MikeD Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 8 hours ago, Slingerland said: ...make Open Class all instrument and encourage high school band programs to put together summer competitive programs that can be on the same ticket as DCI drum corps. I love your post, except for this piece. There are probably some number of school band directors that might like that, but just the thought of marching band in the summer AND fall will cause many band directors to start shaking and twitching all over. 😀 To have a summer marching band means that the band had to start in the spring. With programs like concert band, jazz ensemble, spring musical pit orchestra, etc....I doubt that idea would receive much of a positive view. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Schehr Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 Woodwinds is the Rubicon for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Lancer Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 (edited) 35 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said: Woodwinds is the Rubicon for me. Thunderdome for me Edited January 22, 2023 by Jurassic Lancer 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 (edited) In the early days of DCI, pre WGI, there was a drill team and color guard division. There was talk of a band division that never materialized and probably wasn’t a serious consideration. My guess is it may have been a Boston area thing. Two local circuits CYO and Eastern Mass had band divisions and many of the local bands and drum corps shared drill and color guard instructors, and some of the band directors arranged for drum corps, locally and nationally, especially when the arrangements became more sophisticated and more kids in drum corps could read music. There was also talk of BOA having a summer band division and that it would one day take over drum corps. This was in the 1980’s. My thought is that if a summer band program had potential, it would have happened by now. For schools, this would be highly unlikely even for the best of high school programs. It would jeopardize the fall programs. It is my understanding that booster programs fund a major portion of BOA bands. Will they do it for two seasons? Kids who have to work in the summer would not be available. Kids who play winter and spring sports or fall sports that do not interfere with band would be at sports camps. There are vacation schedules. Independent summer bands may be a good idea, but I don’t think it would help what ails DCI and before long, they would probably be just as expensive and just as elite. Edited January 22, 2023 by Tim K 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAvery Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 9 minutes ago, Tim K said: In the early days of DCI, pre WGI, there was a drill team and color guard division. There was talk of a band division that never materialized and probably wasn’t a serious consideration. My guess is it may have been a Boston area thing. Two local circuits CYO and Eastern Mass had band divisions and many of the local bands and drum corps shared drill and color guard instructors, and some of the band directors arranged for drum corps, locally and nationally, especially when the arrangements became more sophisticated and more kids in drum corps could read music. There was also talk of BOA having a summer band division and that it would one day take over drum corps. This was in the 1980’s. My thought is that if a summer band program had potential, it would have happened by now. For schools, this would be highly unlikely even for the best of high school programs. It would jeopardize the fall programs. It is my understanding that booster programs fund a major portion of BOA bands. Will they do it for two seasons? Kids who have to work in the summer would not be available. Kids who play winter and spring sports or fall sports that do not interfere with band would be at sports camps. There are vacation schedules. Independent summer bands may be a good idea, but I don’t think it would help what ails DCI and before long, they would probably be just as expensive and just as elite. BOA started as summer band. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KVG_DC Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 Yah MBA Summer Nationals was a thing for quite some time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 16 minutes ago, DAvery said: BOA started as summer band. Just to clarify, I’m talking about the fall bands that competed against each other competing in the summer as well. This also would have been at the time corps were disappearing left and right in the Boston area including North Star and Defenders and not too long after 27th. The corps that held on in many cases were in decline. Ironically the corps that did hold on and grew and improved was the one many expected to fold years earlier, Boston Crusaders, but that’s another story. This would also have been at the time a circuit was forming in our area for high school bands (NESBA). Lots of drum corps circuit folks aided in the organization and one time drum corps personnel were designing and instructing for high schools. We heard about bands in the Midwest doing great things which I am assuming was BOA and it was predicted the bands would take over drum corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 12 hours ago, Slingerland said: ...make Open Class all instrument and encourage high school band programs to put together summer competitive programs that can be on the same ticket as DCI drum corps. unfortunately in todays school world, the odds of seeing schools do this is slim to Giants offense tonight 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 7 hours ago, IllianaLancerContra said: True, but there are quite a few HS band programs out there; even a small percentage participating could lead to several dozen units. true but that requires extra funding. so does the school cover it? boosters? kids willing to add in more to their schedules? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 I guess y’all are correct. There are no more good ideas on how to rescue Drum Corps from its slow decline and ultimate extinction. We have met the enemy and he is us. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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