Walter Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 I also think another reason for drum corps decreasing is three fold: 1. Baby Boomers, those born before 1965, aren't having as many kids as our parents did. 2. Some kids of today don't want the discipline that drum corps enforce. 3. There just isn't the money to be having drum corps in every neighborhood like the 50's to 70's !!! There is another reason but I'll leave that alone for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubamann Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 (edited) I also think another reason for drum corps decreasing is three fold:1. Baby Boomers, those born before 1965, aren't having as many kids as our parents did. 2. Some kids of today don't want the discipline that drum corps enforce. 3. There just isn't the money to be having drum corps in every neighborhood like the 50's to 70's !!! There is another reason but I'll leave that alone for now. I'd also like to think it is the survival of the fittest. Lets be honest, many corps of the past were run on a shoestring or were just above "fly by night" status. In today's litigous society you can't "half-###" it and expect to survive as an organization. Corps that don't will falter. Sadly, the other big news today about CR is a testament to that. :( Edited October 5, 2006 by tubamann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake_the_hydra Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 I really couldn't care less . . . the corps who have survived have survied, and they've been great. Considering the talent levels that audition and the results seen on the field, we have nothing to complain about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 3. There just isn't the money to be having drum corps in every neighborhood like the 50's to 70's !!! Yep, and compare the costs of running a corps today compared to then. And then there's that if you're not gonna the best (or win) it ain't worth it mentality that seems to grow each year in a lot of areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 How many car manufacturers were there in 1910? About 100. Now? About 15. Yes, but an auto manufacturer today makes a whole lot more cars than their 1910 counterpart. 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. True. Of course, there was a time when we had both, and more kids were in the activity. Do you want to have someone to blame? Blame SCV for being the first corps to go to overnight travel. Heh - Troopers were touring before there even was an SCV. Overnight travel dates back to the 1920s, when AL and VFW Nationals began. Blame the American Legion for inventing "nationals". 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. For some. Can't a person have a legitimate concern about the attrition rate, though? Maybe some of us would like to see more than 25 24 corps in division I, or more than 55 competing juniors in North America. Or maybe we'd just like to know the shrinking will stop before we get to zero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InHiFiStereo Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 I blame OPEC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Thunder Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 (edited) I'm the one who put this census together for DCW. I've done them for DCW for 15 years or more. The purpose of this annual census is to keep track of where drum corps is at present. The survey was never done to say one era is better than another. There have often been surprises, such as back in the 1990's, when half the seasons had growth in the number of junior corps from the previous year. By the way, the 65 total for 2006 includes ALL North American junior corps ( parade, standstill, concert). Just 55 made it to the competition field. The most important thing in the entire census is that the junior world is not doing a very good job at creating new corps.....Only two brand-new junior corps were active in 2006. Vision Elite and Chippewa Valley Brigade. This is an ominous statistic. The new corps must keep coming to offset the ones who go inactive, and it's not happening right now. Edited October 5, 2006 by Northern Thunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Scott Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 So...you're saying that the door in "The Zone" really did transfer people back in time? That is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 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'm honestly surprised at the roughly 49% drop between '96 and '06. While it may be considered adding fuel to the fire, I'd be interested to see a breakdown of these junior corps stats: how many Div. 2 how many Div. 3 how many Open Class how many parade only/non-DCI competitive I also wonder if this count was just corps at DCI Finals those respective years, or if it a count of any corps that participated at any show, or what (edit: I just saw Brian's reply and we know that at least the 2006 number is all junior corps; thanks for clarifying Brian). I really can't believe that 49% drop in the last ten years Edited October 5, 2006 by perc2100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matye Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 When you get a chance, please read this: http://www.cookgroup.com/star/ That was 1984 folks. Think how much it costs today to not only start a corps but to keep a corps on the road, hire staff, buy equipment ... and on, and on. I don't know if this reply makes sense or not in today's dollars. However, how much will it cost to put any corps into competition in 2007 ... whatever division? The blame game needs to stop. Those stats that Brian sent are an indication of a sad trend. Answers? Heck, I don't know. But please keep your ideas flowing ... and support your favorite corps. 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.