elphaba01 Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 "Fall Census Reveals Fewer Corps": 1976: 396 junior corps 1986: 130 junior corps 1996: 127 junior corps 2006: 65 junior corps Source: October Edition, DCW, 2006. Discuss among yourselves. Elphaba WWW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Wish they would add the 1966 count for comparison. Not a anti-DCI rap, just wondering if between 66-76 there is anything close to a 66+% drop like btween 76-86. That percentage surprised even me. And almost 50% in the last ten years. ####!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geluf Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 "Fall Census Reveals Fewer Corps":1976: 396 junior corps 1986: 130 junior corps 1996: 127 junior corps 2006: 65 junior corps Source: October Edition, DCW, 2006. Discuss among yourselves. Elphaba WWW We get it. DCI is evil. No, really. We do. Really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpookyKid Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 (edited) "Fall Census Reveals Fewer Corps":1976: 396 junior corps 1986: 130 junior corps 1996: 127 junior corps 2006: 65 junior corps Source: October Edition, DCW, 2006. Discuss among yourselves. Elphaba WWW I get it now! Geroge Hopkins went back in time to late 60's and caused population shifts from the Mid-West and East to the South and West. Since many of these corps were based in the Mid-West and East, they died as people moved. Next, Hopkins ensured that Generation X would end up being a much smaller population than the Baby Boomers. So when the Gen X'ers started marching from the late 70's - early 2000's, the smaller population would mean fewer members and would cause the demise . Should we also go over how Hopkins also cause the withdraw of support from VFW posts and CYO organizations, who tended to sponsor many of these organizations? Or how about the fact that ennui resulting from the Vietnam War would hurt the VFW organization, becoming another factor in their dimished role in drum corps. We can also talk about Hopkins has created many things that kids can do today, from various school and club athletics, tv, movies, video games (I knew he was somehow responsible for this), internet, etc. Let's face it, back in the golden age of drum corps when there were hundreds upon hundreds, there wern't a lot of things for kids to do. Drum corps has had to fight with more and more distractions. How about when Hopkins caused many of these defunct corps to make terrible business decisions that would doom their corps? Yea, George Hopkins is a bad naughty and busy man. I bet he also caused the fall of Rome and sank the Titanic. The great thing about statistics is that you can use them to prove any point you want. I could turn around that stat and claim that drum corps is now stronger because we got rid of all that dead weight. I think drum corps is moving in a better direction than its been in recent years. You know, instead of posting such doom and gloom statements, how about you get out there and form a new drum corps. You don't even have to be a competitive one. You could be a nice parade corps. If you think there is a problem, then get up and do something about it. Edited October 5, 2006 by SpookyKid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two valves forever Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 I think that one of the main reasons for a drop in the number of 15-21 age corps is the fact that the "summer" gets shorter and shorter. With the number of school systems going to year round schooling and those that aren't creeping closer and closer to July starting dates, a lot of kids can't participate in the activity without at least the last week of your overlapping with school. I remember having conversations with people in the late 80's who predicted that because of this trend that DCI would be dead by 2000. What are we to do, throw up our hands or go and see more shows? I remember when "first tour" was much more regional and less DCI circuit. If people hadn't stopped going to the shows the regions would have lasted and more regional corps could at least competed at those shows. So I don't think we should fault the kids but rather the adults in all their myriad forms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 I blame Dennis Hastert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpookyKid Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Plus, as band programs have become more competitive, band directors have become increasingly reluctant to let what are probably some of their strongest players and leaders miss part or all of summer band for DCI. I remember losing our horn captain and our best baritone because his director gave him the ultimatum of "It's either band or drum corps." It's not right, but it's the the truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcat Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Does this mean that corps are terrible? How many car manufacturers were there in 1910? About 100. Now? About 15. Would you like a Model T to commute with? You guys have to get over your population kick. Counting those corps that were 25 kids, doing parades, and their big tour was the cross-town turnip and rhubarb festival does not compare to a modern full-tour corps. Apples. Oranges. Do you want to have someone to blame? Blame SCV for being the first corps to go to overnight travel. It's no coincidence that the levels of performance went way, way up at about the time most corps switched to what we now consider a normal corps summer - i.e. sleep on bus, leave state, show up at next practice site at butt-crack of dawn. Otherwise, this is just an exercise in oldfogeyism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcat Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Oh, and while I'm at it, may I remind you that competitive high school marching programs, while underfunded in general, were a difficult proposition in the 60's. As high schools have adopted modern marching bands as a part of their curricula, the need for your neighborhood corps went away. So blame high schools, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistofflies Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Well...drum corps used to be more "community-based." In many places there was one in almost every town, and they were used as youth outreach programs for churches and whatnot. As the demand for talent level and the competitive nature of the activity escalated, some corps began to die out and slowly but surely we've seen a consolidation into a handful of competitors. When, for whatever reason, a corps folds, those kids will then go somewhere else. There's no one to blame for this and there's nothing really "wrong" with it. Drum corps is just a different activity than it used to be. Gone are the days of grabbing kids off the streets and putting a horn in their hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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