In this final installment of the series, DCI Executive Director Dan Acheson, marketing coordinator Ed Dempsey and former DCI staffer Lea Ann Stockton speak candidly with Drum Corps World about DCI’s relationships with its fan base and with its origins.

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DRUM CORPS WORLD: Some of the changes that have been made over the past couple of years are of concern to some of the more traditional fans, especially those that are vocal and post on newsgroups. Is there an essence of drum corps and is DCI attempting to preserve its traditions and its ties to the past or is it more interested in evolving and trying to create a better activity that is maybe different and relies on different aspects than, let’s say, drum corps five years ago, or is it a little of both?

DAN ACHESON: I think there’s both, but there’s probably a heavier percentage of don’t look back, focused on evolution. I think as long as I have been involved in this activity, there’s always the tradition that’s held and its always been more related to the corps and the decisions they make in terms of their own organization, what uniform they wear, what music they play, what style they play, that type of thing. DCI as an organization, in terms of embracing its past, we do it through several other means, like the Hall of Fame, for example, acknowledging the people and their contributions to the past and so forth, that always annually gives us a history lesson through the induction ceremonies, both at the championships and the January meeting-that is a connection obviously with all the historical videos and CDs we want to preserve the past, but in terms of hanging onto something from the past as we go forward, there’s two things that I define drum corps as: Excellence and Life Experience...

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