What the wonder bra did for beauty pageant contestants, what Butch did for Sundance, and what "hanging Chads" did for George W. Bush, the Internet, and one-to-one communication, has done for our beloved pageantry industry: raised the level of "media" and interest throughout the year. Is there any value in: “I’m with stupid,” or “Ick,” or even “I now return you to this thread, already in progress?”
If you’re the folks in the offices of Drum Corps International, Winter Guard International, Bands of America, Drum Corps Associates, and the like, there should be. And if you’re a staff member of any competing unit in any of these activities, you best love it. Why?
Online community in the pageantry industry has forced the activities of both field and floor to have a “media,” to communicate, and to otherwise operate like any other entertainment industry. But more, this burgeoning and volatile community keeps color guard and drum and bugle corps on its minds all year round!
In education, it’s called alumni relations, and most (particularly) private schools would die for the daily fix of “talk” generated by the fans of mostly drum and bugle corps, bands, and to a much lesser degree, color guard. Talk generates interest, interest facilitates buy-in, buy-in leads to ticket sales, ticket sales boost longevity, longevity begets commitment, and commitment ultimately becomes philanthropic financial support. You know, the backbone is connected to the hipbone.
At first all of the organizations tried to squelch this electronic chatter, but those attempts helped the early adapters forge a tight bond, stay with it, and support each other, until BOA first, and then DCI not only gave in, but also jumped onboard with online communication mediums of their own. If friends, foes, and fans were going to say what they would, at least the administrative organizations could provide their corporate agendas and official information as a counter to it all.
It’s been a hard road, this online community stuff, but it has grown and developed so quickly that very few people can even remember its “back then.” In shorthand, back then was when the most computer savvy followers found newsgroups and began to swap information, share feelings, and most of all -- no matter the vehemence, show loyalty to the pageantry industries we love so much. Why else would folks spend that much time, effort, and sweat equity “bashing” what they perceived as “the death of … name that activity.” Sure, some of the most disgruntled have walked away, but the ones who continue are really only pleading for the activities to remain the activities that they love so much. “Every day a little death,” wrote composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim. And it’s true, in all things.
What good does it do the drum and bugle corps activity, if hundreds of people log in their feelings about the show this corps will present this summer, or what they think about another unit’s new staff, new instrumentation, or new uniform? It’s called self-perpetuating communication and in large part it will be what will keep long-time fans interested, and what will bring new folks, whether performers or parents, into the fold.
It also encourages – possibly forces, and for all the right reasons – units and organizations to directly communicate with the various constituencies. Within days after the August 2003 DCI championships, die-hards were already yearning for this coming summer, and positing about who would end up where in August of 2004. If that is not buy-in, my cyber pageantry friends, nothing is.
And now we have competition for these audiences. From the venerable Drum Corps World as our only official “media” to, among other dot coms, Drum Corps Planet, Marching Arts, Corps Rep, and the nasty renegade RAM newsgroups. Even Drum Corps World has a web presence to add to the mix. DCP offers the online community alternative to Ram-bashing, the official organizational sites offer merchandise for sale – as do the participating unit web sites, and Corps Reps offers a surprisingly rich and deep history of the drum and bugle corps movement.
Add into the mix other sites like World of Pageantry, Masters of the Marching Arts, Europe’s Drum Corps Online, Ultimate Drum Corps History, and Bandedge, as well as niche sites like The Symposium for the Advancement of Marching Arts and Sciences, BobbieDotCom, From the Pressbox, Sluggo’s Drum Corps Site, even this blog, and you have a strong lineup that can appeal to any mood, taste, or predilection in the pageantry world!
Color guard has just not caught on like drum and bugle corps, the audience and performers both being more transient and less dedicated to the world of the activity than in band and drum and bugle corps. During the competitive season there is plenty of white noise on the Internet, but within days of the season finale, everything color guard on the web goes silent. The reasons are myriad and run deep into the culture of the governing organization.
Online community is here, and excepting a worldwide Internet collapse, it is here to stay, to grow even more prevalent, and to help – yes, help – drum and bugle corps and band programs stay, and grow even more prevalent for us, and for the rest of society, that segment of the population we yearn to entice into our folds.
So the next time you read “Ick,” or “I’m with stupid,” and think, well … “Ick, this is stupid,” think for a moment that these are your friends in pageantry, connecting with one another, entertaining themselves, and perpetuating interest in drum and bugle corps and band programs.
See you on the 50!
