Advice On How To Get On Staff With A Corps

[Strutters '72]

I pretty sure ALL of the staff of Surf are unpaid volunteers as well.  Sometimes it's hard to imagine the kind of person that puts in that level of dedication and commitment for no monetary compensation.  But the world is a better place because of people like that.

Be careful what you wish for, you might get it!

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I'd like to thank all the unpaid volunteers in all corps for their dedication and hard work. These are remarkable people who deserve recogintion.

THANK YOU !!!!

[Eggbert]

I would suggest getting some performance and tour experience with a drum corps before trying to teach one.

[PitTech]

Yeah, we were all volunteer at Alliance, too.  This method of doing things has its pros and cons-- namely, we were all pros living like a bunch of cons.

Thanks, folks!  You're a great crowd!  Try the veal!

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Hey! MikeBob

How old were you when you first started out with San Diego Alliance?

B)

[PitTech]

Hi Elizabeth,

First, good luck on your search.  Being a member of a drum corps staff will be one of the greatest challenges and potentially one of the greatest rewards a teacher can have.

Consider:  What are you really good at?  Will you do anything?  Do you have things you WON'T do?  What is your summer schedule?  Do you expect to be paid?  If so, what is your bottom line?  Can you make 1 weekend per month during winter and spring?  Do you take criticism well?  Do you work well with others?  Why do you want to be a staff member of a drum corps? 

It's interesting. . . in my experience. . . that people treat drum corps just like a college major sometimes. . . they look at what they like in a style (music) and try to teach that. . . which is not the same as teaching kids. . . it's teaching a style.

Much like college freshmen who all want to be Psych majors. . . because they're really trying to understand themselves.

LOL. . .

Anyway. . . consider the questions above. . . what is it you want from teaching?  And what do you have to offer now? 

Then, get a resume together. . . not a "padded" one with the list of everyone's famous cousin who ever gave you a lesson, or someone in a music department you once met. . . those resumes are useless.

Real experience.  Real goals.  Real passion.

State up front what you want, and then ask "how can I be part of your organization?"

The asking part:  Don't do it by email. . . don't leave messages on phone machines. . . don't ask on DCP, RAMD, or any other board.

Mail a resume to the director, signed in your own hand, and then, about a week after you know it's there, make a personal phone call to the director.  If it's a machine, leave you name and number, and return the phone call again the next day.  Be pleasantly aggressive. . . and realize that you won't be the first agenda item on any director's post-season "to do list".

Then, make sure when you finally do contact the director in person on the phone, you can answer any question they could ask you.  Best answers to questions you don't know are "I don't know the answer to that question, but I'll do my best to find out quickly".

Good luck to you -- stay passionate -- stay focussed -- stay on target.

B)

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Some Corps Directors that I had a talk with would prefer to have prospected staff members have their resume and etc through emial and etc. So far I have like 3 corps that currently has a hold on my resume! And 1 actually told me that they would evaluate me for 2006 season!

B)

[somerville]

As a previous instructor and designer of a top 12 corps and marching in a top 3 corps this is my advice.

Talent and tha ability to work incredibly hard is a key. Also, the willingness to start out doing some of the "grunt" work. Cleaning feet or horn angles or working with a particular line in the corps that may be not as visible (if there is such a thing any more).

Making contacts with perspective corps or any type of marching unit is a must too. Some corps probably want specific experience and acclomplishments on a resume. If your resume is "light" search out Division 2 or 3 units or marching bands and volunteer your services.

Be willing to make little or no money initially, consider it a labor of love and an invaluable experience.

Once you have a potential position you need to learn from more experienced staff members and take that knowledge to increase your awareness.

Contact some of the designers of perspective units, many of them have web addresses on their websites, and I am sure many would offer advice, maybe not a job but advice.

Lastly, you need to focus your area on a specific area within the corps, music, visual, guard etc. Also, do you want to design or create something or do you want to clean something? A designer is someone who can be very different than someone who cleans. Sometimes these personalities can be very different but they can compliment each other incredibly well. Some of the best designers I know I aren't as great and cleaning and vice versa.

I would just go ahead and start contacting all of the marching units, drum corps, winter guards within a certain radius of where you live and see if you can become a staff member in any capacity and get some exposure to what it takes to be a staff member. It can require a huge amount of time and commitment and it is difficult to maintain that level of energy.

[Bandette Rick]

Just posted on Bandettes site TODAY. We are looking for staff in all sections. check out the write up on our site www.bandettes.org and get an application in. Information and contact info are all there. :)

[Bandette Rick]

OPPS! I should have read further down the list. All the info on open staff positions with Bandettes is here under "Bandettes are Back" "staff needed" .