The Drum Corps Activity is Healthier Than Ever!

[YR-Rudi]

Are you seriously stating, that it's your opinion, that there would be more active D&B corps today (and subsequently, more people involved both performing and attending) if everyone was still using "non-musical" piston/rotor horns?!?

You don't consider two valve, valve/rotor or valve/slide horns a musical instrument? :sshh:

Edited October 9, 2006 by YR-Rudi

[MikeD]

You don't consider two valve, valve/rotor or valve/slide horns a musical instrument? :sshh:

Actually that was the argument for decades that allowed corps to play music without paying royalties.

[Tom Brace]

Here's why the activity is and has been in a Death Spiral and how it began, starting in 1970:

1) That year the Combine founders forced a New Elitism on what was a vital, active and widely-popular D&BC activity which until then had been based on the equal ability of all Corps regardless of resources to build and reach the top, as the Royal-Airs had five years earlier.

So it's VFW and American Legion's fault for screwing it up. NPR had a great article on Sunday how unwelcome Viet Nam vets were in many VFWs and how VFW membership now is so low many halls are closing. Just as an aside.

2) D&BC was infiltrated by would-be "artistes" who saw an opportunity to explore their creative Broadway fantasies using amateur teenagers.

Nope...revisionist history. No one infultrated...they were always part of drum corps. No one jumped into the activity one day and turned on a new light bulb. Drum corps changed over time.

3) Seeking "musical legitimacy" and "artistic respect", the "artistes" then convinced the new D&BC governance to discard inexpensive and easy-to-learn-on bugles in place of "legitimate brass instruments" - trumpets. This was the biggest and deadliest error, as now the stream of incoming beginners, who had been the major lifeblood of drum corps since it began, was totally cut off. Corps starved for members and their numbers began to drop.

Bugles are not easy to learn on...never were. As I stated in another post, if drum corps would have had a trumpet in 1977, I would have most likely marched for 4-5 seasons. Valve/rotors were my downfall.

4) Simultaneously, contests began to drop in numbers as D&BC governance began to demand huge guarantees at the same time that corps were fewer and farther away.

Nope...costs went up so prices went up. There are still inexpensive shows I can book for my community. It won't include the known corps so my chances for strong attendance will be slim, but so will my costs. As someone very familiar with DCM operations quoted me in another topic, DCM balanced it's books for 2 years after the Div. Is left for DCI. So it's possible to run local shows in local communities.

5) With more faraway contests, the remaining units found more members unavailable to take the necessary time off for longer and longer tours, and membership continued to drop.

In 1996, PRC did I think 33 shows before finals...that's a lot of shows. It was only 10 years ago. The drop in shows has more to do with regional organizations (like DCM) choosing not to coordinate drum corps shows any longer.

These are just the major causes of the 35-year decline and imminent death of D&BC, and the continuing total blindness of the leadership during the crisis they started and worse, allow to continue, and of postings like the one above, remind me of the lyrics of the old folk song:

"We're knee-deep in the Big Muddy, and the Big Fool(s) says to push on."[/b]

Yep...the leadership within VFW and American Legion failed drum corps.

[tubamann]

Completely untrue.

Here's why the activity is and has been in a Death Spiral and how it began, starting in 1970:

1) That year the Combine founders forced a New Elitism on what was a vital, active and widely-popular D&BC activity which until then had been based on the equal ability of all Corps regardless of resources to build and reach the top, as the Royal-Airs had five years earlier.

2) D&BC was infiltrated by would-be "artistes" who saw an opportunity to explore their creative Broadway fantasies using amateur teenagers.

3) Seeking "musical legitimacy" and "artistic respect", the "artistes" then convinced the new D&BC governance to discard inexpensive and easy-to-learn-on bugles in place of "legitimate brass instruments" - trumpets. This was the biggest and deadliest error, as now the stream of incoming beginners, who had been the major lifeblood of drum corps since it began, was totally cut off. Corps starved for members and their numbers began to drop.

4) Simultaneously, contests began to drop in numbers as D&BC governance began to demand huge guarantees at the same time that corps were fewer and farther away.

5) With more faraway contests, the remaining units found more members unavailable to take the necessary time off for longer and longer tours, and membership continued to drop.

These are just the major causes of the 35-year decline and imminent death of D&BC, and the continuing total blindness of the leadership during the crisis they started and worse, allow to continue, and of postings like the one above, remind me of the lyrics of the old folk song:

"We're knee-deep in the Big Muddy, and the Big Fool(s) says to push on."

You actually think the above is true? Are you kidding? Good lord..Get your history strait and we'll talk. <**>

Your making Stewart Rice look like a legit PhD canidate.. :sshh:

Edited October 9, 2006 by tubamann

[ScribeToo]

You actually think the above is true? Are you kidding? Good lord..Get your history strait and we'll talk. <**>

Your making Stewart Rice look like a legit PhD canidate.. :sshh:

:spit:

ooohh no you di'nt!

you've invoked the name and now the heavens will swirl and the earth will quake.. and we'll all have a gigantic throbbing HEAD ACHE in the morning!!

[monoemono]

Yes, I loved The Cadets ballad too. The young lady did a great job with the vocals, esp as a 16-year old.

B)

The Cadets are from Illinois now? Sheesh, I can't keep up with all the moves! :P

[JimF-LowBari]

Dissenting opinion to your dissenting opinion alert.

I have to agree with the finances argument. We don't have more drum corps simply because it costs too much. If there are truly kids out there wanting a place to march, there are those places. Even Div. I corps advertise open spots into late June. Now...it may not be your spot...your instrument, etc., and not a top 10 Div. I corps opportunity, but there are opportunities to march for those who want to march. Hey, learning a new instrument or doing guard can be a great new learning experience.

I'm with you on the finances killing corps Tom. But from the lack of members standpoint, feel it is more than "wanting to march" and having the bucks to do it. Some people can't afford the money or time involved in doing a full corps tour. Then there are some of us (yeah including myself) that did not place DC that high on our list of personal priorities to spend a summer on tour. Luckily for me being a "Weekend Warrior" did fit into my idea of what was important to me.

As for Div II/III and below top 12 Div I corps lacking members because people missing the "Super Corps" cut refuse to try for a "lesser" corps, that's a separate issue that I can't understand either.

Edited October 9, 2006 by JimF-xWSMBari

[JimF-LowBari]

Well, if all the II/III corps were full you might have a point.

Yeah but a Div II/III corps can only be compared to the old time "local corps" if the Div II/III corps is in your local area. If not the member still has to live away from home for an extended period of time because of the distance. From what I can tell the only difference then is the member lives at someones house instead of on a bus.

Edit: Mike I think I misunderstood what you posted - disregard the above.......

Amd mistofflies... thanks for the info on Div I corps taking in less than SuperStar members. I have to keep reminding myself that not all Div I corps are the same. Not all get couple of hundred people at tryouts and can fill a corps with people having all the skill sets.

Edited October 10, 2006 by JimF-xWSMBari

[ScribeToo]

thanks for the info on Div I corps taking in less than SuperStar members. I have to keep reminding myself that not all Div I corps are the same. Not all get couple of hundred people at tryouts and can fill a corps with people having all the skill sets.

Just a tweak on what could be a misnomer..

Not all Div I corps who get a couple hundred kids at auditions choose to fill their corps with "super star" members, either.

In almost every experience I've had, a spectacular attitude and mediocre playing ability -- but the willingness and ability to be taught will get a kid into just about any DI line, any day of the week.

I wouldn't say so if I hadn't seen it myself -- again and again -- first-hand.

Stef

[Tom Brace]

Just a tweak on what could be a misnomer..

Not all Div I corps who get a couple hundred kids at auditions choose to fill their corps with "super star" members, either.

In almost every experience I've had, a spectacular attitude and mediocre playing ability -- but the willingness and ability to be taught will get a kid into just about any DI line, any day of the week.

I wouldn't say so if I hadn't seen it myself -- again and again -- first-hand.

Stef

Yeah Stef...

I've seen corps that rank members at auditions into 3 categories...A, B and C. The As have a strong opportunity to make it...the Bs need to work on somethings...the Cs have to work extremely hard to make it. They are invited back to the next camp. It's amazing to watch how some of the Bs at the next camp outperform some of the As and etc.

By April, it's the ones who stick it out and do as they have been instructed (which usually means practice and practice marching and memorizing your music) get spots. Most of the rest weeded themselves out by not meeting the increasing expectations placed on them between camps.