The forum thread about "DCI and FUEL COSTS" has suddenly changed into a discussion about DCI and it's impact on the drum corps activity .. and opinions about the future of the drum corps activity. Suggest you read that series then post your feelings and comments here.
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The primary points have been that DCI has killed off local corps by their requirements for touring and for contest sponsors. It is virtually impossible for local, community based corps to exist .. especially to recruit members and find local competitions. With almost no local corps, potential members are left with no opportunities to gain this experience, except from the high school bands. (This may or may not work for them depending on their schools, etc).

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A recent comment was: If all the kids in corps now are happy, it may be because their parents had the $3000 plus to pay the dues to put them in those corps and it will look great on their resumes. What about the kids that are not fortunate enough to have that kind of money to spend on two months of activity with those units? Those are the kids that I worry about. Sadly, DCI only caters to the rich and talented. The core reason for corps has quickly disappeared and one more worthwhile youth activity has bitten the dust.
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Another point of view is that drum corps as a YOUTH activity now has to compete with many new and improved summer sports and community programs in the country.
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Maybe the best hope is that DCI goes bankrupt and a new group of people takes over the activity. It may be the best hope of once again finding drum corps as a viable activity for kids.
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Maybe this is all a "tempest in a teapot", since OUR comments won't change DCI one bit ... but let's hear YOUR thoughts anyway!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

Dave, I put my comments about the state of DCI under the heading of fuel costs, in another thread, dated today, July 8. It more properly belongs here, in your new thread, I would think. Oh well.

If DCI melts, and the activity rises, again, Phoenix-like, would it not, eventually, evolve to right where the activity is today, anyhow (as per my posting under fuel costs, 7/8), in time?

Should it be a function of the corps to make political and social statements (e.g. The Cadets' '08 breast cancer awareness thingy), etc.? Is this part of the mission of DCI? Should it be? I don't know.

Personally, I like drum corps that is just plain fun and entertaining. I do not like statements and issues being part of my evening. I do not like it, Sam I Am!

I look to drum corps for escapism, fun, relaxation, fantasy, some nostalgia, perhaps, patriotism, perhaps, funnjy stuff, perhaps, and other cool stuff. It is a time when I do not have to concern myself with the woes and concerns of society, and/or of life. Maybe I need to "get with it"!

Where is Anderson hiding, re all of this re the future of DCI? I always like to read his comments... (among the rest of us, too). John...?

As I said in an earlier thread, I doubt you'll find many people currently involved in drum corps who are unhappy with the current state of things. THAT'S the difference between now and when DCI was started - there were LOTS of corps (especially the national-caliber ones) who were extremely unhappy with the VFW and AL people.

While I don't care much for current shows either, I have no complaint with them, because that's their choice, like adding timpani and bells was our choice. The only thing I do regret - especially as an educator - is the reduced number of spots available for kids to be in drum corps and gain from that experience. But I think that's as much a societal change as it is a drum corps change. I don't know if my family could have remained involved if gas prices in the 70s were what they are today. Unfortuantely, the day of the "local" corps is long gone.

As for the future, I think DCI will be just fine. Those kids who can't afford to do it have high school band (which is more like drum corps than it was in our day, believe me). They compete plenty, depending on what state they're in, practice tons, do current shows - they're basically mini drum corps anyway. So kids are getting that opportunity. In our day, the bands weren't good, so it was drum corps or nothing. That's no longer true. If anything will force a change, it will be fuel prices and availability, and I'm sure they're quite concerned about it. But I don't know what they'll actually DO about it.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

My feeling is that DCI will founder .. sink due to it's own weight and greed.

Then, maybe someone will find a way to start community drum corps again for normal kids. Until then, those youngsters will have to join their local bands.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

I agree Dave.

What did you do in the Corps? Brass Instructor, Corps Manager

My son was curoius about joining a drum corps after the Cavie show.

Cavie Cadets are gone
Phantom Cadets are gone
The closest Cadet corps for him to join would be the Colts
Not one Cadet corps in Chicagoland

What did you do in the Corps? Cymbals, Bass Drum, Tenor

What years were you a Corps member? 1980 - 1983

You can't blame DCI as the only reason for the lack of local corps. The lack of people willing to give there time has been more of an issue them touring has.
Not enough parents are in a position to help as they used to be.
A lot of parent don't even help for weekend camps during the winter, no less give a week to help in the summer.

How about all of the flakes that left those corps that folded for a DCI caliber corps, thus weakening the weak corps and stregthening the strong corps. They are the ones that started killing drum corps way back in te 70s. It's the American philosophy of: "I need to win now, so I'm going to join the winner." I think it should be called the New York Yankee Syndrome (soon to be renamed the Boson Redsox Syndrome).

Jim Snyder, I agree with what you say directly above here. And...

You could only have community (neighborhood; e.g. Imperials) drum corps if nobody kept score. No judges, no winners... just play. Once the score keeping starts, the recruiting of corps members starts, and then, you're right back to where we are today... recruit world wide and try to "win it all" at DCI finals. With community corps score keeping, it would evolve right back to this state of affairs, eventually. Vicious circle.

Residency rules for drum corps? DCI policing this, as the IHSA tries to police it in high school sports? Yikes! But then, what about the Catholic drum corps, etc.! Look at h.s. and college sports... how is DCI today much different? Recruit, recruit... including adult staff members. That's how it is. I still enjoy watching the product.

Apparently, some of the people posting here fail to remember that, before DCI started to control things, you had to get a release from your corps in order to join another corps. Yup .. when you were a member of one corps, you weren't allowed to simply leave (or be recruited). But,m there were certain rules about timing,etc, which I really don't remember.

I am not sure that someone who leaves to join a "better" corps is automatically a "flake". There can be a lot of reasons ... especially if the "lesser" corps isn't really well run and is clearly never going to improve. Not a simple situation.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

Bill, I disagree with your conclusion about scoring being the reason you can't have community corps. That is a false argument.

And, the policing you say can't happen, DID happen when the individual associations handled this. In Illinois, the Illinois Drum and Bugle Corps Association. Similarly in Wisconsin and in Michigan.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

Wouldn't it ever be interesting to talk with Don Warren about all this, especially about "recruiting," then and now. He once said to me that they never recruited anyone, with a wink and a smile. It sure would be interesting, tho, to have him included on this particular thread and/or to sit down and talk with him about this topic. I'll guess he could shed some light on this thread and its sub-topics, too.

Dave, you can't disagree with me. No one disagrees with me. Do it again, and I'll make you listen to the Cadets talk their way thru their program.

Also, you apparently are forgetting the first rule of drum corps discussion, Dave... which is, I remind you...

...which is, I remind you...

When I'm right, I'm right. And...
When I'm wrong, I'm right.

Let's remember this, please.

Yes, a talk with Don Warren WOULD be interesting.

OF COURSE, the Cavaliers did recruiting .. LOTS of it!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

I doubt any of the top corps have to recruit anymore. Their styles are so different, kids pick by that and travel wherever they have to. Yes, recruiting certainly went on in the old days, when you could drive to any one of four or five good corps.

The release letter was only necessary after a certain point in the spring. I think people were free to join another corps from the end of the season until that time. But I don't think anyone ever really fought it - why would you?

Except SAC did once (according to Jodeen Popp's book) and caused a chain of events in the East one summer.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

Bob is right about the "timing" of the release rule.

But, I think that there is a difference (albeit slight) between the case of a (perhaps talented) person who wants to join another corps due to personal reasons and the case of people who are ACTIVELY RECRUITED from a corps by the members (or staff) from another corps.

Bob is also right about the current state ... most DCI corps do not even have to recruit now. People (they aren't "kids" to me) who are interested in corps know the styles of the DCI corps and travel where they need to.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63