are the most dedicated musician of the three, the most talented, the one who would likely pursue music performance as a profession because you already have a scholarship to prestigious music school for Alto performance. 

Being in those shoes it would be hard not to think that DCI is discriminating against your kind of musician, One that is just as qualified, one that would make a great member, and contribute more to the organization through your musicianship and professionalism.

 

Having taught Marching band in South Florida for 15 years, I not only saw this once or twice but numerous times across my teaching career. Often times my best marcher in the program was a Woodwind player that could never enjoy DCI like their Brass counterparts simply because of a choice they made when they where 11 years old not knowing how that would impact their teenage years.

And all because DCI never had WW's in its history and tradition so there is no room for growth and understanding how that impacts the Youth of today.

You wonder why DCI gets a bad rap from certain directors and certain school districts and I'd bet that it has roots in this type of thinking towards a young Woodwind player with dreams of marching DCI but never being accepted in the DCI community as the most evil thing that has ever occured.

It does not match DCI's mission statement and its core values from the shoes of a WW player in HS looking to enjoy everything that DCI has to offer.

Mission Statement

The mission of Drum Corps International is to bring the life-enriching benefits and enjoyment of marching music performing arts to more people worldwide. We do this by creating a stage for participating organizations to engage in education, competition, entertainment, and the promotion of individual growth.

Vision Statement

A world in which the positive life-transforming personal and societal benefits of marching music performing arts are widely recognized and enjoyed.

Core Values

Pursuing Excellence: DCI strives to consistently demonstrate excellence in its operations and results and remain the preeminent leader in its field.

Teamwork and Collaboration: DCI promotes effective teamwork, productive relationships, and cooperation to achieve superior results.

Visionary Leadership: DCI leads in moving the marching music performing arts toward a preferred future that inspires others to share the vision and engage.

Commitment and Dedication: DCI works diligently and tirelessly in its devotion to advancing marching music performing arts.

Creativity and Innovation: DCI demonstrates imagination and ingenuity to develop new and effective ways to accomplish its mission.

Mutual Care and Respect: DCI treats all with dignity, courtesy, attention, and appreciation; and seeks these traits in others with whom it engages

 

The tools currently exist to make WW's a viable option in DCI. Its time for change, so that everyone can enjoy what we all have enjoyed.

Full disclosure: I was once a kid in the 7th grade who played the clarinet.

Kids choose to play different sports all the time. They understand that if they want to play soccer, it may mean they cannot play football or run track. 

It is not discrimination to say only brass and percussion instruments are used in drum corps than it is to say hockey sticks cannot be used in football. 

If we are interested in offering the opportunity for drum corps to as wide a group as possible, the place to begin is with economics. How do we make it possible for those who cannot afford to march to do so? 

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