2020 Rules Proposals

[JimF-LowBari]

35 minutes ago, garfield said:

I get it, your math isn’t wrong.

It’s possible that the motivation is the potential availability of new marching members in new performing units. 

How is this going to be different from the past. Top corps got more people auditioning than they need now. That hasn’t led to new corps so how will even more excess people auditioning change that?

[Amil Muzz]

The “inclusion” rap is laughable. The sheer cost makes the experience unreachable for way too many. Inclusion? Look for ways to reach more kids who can’t afford $5,000 for a summer. Just the economics of it makes Drum Corps exclusionary by class. 

[Bruckner8]

For woodwinds, I'm an advocate, so it is what it is. For those exclaiming "if the numbers don't change, it's a moot point," I say maybe only for corps who already max out that number. For corps that have difficulty getting members, it WILL increase their ranks. Maybe Encorps can get to 55 if they allow woodwinds. It will certainly challenge any of their creators who are traditional drum corps types!

And I'm 100% behind Michael Martin's proposal to limit micing of the field brass. In fact, I'd take "Anything goes instrumentation, numbers, electronics, and pit amplification" if micing of field brass was outlawed! No shotgun mics either. I basically quit over this issue, so if Michael Martin can get it resolved, maybe I'll go back to teaching. Hey, if that's their plan, and Cavies still marching 16 tubas, maybe I should send them my Contra Tech Resume, lol.

[Hook'emCavies]

I went for a walk in the park this evening and I was thinking about woodwinds in DCI. One of my close friends was up in arms about it, as expected, and said they shouldn't be in DCI. I admitted to playing the devils advocate, but mostly for kicks and grins. 

After this I remembered my high school and early college days. In high school, I usually hung out with the brass sections. This was strictly taboo considering I am a clarinetist and while my fellow woodwinds never took me seriously, I felt accepted. They would jokingly say "there goes *my name*! He identifies as a tuba". It was a joke, but it was oh so true. While I do enjoy playing my clarinet, I prefer the sound of a powerful and well trained horn line.

During my early college days I was disappointed. Not for the education I received, but because I wanted to better grow in my passion for show development/design. I felt like because I was a clarinetist that I HAD to focus on the classical world. Again, I am not disappointed in the education I received, but because I hoped to fly in the area that I am mostly passionate about. It is what it is and I learned from it. 

After these flashbacks I remembered a quote from Don Warren in the book "Building the Green Machine" which stated " Today, we think of street kids as selling drugs and carrying knives, and that stuff. They weren't anything like that. They just didn't have any money, their parents didn't have any money. They were hard to discipline. But they wanted to belong."

I know Warren meant that towards the street kids of Chicago where he literally went to jail houses and recruited young men, but couldn't the concept apply? What if there are other woodwind players that are similar to myself? If that is the case, maybe we need to look at figuring out how to educate them better. Frankly, I believe that if someone is truly in love with something then why not try to see them fly in that area?

Sorry for the long read, but what I am getting at is that why not try to educate all and any musician that is willing to learn? There has to be a better way to educate everyone 🙂

[jeffmolnar]

3 minutes ago, Bruckner8 said:

For woodwinds, I'm an advocate, so it is what it is. For those exclaiming "if the numbers don't change, it's a moot point," I say maybe only for corps who already max out that number. For corps that have difficulty getting members, it WILL increase their ranks. Maybe Encorps can get to 55 if they allow woodwinds. It will certainly challenge any of their creators who are traditional drum corps types!

And I'm 100% behind Michael Martin's proposal to limit micing of the field brass. In fact, I'd take "Anything goes instrumentation, numbers, electronics, and pit amplification" if micing of field brass was outlawed! No shotgun mics either. I basically quit over this issue, so if Michael Martin can get it resolved, maybe I'll go back to teaching. Hey, if that's their plan, and Cavies still marching 16 tubas, maybe I should send them my Contra Tech Resume, lol.

The ironic thing is the two proposals could be mutually exclusive. You’ll need field mics if you march woodwinds. DCI groups thankfully don’t follow the “concert band on the field” methodology anymore. Today’s brasslines are playing loud. Where do marching woodwinds fit in to that?

[Bruckner8]

6 minutes ago, jeffmolnar said:

The ironic thing is the two proposals could be mutually exclusive. You’ll need field mics if you march woodwinds. DCI groups thankfully don’t follow the “concert band on the field” methodology anymore. Today’s brasslines are playing loud. Where do marching woodwinds fit in to that?

No. If you increase the numbers, you can march 12 Alto Saxes that would be heard. You probably need 16-18 Clarinets, but you get the idea. 

[Scooter Pirtle]

17 minutes ago, Amil Muzz said:

The “inclusion” rap is laughable. The sheer cost makes the experience unreachable for way too many. Inclusion? Look for ways to reach more kids who can’t afford $5,000 for a summer. Just the economics of it makes Drum Corps exclusionary by class. 

Amen brother.

[Bruckner8]

12 minutes ago, Hook'emCavies said:

I went for a walk in the park this evening and I was thinking about woodwinds in DCI. One of my close friends was up in arms about it, as expected, and said they shouldn't be in DCI. I admitted to playing the devils advocate, but mostly for kicks and grins. 

After this I remembered my high school and early college days. In high school, I usually hung out with the brass sections. This was strictly taboo considering I am a clarinetist and while my fellow woodwinds never took me seriously, I felt accepted. They would jokingly say "there goes *my name*! He identifies as a tuba". It was a joke, but it was oh so true. While I do enjoy playing my clarinet, I prefer the sound of a powerful and well trained horn line.

During my early college days I was disappointed. Not for the education I received, but because I wanted to better grow in my passion for show development/design. I felt like because I was a clarinetist that I HAD to focus on the classical world. Again, I am not disappointed in the education I received, but because I hoped to fly in the area that I am mostly passionate about. It is what it is and I learned from it. 

After these flashbacks I remembered a quote from Don Warren in the book "Building the Green Machine" which stated " Today, we think of street kids as selling drugs and carrying knives, and that stuff. They weren't anything like that. They just didn't have any money, their parents didn't have any money. They were hard to discipline. But they wanted to belong."

I know Warren meant that towards the street kids of Chicago where he literally went to jail houses and recruited young men, but couldn't the concept apply? What if there are other woodwind players that are similar to myself? If that is the case, maybe we need to look at figuring out how to educate them better. Frankly, I believe that if someone is truly in love with something then why not try to see them fly in that area?

Sorry for the long read, but what I am getting at is that why not try to educate all and any musician that is willing to learn? There has to be a better way to educate everyone 🙂

 

First of all, your last sentence is full of idealist, pie-in-the-sky stuff. For even without woodwinds, that would be true: I mean, why cut anyone? Just take every single person who auditions, since we're trying to be so magnanimous! Also, every woodwind player is welcome to learn brass, and try out for drum corps. I'm sure we all know dozens that have!

Don't get me wrong: I;m an advocate for woodwinds, but I just want the color. I would never to pretend to be some hippie, feel-good, make-love-not-war person saying "can't we all just be involved?" NO, we can't. We have membership limits, regardless of instrumentation. Some very qualified people will be sent home, period.

[Glenn426]

 

This is the Full text of the proposal. They anticipate a subset of fans to have negative reactions but want the corps to present creative presentations in 2021 to help increase acceptance... Leading to possibilities of expanded use  and increasing corps sizes... 

 

 

[garfield]

9 minutes ago, Bruckner8 said:

 

First of all, your last sentence is full of idealist, pie-in-the-sky stuff. For even without woodwinds, that would be true: I mean, why cut anyone? Just take every single person who auditions, since we're trying to be so magnanimous! Also, every woodwind player is welcome to learn brass, and try out for drum corps. I'm sure we all know dozens that have!

Don't get me wrong: I;m an advocate for woodwinds, but I just want the color. I would never to pretend to be some hippie, feel-good, make-love-not-war person saying "can't we all just be involved?" NO, we can't. We have membership limits, regardless of instrumentation. Some very qualified people will be sent home, period.

And THIS is a huge motivation.