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Bruno Zuccala - Cavaliers in the 90's and 2000's (several titles and he had a major hand in all of them) + Cadets 2011

Are there other avenues for a corps to earn money in the offseason? Assuming the corps has a cook truck, could that be used as a food truck open to the public for special events, etc as a way for the public to support? Have any corps looked into that?

Not trying to be like, "kids these days...and their Karents"...but.... Over the last year, I've had more students (high school MB guards, college MB guards, drum corps) feel VERY entitled to miss rehearsals and performances for really any reason they cared to. When pointing out that they *committed* to a particular organization, that means you don't then go and commit to something else (obviously, this is different than shifting family dynamics, which might require someone to quit an org to get a job, etc). There are some who still get what it means to commit and stick with. But there are WAY more young people who do not understand that, and their Karents are also not on board with holding them accountable. I saw an incredible band director get raked through the mud and be called "unprofessional" by a student trying to get out of a very important performance. (Adding clarity - none of the above has to do with the band directors mentioned, just an observation in the mentality shift coming out of the pandemic)

It's baffling to me. Why use a NON-profit to drive a profit/compensation for yourself? Why not just create an ACTUAL business, driving ACTUAL profits? I get the whole tax situation with non-profits, but it seems like the juice wouldn't be worth the squeeze, especially if you could the exact same things as a for-profit business. You'd probably be able to bring in even more funds, without the limits placed on non-profits? We live in a capitalist-leaning society. We support finding a way to make a lot of money - just not through non-profits, which exist to serve a purpose (other than making the owners money). Why do that?

The guy that got dragged on their alumni forum for being drunk? That guy? I heard AG read him for filth, like he was late to count 1 in her flag block. Straight up went in on his "leadership qualities". Do you have evidence DB was a "big backer"? Have you considered she may also be the reason he's no longer around? She did work in insurance, so the concept of de-risking would not be new to her.

So, I don't think it's cool to take potshots at RB. Say what you will, but he has pushed for positive things in the activity, and stayed IN the activity when a lot of other people would have gotten up and left. As a human who (ill-advised or not) worked tirelessly for drum corps, he still deserves some respect. None of his alleged wrongdoings were malicious (to my knowledge, no one has accused him of sexual assault or hitting/screaming at kids). I wish the Pioneer alumni a great reunion!! I've also witnessed events that lead me to believe he should not be running youth organizations anymore. He means well I'm sure, but really should not be involved in the capacity he holds onto. That's not just my opinion - DCI had a similar opinion. It is absolutely correct to discuss whether he should be administrating startup groups in WGI.

Peep this line from the article: This homecoming will be a time to meet old friends and to hear about Pioneer’s new venture into the world of WGI WINDS, DRUM LINES, and possibly COLOR GUARD. Pio is attempting to create a Winds group, indoor drumline, and maybe a winterguard. It will be interesting to see how WGI handles a group that DCI sanctioned.

The activity needs a National Governing Body. Any other replacement would go through the same things DCI is going through. The *individuals* in the activity need to be the members of the NGB, not just the corps. Example: Are you a volunteer for a corps? You must abide by rules from the NGB on how volunteers prepare meals, etc.

Not true - this individual still judges high school marching band competitions (as recently as 2021). Still goes to drum corps shows, as well.

Fair. Let me phrase it another way. Who oversees whistleblower reports to the individual corps? Who determines legality at the corps level? Who determines legality at DCI? This is a black box. Who oversees whistleblower reports to DCI? EquitAbility is contracted for investigations, but I don’t believe they audit the whistleblower complaints. Who does? Does that happen now? Should it? Is anybody happy with how either of these reporting mechanisms are working? Are they serving the members well? Are they serving the activity well? If not, how is change brought about? Recently, a student reported a very serious situation to DCI and WGI. 4 months into the investigation, an anonymous Instagram account reached out, asking specific questions about the situation, a situation only a few people were made aware of. There’s major mishandling of these incidents and they get bungled at every step, it seems. My point is, the mechanisms in place are manned by woefully untrained, probably well-meaning people, who have no idea how to actually handle these complaints. We’ve only heard about some of the mishandling. I’d expect there’s a LOT more. Btw, WGI asked this student to keep the situation “hush-hush” after determine the offending instructor (active in BOA, DCI, WGI, and multiple Winterguard circuits) was egregiously wrong, which is victim silencing, a HUGE no-no. That person slithered under their rock and might still be consulting programs - who knows? The floodgates have been open for a while now. The 2 sandbags are not enough. We need more sandbags.

The current setup also allows for DCI to receive all the whistleblower complaints. Let that sink in for just a second.... Everything that gets reported goes through DCI. It is in THIS respect that they maintain their control. They know who's doing what, but do not identify as the NGB (National Governing Body). You think they want that paradigm to shift? They're going to hold on to that tooth and nail (otherwise, they'd be an NGB). We're only hearing of the ones where the victims stood up and said, "DCI did nothing". What about the other complaints? Is DCI required to be audited by any federal agencies to prove they are handling whistleblower complaints correctly? Have any whistleblower complaints led to no public action, but private decisions? If I were a journalist, I know where I'd keep my microscope trained.

If only it were an option for the predators/offenders, not the members.

A rapist and a rape victim are present at the same act, but might have VERY different takes on what happened. Just because a bunch of kids didn't see a problem with it doesn't mean it's not incredibly serious.

I heard the audio from the full corps meeting. I can't say I'm sure how they covered their own handbook. It's another plus to having a standard way of distributing it. I've worked in Corporate America for over 15 years and this was by far the best, clearest, and most needed form of harassment training I've seen. Once you sign that you have taken the training, the onus is on the individual. It's added accountability and makes it easier to dismiss the staff that don't adhere to the policies. The Safesport training gets brought up quite a bit in independent groups. Even if done in a joking fashion, it's actually been an ongoing conversation that constantly reminds us of the training. As a staff member, it is easier to understand exactly when I need to take action and what that action needs to be. I don't think many staff members have the confidence for that right now.

The training that WGI offered was $17 per person. Spirit has ~80 on staff (I counted by hand, on multiple pages). That would have been an investment of under $1,500 for the year. Isn't it kind of worth it to not have to deal with what they're dealing with now? Isn't it more disruptive and costly for the members to change travel plans the weekend before a camp because schools might not want them on-premise? It's a fraction of one member's yearly dues to ensure the safety of all and longevity of the corps. They seem to be able to buy speakers. Seem to be able to buy props. $1,500. WGI must have ~300 competitive units. Also, many local circuits made the same requirement. Winterguards aren't exactly rolling in the dough, either. As a percentage of operating budget, the cost was higher for guards, winds groups, and drumlines.

Those are all reasons to invest in such a training. The training already exists! It actually takes them out of the accountability realm, in some regards. If everyone is trained to report correctly, resources are utilized correctly. It's pretty clear what staff would have to do (at least the training that WGI did) and it's not overly complicated. I know many winterguards feel a sigh of relief for having this in place, because similar to DCI, winterguards were doing a lot of investigating and adjudicating on their own. It's not their place!

"How do we train the staff?" "How do we train the kids?" "How do we train the parents?" Not a popular answer - but look at what WGI did this year. EVERY participant had to take SafeSport training. Every staff member. The training specifically answers those questions. This is not a "reinvent the wheel" scenario. Other activities have figured it out. There is a model already!!! DCI need only adopt it. They are hell-bent on doing it the hard way, though (years and years later, still, for some reason).

That's probably due to one person, who has been responsible for cleaning up a MUCH bigger mess in a similar activity. That person put together policies that WGI now uses. If only DCI would do the same...

Michael Daugherty's Niagara Falls - Cavaliers, 2000. (there were some additional compositions arranged in, but largely atmospheric, if memory serves).

Unwilling. There have always been people around willing to help Pio get significantly better every day. Coulda made it happen, too, if someone could have loosened the grip. But, that wasn't in the cards.

Nice double entendre!

Maybe see if the corps needs help in recruiting efforts? The last 2 years have NOT been easy for any corps. If they need help recruiting, see what you can do to help. Being a vet of a corps yourself, you should probably know the value of a drum corps and it's probably a personal/family decision where to spend your money. The people pulling it together are likely volunteers and they are also likely burned out - almost everyone in the activity is. Lend a hand rather than being a Karen online.

Props aren't the problems - some of the adults in the activity are. Thankfully, not all. WGI has mandated SafeSport training for ALL participants this winter season - a first! It is similar to corporate video trainings, but as far as those go, the information is actually incredibly helpful, as it makes clear who to report to (spoiler alert, it's the police). It won't fix everything, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. If nothing else, more adults will now know how to report, when to report, etc.

Transphobia should be eliminated. Is this the right way?

Not ensemble, but a master class in colorguard