Some drum corps ramblings (rough draft)

Blue Knights. Raiders. Pioneer. Phantom Regiment. Drum Corps International.

What do these organizations have in common? As a whole, they are over a million dollars in debt. The activity that some of us have come to love is dying. Without any changes to the current plan, the death will not be slow and painful. It will be quick and heartbreaking.

In 2000, 46 Division 2/3 corps participated at Championships, with numerous other corps staying home. In 2007? 21 corps. This summer in Open Class? Even fewer.

Here’s another number: 557, 748. That’s in dollars, and that’s how much money DCI (the parent organization, not the corps combined) lost in the 2006 season, the most recent figure available. Phantom Regiment is $600,000 in debt, and lost $100,000 during the 2004 season.

That’s enough numbers for now. As I said before, drum corps is dying. Why? Unfortunately, the answer is not simple. These days, kids have too much to do. They have sports camps, they have internships, they have summer jobs to help pay off college loans…there is simply not enough time or money to go around.

In addition, diesel gas is approaching $5 in most of the country. This means that it costs corps $7 for every mile that they’re on the road. The average Division 1 tour is 12,000 miles--you do the math. In response, tour fees are constantly rising. Want to march Cadets? Take out a second mortgage, as you’re going to pay $2,250, never mind the cost of traveling to monthly camps. Some kids are being priced out of the activity. Sure, there are sponsors, but as tour fees rise, sponsors disappear (members, too). Think of the market equilibrium--tour fees can only become so expensive before you begin to lose too many members.

To alleviate the funding crisis, DCI is using fewer judges until July 4. This will save $50,000 in travel and adjudication fees. They also cut the ESPN broadcast, which will save even more (DCI didn’t say exactly how much). The idea behind the new 150 member limit is that it will fill up tour busses, maximizing the value of corps’ travel expenses.

In 2006, I interviewed a high ranking DCI official for an article I was writing for the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. Everyone would know him, but he wasn’t quoted in my story. Off the record, he told me that the new 150 member rule was designed to kill Division 2/3 (now Open Class). Think about it. The extra 15 members come from people who refuse to march anywhere but the corps of their choice, or from Open Class members who want to move up. Here’s the problem: a lot of Open Class corps are struggling to have enough members to tour. The five or so members lost could make or break a season. Once Open Class is gone, a vital part of DCI’s history will be dead. Les Etoiles 1996. Magic of Orlando 2002. Pioneer 1995. These three corps had success as Division 2 corps competing against Division 1 corps. (There are more, but they were omitted for the sake of brevity.)

Let’s not forget the people who must march Open Class because of money, location, or skill levels. Where do they go when they can’t march anywhere? That’s right, DCA. Congratulations, DCI. You’re going to lose more of your member base.

DCI is losing members that are currently marching, potential members that don’t know about drum corps (their biggest promotional tool, the ESPN broadcast, won’t be shown this year), and potential members that won’t learn a brass instrument. I’ll touch on that later.

Simply put, DCI must come up with new ways to raise interest and participation. Their answer? The creation of the Fan Network. There, corps post videos of rehearsal and life from the road. In addition, members of the network can watch streaming video of selected shows. However, the cost, $69, prevents many people from buying it. How many high school kids can justify making that purchase? DCI must promote the activity in any way possible. What about using YouTube more effectively? Some corps post official videos there, but they are few and far between.

On YouTube, I posted video snippets of some drum corps shows I saw over the weekend. Immediately, I was swarmed with messages from people of all ages. Some people said they couldn’t attend any shows this summer. However, I got a notice from a staff member of a certain corps within 12 hours. He told me to take the videos down, or they’d take legal action against me. I’m not the greatest with music licensing law--but this is a case I’d win. Unfortunately, it’s not in my best interest to take that case on right now.

I responded to him, asking him what to do about the group of people that can’t afford the Fan Network, can’t see the ESPN broadcast, and can’t go to shows. What do we do about this group of people?

Drum corps needs some way to appeal to the borderline fan. Why not post short show excerpts on YouTube? From there, if their interest is piqued, they will make an attempt to learn more about drum corps.

As a whole, drum corps is much too elitist. Go on Drum Corps Planet and you’ll find a post calling a journalist a moron because he called a drum corps a band. What happened to being grateful for any media coverage? In my story for the Observer about Carolina Crown, I used the ‘b-word’! I marched, and I still used it. I had an hour-long discussion with my editors about the topic. I had limited space--why should I spend an eighth of my story explaining why you shouldn’t call a drum corps a band? To me, a drum corps is a more specific version of a band. Think of it like football (soccer). There’s indoor, outdoor, and gaelic. In the end, they are all versions of football. Calling it ‘football’ is correct. As fans and participants, we have no right to be so close-minded. To 99% of the population that will see a drum corps at a parade, we will always be a marching band. Unfortunately, some people are so insecure, they see this as the end of the world. Try saying the word band while on tour--you will be crucified. This insular thinking must stop.

Here are my proposals to save drum corps:

1) Woodwinds. BOA.

Those two words alongside this topic should drive people crazy, but hear me out. DCI needs to enhance their partnership with BOA and make a summer band division. These summer bands can be affiliated with high schools, which eliminates the whole “You can’t march during the summer because you’ll miss band” argument that a lot of directors make.

They’ll go on much shorter, affordable tours, and stay closer to home. At shows, they’ll go on first and be scored separately. If bands want, they can attend BOA Summer Marching Band Championships. Instantly, DCI’s fan base is more than doubled due to the nature of rabid band parents, and a larger fan base brings in more revenue.

These bands will be open to anyone high school aged, though. If your school doesn’t have a band that participates in the Summer Band Championships, you can participate with a different school. If your school has a band that participates, then you must perform with them--or march with a drum corps.

This doesn’t mean that I’m proposing the addition of woodwinds to drum corps. DCI and BOA would remain two different organizations. This just means that they would both perform at the same shows.

2) Bring back regional organizations

DCM was probably the most fun that I’ve ever had in drum corps. Shows in the middle of nowhere, corps you’ve never heard of…it was amazing. That’s not the point, though. Regional organizations such as DCM and DCI Atlantic kept corps in a smaller region. If corps wanted to venture out of their region, they could. If they wanted to do a limited tour closer to home, they could.

While we’re at it, bring back the Garden State Circuit. The fact that there’s only one junior corps organization in the U.S. is scary.

3) Combine efforts

Gold, Yamato, Impulse, and Incognito are all within 140 miles of each other. Instead of individually struggling to have enough members to march, why not merge corps? That’s how Capital Sound started--a merger between Capitol Aires and the Madison Junior Scouts.

Why struggle alone when you can combine resources?

4) Better promotion

Without better promotion, drum corps as we know it is dead in the water. DCI needs to promote the activity in any way possible. Videos on YouTube? Let them go. Why are some corps so concerned about videos, and others aren’t? Once again, be thankful of any publicity drum corps gets. I got a message from a 15 year old that said, “This video almost made me cry. I realized that I love drum corps and must march some day!!!!”

How does DCI connect with him without YouTube? It’s nearly impossible.

At the show on Saturday, I sat next to an elderly woman who was reduced to tears when Carolina Crown played Clair de Lune. She had no connection to drum corps--she saw a sign and decided to bring her grandson to the show. From the looks of him, he enjoyed the show, and will march drum corps in a decade when he’s old enough. This is the crowd that we need to focus on.

Drum corps has changed my life. It has taught me countless lessons, introduced me to lifelong friends, and given me breathtaking moments that cannot be replicated. I want future generations to have the same opportunity that I had. Without changes to DCI’s operating plan, kids will not have the same opportunities that I had.