"Super Bowl of Marching Bands"

[bawker]

DCI hasn't been in any Hollywood movies, has it?

Good post.

Brace yourself for the argument about how popular culture always goes for the lowest common denominator, and how DCI is above that, though.

Edited February 4, 2006 by bawker

[felixh]

So if the focus of DCI is education, would making audience entertainment important be detrimental to education? I don't think so. The audience is helping to pay for the experience of the members. Corps have a responsibility to cater to their benefactors some how. I don't think that creating entertaining shows is "selling out".

Former Detroit Lion Robert Porcher is an organizer of the "Detroit Football Classic" that takes place every fall at Ford Field. It's a football game between 2 southern historically black colleges (HBC). The stadium fills up fairly well with alot of locals who come primarily to see the halftime battle of the bands, as well as a little football. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the crowd at this show at the Georgia Dome was made up of regular people not associated with the schools involved but just wanted to see the bands!

Remember, this event was featured in a HOLLYWOOD MOVIE. They made an entire movie about this type of marching band, starring Nick Cannon and Orlando Jones!! DCI hasn't been in any Hollywood movies, has it?

Lots of more local DCI shows have $10 tickets. Why don't they all get sold out?

In the spirit of the thread I have to admire this post....one of the aspects of education that we need to remember is the ability to entertain...I mean why play music if it is not to entertain to some degree?....I mean are we solely participants and listeners just to be educated?....I feel what we have to learn from the show bands is the entertainment factor...although education is important and indeed a part of the drum corps experience, entertainment should never take a back seat....I am sure any great musician would agree

[audiodb]

Obviously, the thought of DCI being "exactly like" this will turn the stomachs of many of the people who post here. And I'm not suggesting that DCI become this exactly. But don't you think there is SOMETHING to be learned from all of this?? In this day and age, we consider 25,000 to be a great attendance for DCI Finals. 30,000 would be a miracle, and according to who you believe, has only happened in DCI one or two times. We're talking about 70,000 rabid fans filling an NFL stadium.

Yes, but DCI sanctions about 100 events, selling several hundred thousand tickets each year for much more $ per ticket than this band show, apparently.

Not that there isn't anything to be learned, though....

[Dave]

Yes, this event will probably get a lot more "average Joes" checking it out than DCI finals does. But would doing what it takes to achieve this level be worth it? There's something--actually, quite a bit--to be said for not selling your soul in exchange for nationwide recognition. Why succeed in a manner that's contrary to the essence of the activity?

[bawker]

It's a difficult achievement to balance performance excellence, design excellence and audience entertainment all in one show.

Guess that's why we rave about the ones that get it right every once in a while. :P

[monoemono]

...but this type of marching and show style is going to be generally looked down on here, for better or worse.

Not by me!

[BeachDrums]

The most obvious thing is the entertainment factor.

We've established already that is not integral to scoring or show design in DCI. If the audience gets into it, great...if they don't...well, at least the green shirts reward us.

I AGREE!

[b....if anyone is being innovative, I see it more in the showbands today who are obviously attracting the numbers....I think drum corps has in a sense gotten a little to big for it's britches and is losing it's appeal....maybe even a little elitist if your last quote is any indication...this may work for the music major crowd, which is indeed a minority nowadays, but much larger appeal is never going to happen if we continue down the same paths....I mean where is the entertainment for those of us who don't get it?[/b]

Preach it, felixh!

I do, however, lament drum corps' lack of some of the "in your face" moments it could ...which the show bands provide, although in a different way.

It's all part of the evolution, I suppose...for better or worse.

I, for one, love the "in your face" stuff. But, I'm sure I'm alone in this thinking. Certainly the majority of the fans in the stands would hate such a radical exhibition. :P After all, this is drum corps, isn't it?

Disagree.

At any rate. DCI is first and foremost about education in music and performing arts for the members. Entertainment, while not non-existant of course, is secondary to this goal.

So if the focus of DCI is education, would making audience entertainment important be detrimental to education? I don't think so. The audience is helping to pay for the experience of the members. Corps have a responsibility to cater to their benefactors some how. I don't think that creating entertaining shows is "selling out".

GREAT POINT!! I'm with you all the way on this, madscout!

In the spirit of the thread I have to admire this post....one of the aspects of education that we need to remember is the ability to entertain...I mean why play music if it is not to entertain to some degree?....I mean are we solely participants and listeners just to be educated?....I feel what we have to learn from the show bands is the entertainment factor...although education is important and indeed a part of the drum corps experience, entertainment should never take a back seat....I am sure any great musician would agree

felixh, are we related? Great point!

Shouldn't all organizations and individual performers at least be open to learning and improving from others?

Personally, I believe the activity should be open to anything or anybody that may have proven suggestions that heightens the excitement, education, and entertainment level for both the fans in the stands and the performers on the field. And if DCI judges do not care to reward such efforts in that direction, maybe DCI should rethink their judging criteria and hire judges that will.

Since I've been on DCP, I have always been an advocate of showmanship. It's rarely mentioned, but for me, it's just about the most important quality and what I look for in any show. If drum corps can learn from "Super Bowl of Marching Bands," it would seem more than reasonable to do so.

Anyone else believe the drum corps activity may very well be at or near a critical turning point, one way or the other?

Edited February 4, 2006 by HISop

[madscout96]

It's a difficult achievement to balance performance excellence, design excellence and audience entertainment all in one show.

Guess that's why we rave about the ones that get it right every once in a while. :P

Instead of calling it "audience entertainment", how about calling it "entertainment excellence" to go with "performance excellence" and design excellence"! :P

The topic of this thread, I believe, is that DCI should focus on "marketing excellence" more to masses.

I like this thread. It's definately "discussion excellence" :P

[felixh]

Yes, this event will probably get a lot more "average Joes" checking it out than DCI finals does. But would doing what it takes to achieve this level be worth it? There's something--actually, quite a bit--to be said for not selling your soul in exchange for nationwide recognition. Why succeed in a manner that's contrary to the essence of the activity?

If you are referring to the show bands as "selling [their] soul" I would have to disagree.....their style has always included popular music, r&b and jazz....they have always had the high stepping style,...hence the name Show Bands....I hope this is not an attempt to compare DCI with the Show Bands, because this is not the point of the thread IMO....I thought we were answering the question..."Is there anything to be learned from this activity"....also, aren't DCI Finals attendees "average Joes" as well?

[Jeff Ream]

All I know is that DCI has GOT to do something to make the activity more appealing to the audience. Yes, change DOES need to happen - and the changes need to INCLUDE the audience and what THEY want to see and hear when they watch a drum corps show - be it live or on multimedia. Especially if DCI is going to continue to be broadcast on ESPN and in movie theaters. HELLOOOOOO!!!! It's time to wake up and realize that the audience DOES matter. And by audience, I'm not talking about parents and drum corps alum. I'm talking about that guy sitting next you you having a beer in that sports bar watching DCI on ESPN who doesn't have a CLUE what he is watching. HEEEE NEEDS TO LIKE IT or the whole thing is a waste. The powers that be making the rules in DCI have GOT to wake up to the fact that they have now put themselves in the big leagues in the entertainment industry and with that step - they have GOT to start taking the audience seriously. If they don't, then all of the ESPN broadcasts and movie theater releases are all just a big waste of money.

What did I learn from this? I learned that DCI is getting HAD by these juke and jive band contests in audience appeal.

DCI used to be entertaining when it tried to be drum corps. The more it morphs into other existing forms, the more you see people complaining that it isn't as entertaining as it used to be.

Sure attendance at like events is up. but is it what it was? the national model has killed off local drum corps. 30 years ago i had 20 corps within 2 hours of me...senior, junior, small, large.

now I have 3 competing corps, and about 9 alumni corps.

and, i hate to say it, but last year, at every show I was at, an alumni corps got the best reaction of the night.