JimF-LowBari Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 (edited) I don’t see the DC activity growing as only movement is in SoundSport and that hasn’t really helped DCIs “bread and butter “ (top corps). IMO board needs to concentrate on what is causing current corps not to field or go under (costs, finances, member safety, etc). As I was told long ago we’ve always had corps go under, the problem today is new corps are not coming up to replace to corps that leave Edited January 14 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 10 hours ago, Old Guy said: Of course we all have a different perspective and situation. And a few line here cannot define or explain our total view on a subject. There is an infinite of aspects we can talk of. But I believe a corps is a house of card where if you change a piece or two, it may all become shaky faster than we think (even the big ones). The board knows. The board do their best. But no one sign on the board to give 10-20-30 hours a week. There is caution to be put if you don’t want to chase people away at that level too. thats why board models like Boston, Bloo, BD and Crown should be studied. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 5 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said: I don’t see the DC activity growing as only movement is in SoundSport and that hasn’t really helped DCIs “bread and butter “ (top corps). IMO board needs to concentrate on what is causing current corps not to field or go under (costs, finances, member safety, etc). As I was told long ago we’ve always had corps go under, the problem today is new corps are not coming up to replace to corps that leave It might be a good idea for DCI to commission a study about interest in drum corps. While it is true corps have not been replaced and costs are high, I have wondered about the overall interest of young people in drum corps. I think young people who see drum corps in performance, especially if they have band or musical backgrounds are impressed and have the potential to become fans, but do they want to be a part of the activity? Back in the circuit days, you had what we usually called Class B or prep corps that were not direct feeders to better corps though some members did move on to better corps. You also has Class A corps which were good. These corps provided a great experience, but not all folded due to expenses or mismanagement. Many could not recruit members. In the heyday of drum corps, sports opportunities and youth activities were limited. Today you have club sports for top athletes, a wide variety of athletic opportunities. School music programs are stronger. There are better theater opportunities. Dance classes are of better quality and the stigma for boys taking dance lessens, especially if hip hop dance is involved, has lessened (though not completely disappeared). How do we get young people involved, especially in the long, and difficult work of getting a corps off the ground when there are so many other activities? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 1 hour ago, Tim K said: It might be a good idea for DCI to commission a study about interest in drum corps. While it is true corps have not been replaced and costs are high, I have wondered about the overall interest of young people in drum corps. I think young people who see drum corps in performance, especially if they have band or musical backgrounds are impressed and have the potential to become fans, but do they want to be a part of the activity? Back in the circuit days, you had what we usually called Class B or prep corps that were not direct feeders to better corps though some members did move on to better corps. You also has Class A corps which were good. These corps provided a great experience, but not all folded due to expenses or mismanagement. Many could not recruit members. In the heyday of drum corps, sports opportunities and youth activities were limited. Today you have club sports for top athletes, a wide variety of athletic opportunities. School music programs are stronger. There are better theater opportunities. Dance classes are of better quality and the stigma for boys taking dance lessens, especially if hip hop dance is involved, has lessened (though not completely disappeared). How do we get young people involved, especially in the long, and difficult work of getting a corps off the ground when there are so many other activities? Yep, society changed which lot of people can’t or won’t understand or accept. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneWhoKnows Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 10 hours ago, Tim K said: It might be a good idea for DCI to commission a study about interest in drum corps. While it is true corps have not been replaced and costs are high, I have wondered about the overall interest of young people in drum corps. I think young people who see drum corps in performance, especially if they have band or musical backgrounds are impressed and have the potential to become fans, but do they want to be a part of the activity? Back in the circuit days, you had what we usually called Class B or prep corps that were not direct feeders to better corps though some members did move on to better corps. You also has Class A corps which were good. These corps provided a great experience, but not all folded due to expenses or mismanagement. Many could not recruit members. In the heyday of drum corps, sports opportunities and youth activities were limited. Today you have club sports for top athletes, a wide variety of athletic opportunities. School music programs are stronger. There are better theater opportunities. Dance classes are of better quality and the stigma for boys taking dance lessens, especially if hip hop dance is involved, has lessened (though not completely disappeared). How do we get young people involved, especially in the long, and difficult work of getting a corps off the ground when there are so many other activities? I think the issue of "lack of interest" in the activity is multifaceted. I see this all the time in the group I teach and the ones I judge. They are no where near the size they used to be 10 years ago. A lot of it is technology. Joining your local band, drum corps, etc etc. was a source of social interaction. Kids don't need to go out and seek social interaction anymore when it is in the palm of their hands. Cost is obvious and clear, so I'm not going to get into that. The expansion of sports clubs is another reason. We are finding kids are suddenly just way too busy all the time to do something like band. And for a semi controversial reason is the drum corps activity has grown so much as far as technical skills and abilities it's begun to feel out of reach for people. Whether that be internal self doubt or just a recognition of not having put in time and effort to be at the level the top corps are at to even consider auditioning. Sure the product we are getting out of the activity is incredible, but one could see it that is had out paced itself as far as required skills go. The same logic can be applied to why we don't see new corps coming out. The music industry as a whole has out credential-ized itself. If you don't have XYZ degree and some million and two accolades you aren't really seen as being fit to "run" this activity. It was local clubs and organizations backed by parents that started so many smaller drum corps. We just don't have that anymore. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 13 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said: Yep, society changed which lot of people can’t or won’t understand or accept. and if kids cant get their dream corps.....they don't go elsewhere 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 28 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said: and if kids cant get their dream corps.....they don't go elsewhere About 15 years ago I started a thread asking why people don’t go to another corps if they miss their dream corps. Lot of “for the amount of money, it’s my dream corps or not worth it”. Or “only have one season to march so why waste it” as have other options over the summer. Hmmm… some things haven’t changed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasPRfan Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 On 1/8/2024 at 3:10 PM, HockeyDad said: But SCV is hitting the road this summer, better, newer and more transparent than ever!! That's a very low bar (transparency)... More like an impenetrable fog might be 10% less foggy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted January 23 Author Share Posted January 23 42 minutes ago, TexasPRfan said: That's a very low bar (transparency)... More like an impenetrable fog might be 10% less foggy. Last summer, what we were told was smoke from Canadian fires, was actually SCV testing their new ‘transparency’. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keystone3ply Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Sharing here as well In case you don't receive their emails, here a link to a new DCI Q&A press release with Nate Boudreaux: https://dci.org/news/qa-new-dci-chief-executive-officer-nate-boudreaux?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.