musicdesign

Hi Everybody! I don't need to say anymore on this subject! This prospective Jester member just proved my point so eloquently. I'm not picking on Jester, I think this is a DCI/Division 3 problem. Jester is just one of many corps in this situation. When you here kids stating this then you know it is fact That is sad!!!!!! I do wish Jester and all the Division 3 corps the best of luck and wish them well and I do think there are very nice People affiliated with Jester and other corps like Jason. These administrators of these corps need to rethink their philospohy and strategy for developing these corps. What they are doing is not working! As far as the evaluation process. It is easy to pass it! I know in the past alot of corps have brought in kids as bodies just to look big for DCI but they disappear right after DCI leaves at the following camp. I've known some corps to cook there books also just to pass inspection. Yes, not all corps pass but the majority do and alot that do would not if the evaluation system was setup to be a true evaluation system. You ask the majority of people involved in the activity at the Jr. Corps level and they know that the evaluation system is flawed big time. Not that any system would be perfect but DCI can be doing a much better job of evaluating corps in general. I don't think this system was setup to be flawed as it probably looked like it would work on paper when DCI set it up but the reality is for the most part the evaluation system does not work.

Yes putting a corps on the field is expensive nowadays and yes especially in Division I money goes hand and hand with success. I never said that getting a new corps off the ground is an easy task and another reason why amateur corps directors should not being running these corps. Your making my point for me! This is a business from a management standpoint. You obviously have never been a part of a small organization and worked as part of an administrative team like I have. Money is important but not everything. Money is easy to come by too if your creative and use the resourses avail to corps nowadays. Yes your right alot of kids do only want to march with top 5 corps and that is where the Division I corps are at fault and contribute to this problem as you obviously did not understand or read in my prior postings. But there are alot of kids out there to recruit who will march with smaller corps but they don't come to you , you have to go to them. Again be creative in recruiting which smaller corps are not. Your not going to get Division I talent most likely but you can get really good talent and develop their skills. You look at the sucessful Division 2/3 corps that is how they run their organizations and many of them like Blue Stars have made the move up to Division I and that is no accident, it is due to a plan and a great developmental program setup by the administrative and instructional team of these corps. Not that I am promoting corps to move up to Division I. Again the evidence is against you if you look around at the successful Division 2/3 corps and the activity in general. This is not the 60's,70's and 80's anymore. Yes the kids are the most important factor in our activity and their musical, physical and personal growth but there is a business side to this activity that makes this wonderful experience these kids have all possible.

Obviously you don't know much about DCI and the evaluation process. The evaluation process is a joke. Any corps can pass it! Instructors and people involved in the DCI activity and its inner workings know that! So I suggest you get the facts straight before you comment! I hate to tell you that yes this is a youth activity but it is also a business even at the Division 2/3 level. and DCI is a competitive circuit. If your not going to be competitive and on and off the field then you should not be competing and touring. Yes there should be a place for these corps to perform and DCI should create such a place but they should not be competing and touring and being represented at Championships! As far as competing with only 15 or 30. Yes these corps do have kids who have talent which makes it even more of a shame that these corps do not try to be competitive. These corps also have alot of what I will call bodies! kids just to fill holes. Nothing against any member. I think it is great that someone wants to march but they should be getting quality instructors and instruction and a quality experience which alot of these corps don't offer. I can understand a corps which is going out for the first time only having 15-30 members as they are building but a corps that has been around for few years that shows no growth yes numbers wise and score wise is not an organization doing it's job. No excuse for that! It is about time that people bring this issue out and I'm sorry if you think this is mean, it is not. I would like nothing more then for these corps to be successful. I love this activity having marched for many years and worked as an instructor with many drum corps over the years. This is an issue that has been hidden for a few years now but talked about behind the scenes by many instructors and high school and college band directors all over the country. Results don't lie! Look at what is happening with all the corps that have folded or have left the activity. Too many corps to mention.

DCI Level doesn't mean Division one! It is not mean just reality of our activity. Money has very little to do with recruiting people. I recruited for many corps Division One down to Division 3 corps and it doesn't take money to get a table and chairs and a banner with the corps name and logo on it and bodies to sit there. Keep those excuses up people! As long as these excuses are being spread around and no solutions are offered and these corps managements don't get there act together and DCI getting it's act together too and comes down harder on these corps not just to be hard but to help these corps build in the proper way then Division 3 in particular will always be down and not very good. The Division One corps also own responsibility in this also. The Division One corps should be doing more to assist these corps not necessarily money wise but recruting wise and with corps business management assistance. Each Division One corps should take on at least one Division 3 corps as a sister org. I'm not advocating the Big Corps giving the smaller corps money because that would be wrong but to assist with recruitment, overall management of the corps as a consultant and even could assist with fundraising and logisitics.

First of all! If a corps only has only 15 members or even 30 they should not be allowed to compete at the DCI level! This has nothing to do with numbers. It has to do with Managment most of the time these corps including Jester have made no real effort to recruit! You don't see any visible sign of Jester or alot of these others corps at BOA shows or even local marching band circuit shows! So you all have to stop making excuses for these corps. No reason why Jester along with many other Division 3 corps can not go out with more then 30 members.

Her we go!!!! Cadets: 75.95 Phantom: 75.35 Boston: 74.00 Spirit: 68.55 Southwind 64.3 Magic 60.55 Boston only scores a 74 due to it will be their first show so the spread between them and Phantom and Cadets will be a mirage as you will see boston right up there with Phantom and maybe with Cadets as the season goes on.

Based on Jester's score last night and being able to see them perform last night they are not much improved from last year. no reason for this corps to be only scoring in the mid-thirties. Based on what has seemed to happen to this corps the last two years this corps seems to definitely have management problems. A corps which has been around as long as they have should be scoring in at least the mid-40's low 50's. This corps should be competitive. From what I have learned through realiable sources this corps has made no real effort to recruit. Even if they had average high school level talent and qualified instructors and management they would be easily scoring in the high 40's and low 50's at least. It is really sad to see corps like this out on the road. I wish them the best of luck but it will be several years at this point and if they stick with their flawed philospohy before this corps is competitive in any real sense.

Yes there are local circuits, just not the way you remember them when we marched back in the 70's and 80's. Yes, I agree that the youth of today desire to march top 6. And yes alot of these kids who get cut from these corps then go on to do nothing in the activity and the Division I corps share alot of blame in that. They should be directing alot of these kids to other corps and promoting these corps as a way to develop the skills they need to make the cut with one of the Big Corps. The DCI Telecast is only for Division I, that is just a reality! Times have changed kids just don't come to corps. Corps have to go to kids and you have to think outside the box to recruit. Unfortunately you have a lot of Band Director and other people who become corps directors who have no idea how to run a drum corps. There is alot of corps out there being run like high school marching bands. This is a business even at the Div II/III level and corps directors and management need to start to change their thinking especially at the Div II/III level. That is why Div III is so bad off. DCI shares blame in this mess called Div III but most of the responsibility for this mess as I call it is corps managements fault!

There is a variety of reasons why this happens. This is normal for division 3 but not normal for Division 2 and open Class. Money is a major reason. The Reality is that it is managements fault 99% of the time especially at the Div 3 level as most of the directors in Div 3 have no idea how to run a drum corps. Drum Corps is a business from a management side. Alot of these corps aren't run like a business which is why div 3 is in so much of a mess. DCI should just ban Div 3 from the DCI tour and elimate them from Championships. Championships should just be Div 2 and open class. Division 3 corps should be able to do the local drum corps circuits and do the local circuit chanpionships and that's it. If they want to tour nationally they will have to pass muster with DCI and have the money, staff. membership, management and volunteers to support that effort.

Steve, I understand where you and the staff are coming from. I agree with you that this corps does have potential to grow and flourish under the right management. The management team in place now might be able to turn things around but it seems like they need to take the corps in a different directions to be successful. Too many success stories around to emulate. ie: Blue Stars, Spartans, East Coast Jazz and so forth. If they want to be successful they need to think outside the box especially if they want to be a nationally competitive drum corps. I could say more but as Steve said it is best to be professional in matters like this. I wish Jester and the Staff that just left the corps the best of luck.

I am interested in seeing what is going on with Jester. Just visited there website and all the Caption Heads have been eliminated from the Staff Page. Wonder if they quit or what's going on. Yes jester is a startup corps. Too early to tell if they will be successful. Alot depends on if the Director and Board of Directors build the corps in the right way finanically and competitively wise. Give them a little more time before you make any judgements. This year will be a building year for them taking another step towards building a highly competitive corps. The talent, kids and money will come if they do it the right way and also have the right philospohy.