mjyaub Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 It would seem to level the playing field if a couple moved up. With BDB not leaving California and SVCC probably not coming back for a long time if at all, the gap between them and smaller corps such as 7th Regiment and Southwind etc maybe more competitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman1084 Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 3 hours ago, Chief Guns said: If I had to take a guess and this is indeed factual, I would say Spartans and Gold. Gold I feel has been working towards this (and you would certainly know better than I do!), but I would be very surprised if the Spartans went this route. While my connections have started to fizzle, I had been hearing for decades that it just wasn't a path they were looking to take, some of the reasons being: Most of their membership is younger. For many people, it is a training ground or their chance at the drum corps experience (with the type of educators that get them to the level they're at by end of season). I heard last year only 5 baritones were brass players as their primary instrument, with all other baritones being woodwinds/first time brass players (hopefully someone else can confirm this). This year, I would guess the average age of the guard is 16-17 based on their social media intros. Their center snare is a junior in high school. Most of their membership is still from New England, and New England schools get out much later than other areas of the country (mid-late June). With so many younger members, a full spring training from late-May doesn't seem feasible. They began move-ins on June 23 this year. Music education in New England is nowhere near the rest of the country. The marching arts have fallen off quite a bit since the 90s and they are struggling up here. There are a few standout bands from Massachusetts, but even these bands are not at the level of making semi-finals at BOA (maybe one at the moment, and they're responsible for about 10 members in this year's Spartans). Looking back on drum corps history, New England accounts for 11% (!!!!) of the 2100+ drum corps listed on Drum Corps Museum. Today, there are three drum corps, one of which is really only based in New England but recruits largely outside of it. With all these factors combined, they value the open class experience and what they're able to offer in this little corner of the US. They had the opportunity to move up a few times before they went inactive for a year, but chose to stay in open class. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Guns Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 4 minutes ago, Musicman1084 said: Gold I feel has been working towards this (and you would certainly know better than I do!), but I would be very surprised if the Spartans went this route. While my connections have started to fizzle, I had been hearing for decades that it just wasn't a path they were looking to take, some of the reasons being: Most of their membership is younger. For many people, it is a training ground or their chance at the drum corps experience (with the type of educators that get them to the level they're at by end of season). I heard last year only 5 baritones were brass players as their primary instrument, with all other baritones being woodwinds/first time brass players (hopefully someone else can confirm this). This year, I would guess the average age of the guard is 16-17 based on their social media intros. Their center snare is a junior in high school. Most of their membership is still from New England, and New England schools get out much later than other areas of the country (mid-late June). With so many younger members, a full spring training from late-May doesn't seem feasible. They began move-ins on June 23 this year. Music education in New England is nowhere near the rest of the country. The marching arts have fallen off quite a bit since the 90s and they are struggling up here. There are a few standout bands from Massachusetts, but even these bands are not at the level of making semi-finals at BOA (maybe one at the moment, and they're responsible for about 10 members in this year's Spartans). Looking back on drum corps history, New England accounts for 11% (!!!!) of the 2100+ drum corps listed on Drum Corps Museum. Today, there are three drum corps, one of which is really only based in New England but recruits largely outside of it. With all these factors combined, they value the open class experience and what they're able to offer in this little corner of the US. They had the opportunity to move up a few times before they went inactive for a year, but chose to stay in open class. Oh I can assure that you know more about drum corps in all aspects than I ever will. The other poster said two corps, and Gold and Spartans were the only two I could see making the jump. SCVC is gone. BDB wouldn't go as the BD organization probably doesn't want two WC corps. I guess I just went off process of elimination lol. Just for fun, let's say it's true, who do you think the two corps are making the jump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman1084 Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 18 minutes ago, Chief Guns said: Oh I can assure that you know more about drum corps in all aspects than I ever will. The other poster said two corps, and Gold and Spartans were the only two I could see making the jump. SCVC is gone. BDB wouldn't go as the BD organization probably doesn't want two WC corps. I guess I just went off process of elimination lol. Just for fun, let's say it's true, who do you think the two corps are making the jump? I could see either Guardians or Battalion making the move. Both have had pretty large corps in the recent past with a slight decline in numbers post-pandemic (Battalion 140-150 in 2017-2018, and Guardians about 150 in 2018), but they seem set up to be able to make the move. While lots of Texas talent goes elsewhere, the band scene is very deep in Texas. Utah also seems to fill a bit of a void geographically, and their band scene is also surprisingly deep. I think this year will be very telling for both. If I were a betting man, I'd say probably Guardians given the longer history, but 2017-2018 gave us a taste of what Battalion could do even before making their DCI finals debut. While I do think the Spartans is unlikely, it would be a huge (but pleasant) surprise if it was them. I would be ecstatic to see a world class corps in New Hampshire. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD73 Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 (edited) Spartans and Gold have both taken a huge leap this year in the length of time on the road. Both have more shows than several world class corps. They are also both consistent world class semi-finalists. Battalion and Guardians have yet to show that they can financially handle a full tour. Edited July 3, 2023 by JD73 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KVG_DC Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 In the past, I’ve mentioned Spartans as a potential mover and was told by alumni the org was clear they had no interest in that. But that may be different with OC looking like it does now. I beeline Battalion has been clear they want that trajectory, but they were so new, they were taking their steps. Dunno if they’re ready for the jump. They took their time before making the trip to Indy and some of their trajectory got derailed by the pandemic of course Guardians have been around longer I think? Not sure if they’re looking to jump or not. Legends I don’t see being organizationally ready any time soon. I’m hoping they can even come back. I will say these are the OC corps that have taken the design risks and done innovative stuff at a level their performers could achieve really well too. I like them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjyaub Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 At one time I had high hopes for Southwind. They had a much larger corps pre-Covid with a horn line that was turning heads. This is just my observation so anyone in the know please correct me. It seems logistically the Gulf Coast corps with the exception of Texas has a harder go at filling the ranks. One corps already disappeared anonymously. I hope the others don’t follow suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 i'll be at the Dover PA show on 7/21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashontheinternet Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 really really excited to see what the battalion has cooking up this season!!! hoping for a really good season for them, and excited to see how they compete! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAtenhut Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 As someone who always loved and respected the smaller corps since the A/A60 times in the 80s, this has been painful to watch. Imagine there used to be well over 30 corps competing in [A/A60, D2/3, Open] from back then all the way thru the early 2000s, before slowly dwindling down to what we have now. I wish DCI would do more to help these corps survive. But we all know that won't happen. That being said, Spartans and Gold have great shows this year. I think they're even stronger than last year and will likely battle for the top spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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