GOLDEN EMPIRE PERFORMING ARTS

[Nick Rodriguez]

I am all for another drum corps! There are some great models on the West Coast (including NW) for Open Class corps that have sustainable prudent budgets,who provide great drum corps experiences for it's members. I envy your location being between accessible shows in both Northern or Southern California.

Thanks! It's a perfect place for a drum corps! Drum corps fans in Kern county have been saying this for years. We have one of the largest high school districts in the country and the music programs are always getting better and better. We are also in the middle of California which makes travels to southern & northern California much closer to home. There are a lot of amazing advantages. I'm looking forward to seeing this group steadily come together.

[twheasley]

Hi all,

Thanks for your interest and concern. I just became aware of this thread, so I'd like to try to answer a few questions here. Hopefully you will all stay tuned as things develop.

The Golden Empire project is one that has been an idea for many years, but only in the last month have we decided to move forward with things.

The program is an extension of the Bakersfield College Drumline, an ensemble that I began working with in the spring of 2008. The drumline has been a test-kitchen for what we eventually hoped would be a local drum corps program, and last spring we ran a brass ensemble to start to gauge interest in that side of the program.

This summer an anonymous donor, through the BC Foundation, offered to purchase a starter set of brass instruments for our ensemble. We had previously been using a mix of personal and school instruments that were in various states of usability..."fruit salad" as they say in the activity ;-)

This donation was an obvious game-changer, and so we have decided to begin the process of starting a drum corps program. Being on the road with Madison Scouts at the time of this donation, I was able to have many great conversations with experts in the community. Dave Eddleman pointed me in the direction of several open class directors that have recent experience with the process, and of course my colleagues at the Scouts have been invaluable sources of info as well.

We are fortunate to have a great relationship with the college, solid facilities, a non-profit foundation that has supported the drumline in the past, brass and percussion equipment, etc. We also have a great community of potential staff members with lots of drum corps experience, credentialed teachers, devoted volunteers, and an existing member base.

As we begin the hard work of establishing the program, there are lots of variables that are being worked on. Rather than publish unconfirmed info, we have decided to keep the Web presence simple. We have used CorpsData with our drumline program since 2011, so we have decided to use that tool with GE as well. The site itself will evolve as our organization does, but for now it's there to offer a way for our local students and parents to express interest.

The development of the NPO that will likely co-sponsor the group is in process. The exact structure of this organization, how it relates to the college, etc. is being determined. We intend to eventually compete as an open class corps, but we are very aware that there is an important evaluation process that will need to be completed first. Regardless, we are planning to operate in exhibition should the timeline not work for 2014.

Most importantly, we want to get things right for our students. A product of drum corps myself, the goal is to share the best aspects of the activity with local "kids" that might not otherwise get the opportunity to participate. On that note, here's an unpublished DRAFT of our mission:

Our mission is to leverage the power of performing arts to help youth in our community develop the life skills they will need to thrive in this world by providing unique educational and competitive programs that emphasize commitment, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence.

As we build this program, we are counting on positive support from the drum corps community. I am happy to field any other questions or concerns personally. The BC Drumline site does include my email address (and bio) should you want to contact me about the program. Otherwise, the contact form on the GE site does forward directly to my email.

Thanks again for all of the input!

Tim Heasley Director, Bakersfield College Band & Drumline

Tel: (661) 900-0989 | Email: theasley@bcrenegadeband.org

www.BCRenegadeBand.org | www.BCDrumline.org

Edited August 16, 2013 by twheasley

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

There were 42 North American junior corps that were on the field this summer, but there were another 33 juniors that had nothing whatsoever to do with any DCI shows.

Those 33 did parades/standstills/concerts throughout North America. It is possible to exist outside the boundaries of DCI, especially if you are just starting out.

Best wishes.

Really these days DCI is the kiss of death for small corps.

[CrunchyTenor]

Hi, Tim,

Glad to hear of another start-up in the works. Having started two corps before (one out of existence, one still competing in all-age), I think the idea of performing in exhibition in 2014 is the smart path.

In addition to your contacts at Scouts, and the other Open Class directors Dave recommended, please allow me to make one more suggestion: The Academy. It was a full five-year development program of brass and percussion ensembles, as well as a color guard program, before the three were unified for competition.

Best of luck!

Garry in Vegas

Edited September 3, 2013 by CrunchyTenor

[Galen]

It is possible to exist outside the boundaries of DCI, especially if you are just starting out.

Just don't tell DCI that