The new numbers

[moon]

Anyone read the numbers in Drum Corps World this month? Again, D.C.I. has lost corps. The number of corps in 1972 when D.C.I. started was not given. This list starts in 1976 when the total of junior corps was 396! The list of corps in 2006 was 65! Yes, that was not a typo, ONLY 65! ( and only 55 of them made the competition field ). Is anyone concerned that D.C.I. is only working for a small number of corps? If the drum corps activity is going to servive, it needs a new steward. That brings me to the second set of numbers found on page 3. No fewer than 152 all age corps performed in 2006. Maybe we should have a pole......Do all age corps believe that.... 1) D.C.A. can step up to the task of organizing us into the strongest force in drum corps? 2) or is something else needed to bring us together into one unstopable force?

[Gary Matczak]

Anyone read the numbers in Drum Corps World this month? Again, D.C.I. has lost corps. The number of corps in 1972 when D.C.I. started was not given. This list starts in 1976 when the total of junior corps was 396! The list of corps in 2006 was 65! Yes, that was not a typo, ONLY 65! ( and only 55 of them made the competition field ). Is anyone concerned that D.C.I. is only working for a small number of corps? If the drum corps activity is going to servive, it needs a new steward. That brings me to the second set of numbers found on page 3. No fewer than 152 all age corps performed in 2006. Maybe we should have a pole......Do all age corps believe that.... 1) D.C.A. can step up to the task of organizing us into the strongest force in drum corps? 2) or is something else needed to bring us together into one unstopable force?

............other things to consider include the breakdown on the AA/Alumni corps number of 152, plus you forgot to mention that about 10 new corps, mostly compeditive are coming out next year,......................I would be interested in knowing how many are Field compeditive corps, and how many are concert/parade corps,.................my guess right now is about 35/117 for 2006, with that changing to about 42/120 for 2007,........................

[MelloRick]

Anyone read the numbers in Drum Corps World this month? Again, D.C.I. has lost corps. The number of corps in 1972 when D.C.I. started was not given. This list starts in 1976 when the total of junior corps was 396! The list of corps in 2006 was 65! Yes, that was not a typo, ONLY 65! ( and only 55 of them made the competition field ). Is anyone concerned that D.C.I. is only working for a small number of corps? If the drum corps activity is going to servive, it needs a new steward. That brings me to the second set of numbers found on page 3. No fewer than 152 all age corps performed in 2006. Maybe we should have a pole......Do all age corps believe that.... 1) D.C.A. can step up to the task of organizing us into the strongest force in drum corps? 2) or is something else needed to bring us together into one unstopable force?

This has been my point on another "well traveled" thread here on DCP. I can't be so ignorant than to know however, the economy and times have changed too. BUT, I think DCI has done an aweful job on responding to these ever changing problems. I coach high school ice hockey, and am always telling my athletes to "read and react". When you get really good at that you can then "anticipate" and react. DCA has done a much better job IMO in doing this. I do not forcast the demise of DCI, quite to the contrary in fact. DCI will get bigger, but much as our automakers, in order to do that it will become a leaner machine in the future. It will remain strong, but evolve into something that none of us here today could have ever imagined. I am not for the Bb revolution, but I do recognize that had they not done that, junior corps may be extinct NOW. That all said, I hope the management at DCA will continue to work hard for the love of the sport, and continued growth. DCI will be what it evolves into, WITH or without "all age". All Age is another sign of the times. In Rochester, I was amazed at the amount of high school and young college age members in the show. This may also be a factor of why there are less junior corps. Many of our "senior" corps are in effect junior corps with seniors added for seasoning. B)

[altorawker]

I always thought it has to deal with $$$$$, well of course and not having a way to do proper fundraisers. I know that EVER corps cant host a Bingo which seems to be a major factor. I dont know if its related to DCI or not but keeping money to have these kids perform. Does it have to deal with Dues towards DCI or just keeping the Corps alive... i dont know.. can someone school me on this?

[Gary Matczak]

It would be intersting to see these numbers Juniors, Seniors, Alumni, etc. all plotted on a map,....................

[supersop]

I always thought it has to deal with $$$$$, well of course and not having a way to do proper fundraisers. I know that EVER corps cant host a Bingo which seems to be a major factor. I dont know if its related to DCI or not but keeping money to have these kids perform. Does it have to deal with Dues towards DCI or just keeping the Corps alive... i dont know.. can someone school me on this?

1. State of equipment and vehicles

2. Guaranteed average income to the corps

3. Extended travel for tour drove up budgets

4. Jr. corps upper tier became the draw and all the "good" kids left home corps

5. Staff and design fees went through the roof

6. Gas prices

7. housing rental fees

8. performance/arrangement rights fees

do I really have to go on? Only the first on the list was a constant concern over the years of drum corps. THe rest are things that have arisen over the past 20-30 years that has killed off the smaller hometown corps. Mostly the budget it takes to tour (MAJOR FACTOR). We also had a couple of big recessions along the way. Parents lost jobs, took pay cuts, and the kids didn't have summer funds for "games" like drum corps. Let's face it... it's rediculously expensive to run a drum corps no matter what circuit or affiliation. But Jr. Corps......

First, try and raise 10 grand and tell me how hard it was ............. now try 100 grand ....... 400 grand

get the picture? Now do it every year!! Or you could just fold...........buy a ticket forand watch the best drum corps money can buy every August.

[MoKeefus]

Money is a big part of it but it is not the whole story. A lot of it has to do with who we are as people now.

We, adults and kids, work more than we ever used to. My kids have more homework than I ever had, and I went to a catholic school. Most kids today only participate in one or two activities. It's all they have time for. If our kids are in band they may consider drum corps if not, the probability of them partaking in this activity is very small. Most kids and adults we see in DCI or DCA are somehow related to the music field. I'd like to know what percentage of 2006 DCI marching members were not music majors, trumpet performance majors, visual arts majors and so on. I'd like to know what percentage of marching members will go on to be plumbers, carpenters, auto mechanics or anything other than a career in the arts. Drum corps has become so demanding you better show up to auditions, yes auditions, ready to perform.

Is drum corps cool? We think so but then again most of us were in band. Not exactly the mecca of cool. Drum corps today don't even play songs we can recognize. We sit and watch/listen and we say yeah Madison played that in 19XX, or the Bridgemen played that back when, or 25 top Div 1 corps have played WSS. How often do we hear a current hit. How many corps have played "Simple Things?" For the most part drum corps play for drum corps members or judges. We do this for ourselves. We are not inviting. We are snobs. Look at this years Cadets show. Could you take someone off the street, that has not been exposed to drum corps or band, and expect them to enjoy that crap without taking a hit of acid? We behave (perform) like a bunch of inbred snobs. Why are audiences at classical music concerts so much smaller than at a pop show? Because it takes a fair amount of musical knowledge to really get the full value of classical music. I'm not saying dumb down to the masses but let's play something they can enjoy.

Oh yeah, since the visual judges have taken over this activity, it has gone to HE11! I say we send a special forces unit into the prison where they are holding the percussion and brass judges, free them and re-attach their go-nads before we lose what small following we have left.

It wasn't always like this. Long ago in a far away galaxy everyday kids and adults did this activity. Sure they played a couple of the same songs for two seasons but they were regular everyday folk. Sure it sounds dated to hear "Going to Fly" from Rocky on your old DCI CDs but at the time it was pretty cool. Not only was the tune still played on the radio but the corps played the entire song! Parades; as a kid I marched in a bunch of parades. They were all local. Our town knew who we were. We sucked but they knew who were were. Does the average person in, Rockford, Rosemont, Canton, Concord or Boston know who their drum corps is? In Bayonne they know who the Bridgmen are. In Hawthorne they know who the Cabs are. I think that is something DCI should look at. I don't think DCA is as bad as DCI but it could get out of hand if we keep up this DCI pace of competition.

This activity will continue to decline until we stop playing for ourselves and start playing for others. I went to a DCI show this year and the National Anthem was a recording. I totally embarassed my wife when I yelled out we had six corps performing and not one of them could perform our National Anthem. The old-timers around me started snickering. Folks, that's how we started. We played for people.

Play for the people and the people will want to play.

When you only play for yourself, it's a lot like masterbation.

[J.C.]

Money is a big part of it but it is not the whole story. A lot of it has to do with who we are as people now.

We, adults and kids, work more than we ever used to. My kids have more homework than I ever had, and I went to a catholic school. Most kids today only participate in one or two activities. It's all they have time for. If our kids are in band they may consider drum corps if not, the probability of them partaking in this activity is very small. Most kids and adults we see in DCI or DCA are somehow related to the music field. I'd like to know what percentage of 2006 DCI marching members were not music majors, trumpet performance majors, visual arts majors and so on. I'd like to know what percentage of marching members will go on to be plumbers, carpenters, auto mechanics or anything other than a career in the arts. Drum corps has become so demanding you better show up to auditions, yes auditions, ready to perform.

Is drum corps cool? We think so but then again most of us were in band. Not exactly the mecca of cool. Drum corps today don't even play songs we can recognize. We sit and watch/listen and we say yeah Madison played that in 19XX, or the Bridgemen played that back when, or 25 top Div 1 corps have played WSS. How often do we hear a current hit. How many corps have played "Simple Things?" For the most part drum corps play for drum corps members or judges. We do this for ourselves. We are not inviting. We are snobs. Look at this years Cadets show. Could you take someone off the street, that has not been exposed to drum corps or band, and expect them to enjoy that crap without taking a hit of acid? We behave (perform) like a bunch of inbred snobs. Why are audiences at classical music concerts so much smaller than at a pop show? Because it takes a fair amount of musical knowledge to really get the full value of classical music. I'm not saying dumb down to the masses but let's play something they can enjoy.

Oh yeah, since the visual judges have taken over this activity, it has gone to HE11! I say we send a special forces unit into the prison where they are holding the percussion and brass judges, free them and re-attach their go-nads before we lose what small following we have left.

It wasn't always like this. Long ago in a far away galaxy everyday kids and adults did this activity. Sure they played a couple of the same songs for two seasons but they were regular everyday folk. Sure it sounds dated to hear "Going to Fly" from Rocky on your old DCI CDs but at the time it was pretty cool. Not only was the tune still played on the radio but the corps played the entire song! Parades; as a kid I marched in a bunch of parades. They were all local. Our town knew who we were. We sucked but they knew who were were. Does the average person in, Rockford, Rosemont, Canton, Concord or Boston know who their drum corps is? In Bayonne they know who the Bridgmen are. In Hawthorne they know who the Cabs are. I think that is something DCI should look at. I don't think DCA is as bad as DCI but it could get out of hand if we keep up this DCI pace of competition.

This activity will continue to decline until we stop playing for ourselves and start playing for others. I went to a DCI show this year and the National Anthem was a recording. I totally embarassed my wife when I yelled out we had six corps performing and not one of them could perform our National Anthem. The old-timers around me started snickering. Folks, that's how we started. We played for people.

Play for the people and the people will want to play.

When you only play for yourself, it's a lot like masterbation.

Post of the year candidate!!!

Here, here!

[MikeD]

Money is a big part of it but it is not the whole story. A lot of it has to do with who we are as people now.

We, adults and kids, work more than we ever used to. My kids have more homework than I ever had, and I went to a catholic school. Most kids today only participate in one or two activities. It's all they have time for. If our kids are in band they may consider drum corps if not, the probability of them partaking in this activity is very small. Most kids and adults we see in DCI or DCA are somehow related to the music field. I'd like to know what percentage of 2006 DCI marching members were not music majors, trumpet performance majors, visual arts majors and so on. I'd like to know what percentage of marching members will go on to be plumbers, carpenters, auto mechanics or anything other than a career in the arts. Drum corps has become so demanding you better show up to auditions, yes auditions, ready to perform.

While the vast majority have been, or currently are, band members of a scholastic band (HS or college), most are not music majors career-wise.

Yes, there are auditions...just as there are for many top-level music performance ensembles such as all-state programs.

Oh yeah, since the visual judges have taken over this activity, it has gone to HE11! I say we send a special forces unit into the prison where they are holding the percussion and brass judges, free them and re-attach their go-nads before we lose what small following we have left.

Um...look at the recaps...it's not all about the visual. Never has been...and it's not today.

It wasn't always like this. Long ago in a far away galaxy everyday kids and adults did this activity. Sure they played a couple of the same songs for two seasons but they were regular everyday folk. Sure it sounds dated to hear "Going to Fly" from Rocky on your old DCI CDs but at the time it was pretty cool. Not only was the tune still played on the radio but the corps played the entire song! Parades; as a kid I marched in a bunch of parades. They were all local. Our town knew who we were. We sucked but they knew who were were. Does the average person in, Rockford, Rosemont, Canton, Concord or Boston know who their drum corps is? In Bayonne they know who the Bridgmen are. In Hawthorne they know who the Cabs are. I think that is something DCI should look at. I don't think DCA is as bad as DCI but it could get out of hand if we keep up this DCI pace of competition.

Drum corps was never cool....we played lame versions of pop tunes and patriotic stuff like Battle Hymn. My non-corps friends had NO idea why I'd want to play with such a lame group (to them, anyway).

The first competitive corps I marched with in 68 and 69 also played big band swing era tunes like "String of Pearls" and "Orange Colored Skies"...how relevant was THAT to the young folks of the day?

This activity will continue to decline until we stop playing for ourselves and start playing for others. I went to a DCI show this year and the National Anthem was a recording. I totally embarassed my wife when I yelled out we had six corps performing and not one of them could perform our National Anthem. The old-timers around me started snickering. Folks, that's how we started. We played for people.

Play for the people and the people will want to play.

When you only play for yourself, it's a lot like masterbation.

Drum corps shows are played for 'others'...maybe not you in this day and age, but lots of folks flock to shows and love hearing modern drum corps....both alumni and new fans.

[Shenandoah Vibrato]

This activity will continue to decline until we stop playing for ourselves and start playing for others. I went to a DCI show this year and the National Anthem was a recording. I totally embarassed my wife when I yelled out we had six corps performing and not one of them could perform our National Anthem. The old-timers around me started snickering. Folks, that's how we started. We played for people.

Play for the people and the people will want to play.

When you only play for yourself, it's a lot like masterbation.

Wow! Fantastic post! My 2 cents: Playing for the people would do wonders for recruiting members.