brucej

LOL

Or any less...

Wow - what a fascinating thread (no sarcasm intended, please don't assume there to be any). I hadn't planned on reading all 13 pages but I learned a lot of things about the activity that I never knew. There'an amazing amount of lore out there and it would be great to have someone with real journaling skills capture these memories before they are gone. My personal take on the amp thing is that one the genie is out of the bottle, it's out. I have not yet seen a show yet I thought was greatly enhanced by the addition of electronics but that's not to say that someday there won't be. The skills of the arrangers and performers are there but the coneceptualizations just haven't arrived. I can see it being used to add sounds that are too expensive or incovenient to put in place for one season's use but not to replace or augment a brass or percussion line's performance. I don't think that that would be a valid use; if the section itself cannot cut it, then it should not be faked. Add a special effect here or there, maybe, if done with taste. Used with soloists? No thanks, I prefer the natural sound.

Frontier will remain on G bugles when we return to the field in 2011. We've a mongrel mix of 2- and 3-valve instruments at this time, with no immediate plans for Bb horns.

Please send pricing info to director@frontierperformingarts.org. Thank you!

Thank you.

I think there's a misunderstanding. There is no question on paying of staff - we want to do it for sure, after all, these folks are providing their skills and time and deserve some compensation, the real question was how. We are not yet rolling in cash (what corps is?) and we have been tossing ideas around on just how we can do this and still remain legal in the eyes of the IRS. Especially given the limited income and tight budgets that this new ensemble will have to endure for a year or so. The IRS things I was referring to mainly concern fundraising by a non-profit (things like making sure that all the UBIT items are properly listed in the financials so that those items that do not qualify for tax-exempt income are properly managed and so on) do go a along way to making it more difficult. I would prefer a "donate money and let us decide how to spend it" model but we don't have that available to us. FPAA, in offering Fiscal Sponsorships, is very aware of the need to make sure that all financial dealings are handled correctly. We aren't concerned with proper accounting methods or following the gordian knot of regulations - we do that as a matter of course. We are firm believers in doing it the right way the first time. In any event, we would like to offer some compensation to staff and we are open to ways to do this legally and without burdening our members with large dues and stifling fundraising participation. We'd love some corporation to dump a huge pile of cash on our doorstep (one time only please - we don't want to have to become a Foundation they have vastly different rules) but I can't see that happening right now. Taters - As far as the Renegades go, they are a bit of an inspiration - 7 people built a viable program from whole cloth and have kept it alive and entertaining for more than a few years now. It's not our model but it's close. Texas, while huge in marching band and has had a history of successful Drum Corps, that's not been the case in the modern era. The are probably reasons why that make sense, but, as Frontier had experienced, recruiting is tough, retention tougher. I'd love to do a 150 member corps but I don't see that happening in the near future. Logistically, it's not feasible. The invite to drop in and perform is open, though, even though it was never thought likely, given the tour schedule and costs. It would be cool, though, to see what they could do within the constraints of the indoor venue. I'm sure it would not disappoint. I'm thinking that you may not have visited the 42 website yet. We have plans (and a couple of offers out of the blocks) to perform at corporate functions as well as functions involving museums, some parades and as many civic functions as possible. I agree that being out in the air is a good way to get the name public - much better than a full page ad in print or a 15 second sound bite. It's something we have kept in mind, true - that it may take more than a year to get a circuit up and going. That's fine. We want to get the group established and the members satisfied and enjoying themselves first and foremost. Money is tight, true, and so is our budget. We have no plans on traveling farther than 5 hours one-way (that gives us Houston, Louisiana and Oklahoma easily) by car and production costs for an indoor show are a small fraction of even a 4 corps DCA show (we won't even mention DCI). As far as doing an outdoor, summer competitive show goes, to quote someone "it's too **** hot." We don't want to have to deal with that if we can avoid it. Please don't misunderstand - I do appreciate all the advice given and even the advice not yet given. I've personally seen the mistakes made here in FPAA and seen what could have and should have been done differently. I may not have all the answers but I, and FPAA, is learning from the lessons learned and the collected wisdom of all the people who've been down this very road. I'm hoping that the community here in DCP will always feel free to give 42 criticisms, advice and anything else. Thank you

Good ideas (pass the hat sort of thing or a dedicated fundraiser) and ones that we'll talk about at the next board meeting. (The IRS and its rules make this thing more difficult that it should ever have to be.) I'd like to be able to pay volunteers just as a matter of principle - they put in real work and deserve payment for their efforts, plus the members deserve the most professional staff that can be provided (otherwise why pay to be in an organization at all?). I will have to contact the named Renegades and ask them. Thanks for the suggestions and ideas!

Thanks! We'll take that as a compliment and we like compliments. I tossed the wording around on that for some time but I came to the eventual conclusion that apply is the correct word. True, we have a new program we're putting together out here and so we cannot say that it's a thriving organization but it does have to start somewhere, true? By applying for these positions, even though they have no monetary compensation, we hope to get folks that are dedicated to making something new happen. If we could get Wayne Downey or Murray Gusseck to offer their services, things would be handled a bit differently but we have to hope to get a Wayne Downey or a Murray Gusseck perhaps at the beginning of their careers, willing to do some work in a new(ish) medium and help build a resume. Since it's standard practice to take applications for employment, paid or unpaid, I chose to follow that. I can hope it works and we get quality people but we can't find them unless we have resumes and choices. Luck will be good to have and I appreciate the wish; I think we'll find some diamonds out there. The circuit does not exist yet but we have put out the word. There have been some inquiries and that's good. It's early in the year and our season will not likely overlap that of DCA so we should be able to avoid a conflict there that would prevent groups from considering performing. SDCA is hainvg their annual meeting this coming weekend and I will be attending that with the intention of getting all the information I can handle and posting it to our website. Looking forward to it. Again, DCA itself was just an idea at one point and look where it is now. You know, we'd be more than glad to have a group like the Renegades send an indoor group out to Texas for a show or two...

42, Texas' premier Arena Drum and Bugle Corps, is now accepting applications for the following Staff positions for the 2010 Season : • Brass Coordinator • Percussion Coordinator • Visual Coordinator • Brass Arranger • Percussion Arranger All positions are voluntary and compensation is our undying gratitude, the rare opportunity to influence the style and direction of a new performance ensemble and to be part of the development of a new form of the art of Drum Corps. To apply, or to get more information, please send email to Director@42corps.org. 42 is a Direct Project of the Frontier Performing Arts Association, a 501©(3) organization, located in Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas.

Just one of the answers. We're forbidden to reveal any others by certain agencies that shall remain unnamed.

Yes. The name "Frontier Drum and Bugle Corps" is reserved for the field corps. It may very well turn out that people would prefer to perform on the field and in DCA competitions; if that's what happens, it will be under the Frontier name (and in it's fifth year of performance, sixth in existence). We're hoping folks will give the arena style a chance, both as an alternative to 100+ degree practices all summer down here and as something new to try. We're also hoping to get other corps and organizations here in Texas (and nearby states) to consider forming groups to compete. There's about 8 groups that I can think of that could do it fairly easily. We'll be contacting them soon to make the pitch and see what the interest level is. We are also considering the possibility of traveling to DCA Championships to perform the show in the mini-corps event. That we'll have to see though. Part of the plan is to make sure that any competitions can be easily done within a days travel, so costs stay lower and people can keep the fun of performing alive. Eventually, I'd like to see it become part of the DCA Championships weekend, like mini-corps has become, but that will be up to the SDCA to make happen, if they choose to do so in the future. "42" was chosen by the FPAA board to make a point of doing something different. Non-traditional, sure, but that's what it's going to be about. As we say on the website, "theater in the sound." It makes sense. Really.

The Frontier Performing Arts Association would like to announce the introduction of a new Corps in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. For 2010, the corps will be joining the Small Drum Corps Association, and performing as an Arena Drum Corps, a recent development in the art of Drum Corps. Arena corps rehearse and perform indoors, usually on basketball courts but they also perform anywhere a field corps can. But without the Texas summer heat and humidity. FPAA will also be working to develop a state-wide competition circuit for Arena Drum Corps in Texas, and yes, we will be glad to include corps from other states - it wouldn't be Texas if we weren't neighborly. We’ll be having an interest meeting on Saturday, September 26th. More information about the meeting and the corps is available on the Corps Website. It’s hot in the South. 42 and FPAA are looking to make it hotter. Ya’ll come on down!

So many great names already and all I could think of was a Wisconsin corps named the "Dairy-aires"

FPAA hosted a show here in North Texas (almost a whole nother state at times...) since 2005 and did not come close to breaking even until 2008. We just about made it then except for the rainfall that kept a lot of the fans away that night. Kind of a disappointment but we all had a great time and that's really the best payback for the effort. If memory serves, you folks came down for that show. I have a list of all the stuff we had to take care of to put it on and I'd be glad to send you a copy if you like. It's not conclusive but just about. Amber, by the way, is a tremendous font of knowledge on all things DCA and has helped us out down here greatly. Best of luck! Bruce Jamilkowski Executive Director, Frontier Performing Arts Association