Gabe92

On Sunday night after finals... the Stentors usually arrive home in Canada. Before closing the season, the corps offer one last performance to a crowd of 500 enthousiats spectators. While all the talking is in french, excepts from almost all shows from the last 33 years will be in a language we all understand and love, DRUM CORPS! Join us for a final "hurrah" to 2020 and let's hope for a better 2021! Stay safe. Make a donation to the Canadian Drum Corps Ambassador: GoFundMe 2020: https://gf.me/u/ykuiyi

On Sunday night after finals... the Stentors usually arrive home in Canada. Before closing the season, the corps offer one last performance to a crowd of 500 enthousiats spectators. While all the talking is in french, excepts from almost all shows from the last 33 years will be in a language we all understand and love, DRUM CORPS! Join us for a final "hurrah" to 2020 and let's hope for a better 2021! Stay safe. Make a donation to the Canadian Drum Corps Ambassador: GoFundMe 2020: https://gf.me/u/ykuiyi

Memories of 2013-2014 from the Stentors. Consider a donation to our 2020 Fundraising campaign to keep the corps afloat! GoFundMe 2020: https://gf.me/u/ygknp3

Give some love for the lone competing Canadian corps. Make a small donation! We are missing the kids, the rehearsal, the tour, the smile and the audience. Help us be back in good shape for next season! GoFundMe 2020: https://gf.me/u/ygknp3 Memory from tour last summer...

From July 15th to August 9th, which would have been the dates of our 2020 DCI tour, the Stentors is holding it's annual campaign. Everyday we post material on our facebook page. Video from the past, audio snipet, "Did you know?" and a virtual tour of what would have been our tour this year. Feel free to "Like" the corps Facebook page. We are posting memories from the past, videos, audios a bit everyday for the lenght of the campaign. This 2020 campaign is certainly a different one. There is no corps, no tour... but more needs than in the past. Some will ask "how come, more needs?" and that is a good question. Well, the answer is quite easy... 97% of our revenus are between April and August of each year. On the other hand, our 82% of our expenses happen to be between April and August. There is 15% gap that need to be fund. A 40 000$ CAN. missing in the budget. Don't worry, it is not putting us in danger for the future. BUT, it is a step back. A big step back for an organisation that work hard to grow, get bigger, get better and aim higher in an difficult environment for a drum corps to survive. We were having a great momentum with a great 2019 season. It look like the corps would have been 35% bigger this year and spirit was high. Retention rate was at 80% with 2019 members. The corps was planning for an American West tour with a fight from Montreal to Vegas to start our tour in fashion. Help us keep that momentum for 2021. Let's fill that 15% gap in our budget that will allow us to start where it was stop last May. Here is the link to our GoFundMe page: https://gf.me/u/ygknp3 Thanks all! Stay safe, see you as soon as possible. The Stentors

As it has been the case in the last 3 years, the Stentors is launching it's 4th Fundraising Campaign which is gonna last until August 9th, the day the corps would have ended it's 2020 tour with a "home show", coming back from championship. The feeder corps La Releve Musicale, resumed rehearsal 2 weeks ago since the condition here allow it safely, while the Stentors is waiting for the right time to do so. As you know, there is no tour... but there is expenses that cannot be completely cut (vehicule maintenance, insurance, office cost, etc.). However, everybody is working on a volunteer and everything else have been cut. As everyone else, all of our fundraising has been down since march and our estimation for the fiscal year is: Revenus: 10 000$ vs Expenses 50 000$ (mostly spent between september and march). The goal of the campaign is to reach 40 000$. But if there is a number that we would prefer more than that one, it is to reach 1000 donations. A thousand donors would send a huge "we have your back". A 20$ feed a kid for 2 days... 100$ pay for 1 km of gaz on tour. Because tour will be back someday, so are we! Let's not wait until then to care about the future! Here is the link to our GoFundMe page: https://gf.me/u/ygknp3 Feel free to "Like" the corps Facebook page. We are posting memories from the past, videos, audios a bit everyday for the lenght of the campaign. Thanks all! Stay safe, see you as soon as possible. The Stentors

Ha ha ha! Lets be honest.... you can't ask tuition as high as the cost of a member. That mean with every kid you add, you get deeper in trouble financially. Drum Corps is full of passionnate and talented people who's gonna do it in condition most people would refuse. Not everyone have learn to give to others, to work for passion instead of money, for what it provide to the people involve (discipline, dedication, skills, pride, friendship, etc.). It is a fantastic journey but... 1) In an individual world, where most people look for something easy that bring in a lot of cash : drum corps is not where most people want to be 2) If you need to start others businesses to sustain your primary business... it is probably not the best model you could dream of. However, it is a powerfull activity who provide something most other work/activity can't give you. I wish more people would discover it and engage in something truly fullfilling. Do I think we are crazy? Of course I do!

That could be another point.

I can't really explain/understand why there is more men than women directing DCI corps. But from my perspective (from my own corps), the teaching staff has been not far from 50-50 for a long time. Lady's often been in leadership role (corps director, president, kitchen, head of staff) from the beginning of the corps 30 years ago. However, men tend to stay longer because I believe they care less about no security, small salary, 12 hours/day, sleeping in their car in order to be able to "work" for a drum corps. Could it be an explanation? I don't know. I can only see that it is a long hour job, with a small salary, most of the time taking all the pressure AND the blame for everything (true or not). Man do not run for the job more than women. But may be women have more common sense and righly avoid it more?!?

Do you mean leaders who do not lead in the direction you wish?

We don’t know much of what’s gonna happen and in what time frame. Why is it bothering you so much that some org who has the time to wait do wait before making a decision?

People are so anxious that they can’t wait until the last minute to take a decision. It’s like running to your owner on the 2th of the month to pay you next month rent because you can’t live a month with the pressure of knowing that you will have to pay you next rent on the following 1st... Soon we will hear people asking for WGI to cancel the next season rightaway....

Perhaps when I go watch a drum corps show, I got a few more groups (lower ranking OC) for free in addition of the line up. Many time, those groups put out a great product and often gets more clapping and appreciation than bigger groups. Mandarins and blue stars did compete with 30 members not too long ago... raiders competed with 40 as early as last year. Carolina Crown was beatten by groups of less than 40 members for their first few years. Bdb didn’t look like today in the beginning.. in fact they looked like the BdC of today... which in turn looked like.. ugggh.... a group for beginners. A very cute, effective, well ran and well received group for beginners. By taking out the opportunity to start new drum corps at a achievable size there will be less and less drum corps until everything collapse.

Some people may think having a smaller corps is the result of a lack of competence or effort. It is not! Every corps face a very different set of chalenges. Looking at smaller corps... many production were better performed, more entertaining and better received than much bigger units Corps in some region might come out with 100+ members easily Some corps are just born in region where the music programs are more vivid and better supported by school, government and population What do you do with a smaller corps that over achived on all aspects require by DCI but wouldn’t get 100 members even if they paid them a 1000$ for being teach by university teachers for the summer? Sometime you have to stop trying to find wrong doing and accept that corps face different challenges For corps with fewers members, going soundsport isn’t the solution It’s making the difficulty much bigger to overcome There are so many members from those small corps that went on to march world class, then become avid DCI supporters. The impact is well over 7 figures in revenues for DCI over the years None of those tickets, shirt sales, dvd, followers would be there without those corps. And most of those corps would not exist if not allowed to do the real thing Is it really only about size?

35 if memory serve me well

I don't read the same thing as you are. Of course, we only have second hand information from just one side (second hand as we were not there to judge the tone, fill in the blank, read the email he sended and voice mail he lefted, etc.). My read is: of course he didn't refuse to act upon a request. But he did refuse to act knowing what was the problem. You point might be right but even so, you could still have a conversation and discuss about it. But he published even more intern communication and then just quit everything. Again I feel sorry for him and everyone involve. The story start with a so minor thing and a good intention. It is now out of hand. Pressure must be terrible on both side and I don't envy anyone involve.

He didn't refuse after being ask by someone. He just didn't do it. Once he knew it was the problem, he didn't do it. It would have been easier to say... " I removed it as soon as I realize there was a problem but couldn't control how fast it spread" From his own word: Although I initially stated that I would remove the post, I did not because I was looking for clarification from DCI and because I understood that removing the post at that point would be a meaningless gesture as it had already been shared over four different social media platforms by a variety of drum corps influencers.

Of course, we will never have the full story. My reading is lightly different than yours. I see a first reply from Eddleman saying evaluation is suspend. No year mention. Then, many tentative to reach Acheson in less than 24h with a refusal to take the post out until he talk to him. We don't know the nature of those emails or voice mail. I know that if you bark at me (I not saying he did... I talk about me) and can't have the courtesy to wait a bit for me to greet you with my full attention (which might not been available at the moment), I might give a stronger answer. However, even with a "not before 2020", this could have been navigated if not public. He took all is option out by going public, acheving the exact oppose result he was looking for. I feel sad for him. Feel sad for DCI, Arsenal all other involve. What a mess for nothing.

I haven't red all the pages and I might be behind the latest developement. However my impression is, the way the offer was writen, it was a mistake based on age and experience. Just wait 1-2 hours before you press "send" on something you wrote on behalf of an organisation. Read it again and make the obvious ajustment that you would have seen if you waited 2 hours and re-read yourself! When I red the original offer, I was surprise that everybody here were on board with that. I thought it was a terrible way to make an offer. I also thought that DCI answer was fine. To me, their answer was: "Wooooah... hold on. We need to talk. Your evaluation in on hold until we have a talk". I felt there were an over reaction from the corps director who refuse to take the post out until he get personnal attention and became almost harcelant calling and writing 3-4 time in less than 24 hours. I don't know for you, but we all have a life, duty and task. This could have wait a few more hours. Yes it is important and yes there is also 50 other important things going on at the same time. It was minor until someone decide to burn the house down. And it wasn't DCI. It is only after that, that I see a second reply stating 2020. Even then, when you put yourself in a corner, there is nowhere else to go. A suspension is just what it is. Suspended until further notice... until we study your case. In YEA! case, suspension was what everybody here propose as the right course of action when suspicion arise on other employee and staff. Once clear, everybody find is job (evaluation) back on track. The final overaction of the corps director was by droping everything, quitting the job, cancellation of the next camp, and washing his hand of all this... after publishing internal emails. That was the perfect way to make sure that you will never be welcome anymore. Being in charge of an organisation is full of frustration along the road. I would be worry to send kids on the road knowing that the person in charge might overact and leave everything there when things don't get his way. Tour is difficult. Everybody get tired, none on tour think the same way, conflict of personality happen all the time. All that happen between any of these: volunteers, drivers, staff, admin, members, housing host, stadium and parking personal, etc. Transportation problem, even with brand new vehicules might happen, so does housing problem, rain, stadium difficulty, no AC in gym, etc. Really, I would be worry to go on tour with an emotional person at the helm who can't stay calm, cold head and bring others down when needed. And it is obvious to me that DCI cannot reply and tell their side of the story. Whatever that say will only give new flesh and open new argumentation they are sure to loose. Even saying exactly what people want them to say will be met with: "yes but it came too late, lets fire everyone", "yes but it is insuffisant", "that would have been a good answer yesterday but not anymore, what a bunch of morron", etc. I am happy I am not in DCI shoes. I could never do the job they do. Not half of it. And I don't know many that could. It is easy to fire everyone, but be cautious of who's gonna be the replacement. You may find it worse than what was there in the first place. Just my 2 cents.

Sometime it could also be manpower. The Stentors fold their feeder program in 2009 because we did not have enough people willing to invest time in it. Money was not a problem... well... of course with a million dollar available we would have hire somebody, so money is ALWAYS the problem!! But it wasn't an immediat cash problem. I wonder what are the true immediat reasons for SCVC and BDB.

Dutch Boy 1990.... great showman soloist!

The results are in: The annual fundraising campaign of the Canadian Stentors drum and bugle was tremendously successful. Thanks to all who have donate. This will go a long way in our effort to bring a bigger corps to championship in 2019. While the campaign is over, the GoFundMe page is still functional for those willing to contribute. Bring back the Stentors du DCI championship Graphic are in french but I am sure you can figure out most of the numbers out there. If not, feel free to post a question! And congrats for all the corps who compete in 2018. It was a fantastic season and a difficult one to watch from the sideline. See you in 2019!

There were 9 Stentors alumni marching with US corps this summer! I tought to salute them before the season end! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10216290793678832&set=a.4731224914910.182426.1123370157&type=3&theater

Members I spoke to, parents, staff, board and even volunteers are missing being on tour. I don't see any obstacle on our way back in 2019 (other than the usual). But of course, a donation here and there will allow to grow bigger, better and faster! Have a good championship week all!

2018 probably is the first time since 1972 that no Canadian corps will compete at Championship. With 2 days left to the 2018 DCI GIVING CHALLENGE, help bring a Canadian corps back to DCI in 2019. Make a small donation towards the Stentors drum and bugle corps from Quebec Canada! The team here is working hard and every day, to be ready bigger and better for our return. 20$+ can go a long way... and coming from many donors, it sends the message: ''keep pushing; we appreciate the work being done, the corps and the commitment in giving your kids the tools for a happy and successful life! English for our fundraising campaign is at the end of our GoFundMe page. Happy DCI week !! Gabe Francoeur President Stentors Drum and Bugle Corps Fundraising Campaign link: https://www.gofundme.com/Ramenons-les-Stentors-au-DCI Video link: