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scheherazadesghost

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Everything posted by scheherazadesghost

  1. I stand happily corrected. For someone who pushed us not to focus on scores as much as other things, Myron seemed deeply affected by them. Many an alum have been, to strange extents. Fortunately, I retain my lack of cares for the judging system to this day. ROFLOL at "scoring" art. Besides, the years in between those competitive wins were rough in various ways. It doesn't determine their worth to me one lick.
  2. IIRC, Myron cried for us that day. Also IIRC, it was the last time we beat our friends from across the Bay until 2017. Very very cool that we shared that moment in time and space, V. Many sacrifices were made to bring both shows to life.
  3. Dallas camp this past weekend, clips up on the social medias. CEO expressed much excitement about the quality education happening, especially with the Rennicks. Spring training will happen at the University of Idaho. The board of directors have heard snippets of show music from the Dallas camp and were also very excited. I didn't catch in the open meeting when or how the show would be revealed, but I think I just missed it. My bad.
  4. Same. This made it all the more difficult for me to feel safe when I wanted to address issues that came up. Representation matters beyond checking off some imaginary box labeled "diversity."
  5. I most certainly hope so. But I still have doubts that are firmly grounded in the experiences of young alumni. It's easy to say things have improved for everyone but there are still a few here, held silence for fear of being diminished or worse, who haven't had that fully-positive experience. Those that don't all too often fall in equity-deserving groups, which is why these initiatives like at Bloo are so crucial. Rising tides and whatnot... I get the "but things are better now" reasoning all the time. It's not good enough when some marching members are leaving the activity with say, Rx drug addictions, for example. Or worse. That's not a product of adequate education, it's a product of the worst parts of this activity's history.
  6. Thanks for the lore, friend. I'm actually hesitant to speak for the members I marched with in this way. My motivations were different those two years as what amounts to a double rookie, 03 on flag and 04 or sabre. But I'll try... I can say that 03 finals was strange. We were rained out of our final rehearsal runthru, for one. The age outs felt robbed and that was a major factor in the final performance despite some hefty magic extended to us by Myron. We weren't sure, even to the last minute, that we would even have a final show. I was just happy to be there, flying by the seat of my pants, having no frame of reference for how things are supposed to be. Same with my rookout seat partner, who was awarded rookie of the year that season. Too many challenging things happened to the membership btw 03 and 04 that distracted us from the grit you're imagining. Those things may not have affected everyone directly, but the chain reactions are something I still consider often. I think that grit was likely there for the drumline though, but they were tighter than the rest of us: solid, alumni staff; moved-in in Jan; already had a strong 03 season together where they had carried the rest of us like a boss. And not just in score, but literally, the opener wouldn't have been possible if they hadn't been so tight. But they literally always had fire in their eyes... that never changed based on placement or competition. They were our heartbeat in every possible way. You'd have to ask one of them for more clarity on that tho. You didn't ask, but I'll take it a step further to describe why I think we didn't place higher in 04. I think the staff and alumni were motivated more than membership in the way you were referencing. We, as members, were stoked on the show in 04, for sure, and it was seen universally as not only highly competitive, but a vehicle for a first place finish. No pressure lol just jump from 5th to 1st, amirite? This perspective is what may keep me in hot water with the org and alum but it's what I believe: in that way, the staff pushed us too hard. Particularly in visual and guard. I still think that just a little more rest both years would've been the key to greater competitive success. Instead, they did the opposite and that's why Vanguard had the rep of the hardest corps back then, even giving Cadets a run for their money. That's why there were silly drops on both finals years. That's why there were still drill mistakes from all sections. That's why a rookie horn soloist cracked in 04 finals when he nailed it consistently leading up to that point, poor thing. When mistakes in such amazing shows happen that late in the season, and when everything else is so pristine, it's not on the members, it's on the staff's ability to motivate appropriately. One of the previously mentioned drops from the sabres was actually 2 drops on finals night from our most reliable, consistent spinner. Our elders, alumni, and staff let us down in that way. Contrastingly, I eked out a sloppy finals but didn't drop. There was a lot of that among the weapons because we weren't confident, we were still trying. And we still had to save juice for the 1st noncompetitive TOC after that. It made things weird again. The difference is that the drumline could get comments from their finals on-field judge describing how art isn't always perfect if it's truly expressive. Their mistakes were forgivable given the artistry they had captured. The rest of us had staff that found our mistakes consistently unforgivable and "motivated" us accordingly. "The Way" with all its many flaws was in full effect back then. All that said, IIRC, competition was a motivator for staff and alumni. Myron always wanted members to focus on ensuring we were aware that we were trying something new and breathtaking and to keep our focus there... competitive success would fall in place after we got that. It was the higher calling he always pushed. He always iterated that shows took up a fraction of the summer and that the rest of our time together was much more valuable, so many of us took that to heart. That was my motivation more than anything else. I don't think I was alone in that.
  7. Nah, I'm saying that my personal exp, and those of enough I've talked to, was one in which drilling members into the ground via repetition of material masqueraded as education. In that vein, is the military also "educational?" I mean, perhaps in the "better fn figure it out or else kind of way" but those of us who studied education may not necessarily call it that. Again, my HS education in colorguard was more thorough than what I got in drum corps.
  8. šŸ„¹ Here's a tasty morsel I found you might enjoy then. Late season, but it's footage that captures some of that difficulty on the ground... ending with closeup of the yummy drum feature. And heartwarming fact: I was once engaged to the first lone cymbal player you see, still great friends. Enjoy:
  9. Agreed. I can't say my experience was educational, at least not intentionally so, as I learned what I didn't want to be. That doesn't count. My HS experience in colorguard was more educational than in drum corps by light years. I wouldn't elevate the "education" in drum corps to graduate level work, especially not in colorguard. But I see your point, in relation to K12 education. I think it's more like vocational that rarely leads to job prospects. (This coming from someone who's happily attended both graduate and vocational schools.) This is how you can tell when DEI efforts are genuine or not. It takes an org with that kind of history added "oomph" to make these efforts thorough and lasting. You can also tell because there's no partnership with institutions who make DEI their sole purpose (research, advocacy, the lifting of lived experiences.) To rely on the hope that these orgs have innate talent and experience internally already to keep these kinds of efforts afloat is silly and can, again, easily make genuine efforts come off as window dressing. *cough* my own house *cough cough* Also, I see your point made earlier about distinguishing "inclusion" from "inclusivity." I think the term used by experts in the DEI field for the latter is "access." I appreciate the dialogue.
  10. I'm currently completing training with SafeSport International. In regards to safeguarding, they drill down on how crucial it is to leverage the latest research and lived experiences of survivor athletes to build consensus about what safeguarding should look like. FWIW, I'd argue it's the same for equity. Bc again, there is crossover btw safeguarding and diversity... and diversity issues are covered in the SSI training. It would be much easier to listen to the experts, rather than try to reinvent the wheel. Bc getting consensus from the drum corps community on this subject without a process similar to what I describe above is laughable to me it seems so difficult. So again, kudos to Bloo for trying. Their members undoubtedly will benefit.
  11. lul, sometimes I like books, reports, studies and articles more than people, admittedly. šŸ¤“ So, there's DCI's strategic plan. And it states the mothership's goals pretty clearly. However, it's from 2017-2018 (and therefore, pre-pandemic) so it's out of date. But hey, coolio, there are timelines attached to their goals. that's crucial. Also, a yearly report made public would be helpful in describing how they think they did in meeting their goals. Perhaps that's out there somewhere but I couldn't easily find it. Is that what they do at Jannuals? That stuff should be more public if so. An example of a crucial goal would be the Mission Statement: "To bring the life-changing benefits and enjoyment of marching music performing arts to more people worldwide. We do this by creating a stage for participating organizations to engage in education, competition, entertainment and the promotion of individual growth." Education is listed as the first dang method for achieving their mission. That's probably intentional. Are their member participants aware of that? I'm not so sure anymore, given the adjustments to many of their own missions to eliminate education altogether. Concerning. Anyway, the strategic plan, mission, vision, and values statements are all present and accounted for. But there are key concerns there for me. Specifically, how are they holding themselves accountable for these statements and goals? It's like trying to follow a map but never looking up to see if you found water... or simply telling your traveling party you found water when you haven't... or having found it but not sharing it. It's shallow. If there are annual reports I'm missing, then by all means, I'll give them a read and respond. If this is the case with the mothership, that they aren't holding themselves accountable for goals, then all the little member boats will follow suit. Now we could dive into their "In Step" DEI programming, but that seems a bit embryonic as well, so I'm reluctant to go full hog on dissecting it. I want it to succeed, and have criticisms, but that's for a later time. It looks to me like my concerns are rooted further down in the clarity of their mission/vision/values.
  12. I've never been seduced by the notion of ubermensches filling the ranks for drum corps to aid in higher competitive rankings. By this I mean, only accepting the "best of the best" (again, who defines "best" and is the group that defines "the best" diverse? does it include women? does it include gender diverse peoples? people of the global majority? No? then I fundamentally can't agree to their definition of "best.") That's because I believe "best" stems from the hard emotional and intellectual labor of collaboration across difference and the unique kind of growth that comes with it. The turn away from this being an educational activity to an almost wholly-competitive one is lamentable. The very educational process that Terri described earlier has been so incredibly valuable and influential for so many people. It was for me. The two years I marched wouldn't have been possible if only ubermensches, or young people who require little-to-no training or education, had been allowed in SCV. I find the notion blah. Boring. Who cares? I was never that anyway. I was fallible but eager to learn, and I picked up the most difficult piece equipment in colorguard my second year, that I'd never spun before, and made it sing. If, as a former VMAPA CEO put it, this activity truly is "not for the faint of heart" also, then what's the point? Where is the learning? Where is the growth? And not just for those who are lesser-skilled... but those who stand to learn that working with those lesser-skilled folks is potentially more valuable than a "perfectly trained" set of recruits. Is the activity truly only for those who soared through high school band experiences as big fish in their tiny ponds? To oversimplify a bit, doesn't Cool Runnings ring a bell? LOL Ubermensches don't lead to growth in the activity... they exacerbate its already incestuous nature.
  13. Last update was a month ago. Can be read here: https://www.reddit.com/r/drumcorps/comments/1ajx6f6/vanguard_update/
  14. It all just sounds like the argument boils down to "we didn't know any better." I give my elders more credit than that and expect greater accountability. I've seen what happens to people who speak up more times than I can count by now. Are we really saying that: 1. The DCI BOD has always been the corps running the show, including GH AND 2. They didn't know and ultimately enable countless disgusting violations to happen against young people and minors? I can't square that as easily as others. And I can only be so strongly opinionated about it because I know I'll never be employable in this field ever again... because I'm opinionated.
  15. There are still plenty of corps, ahem like my own, where we still don't talk about it without flack or retaliation either from leadership or from alumni. Society is moving the needle slowly but my house, and DCI in general apparently, still aren't ready to talk about it. Unacceptable. And nauseating. SMDH. And that's a problem in every possible way. Now reinforced entirely by the statements I'm reading from DCI in the case. FUBAR... both the situation metaphorically, but also the victims. Relationships within a power differential were always wrong, people knew it, and still it happened. Denying and staying silent about it is wrong.
  16. I've been in this situation, often worse, more times than I can count. My identity group makes up a tiny, largely unrepresented percentage in nearly every space I occupy, especially employment. The only group in US employment representation that's smaller is Native American/Alaska Native. And that's only in studies that actually include us. My state doesn't even do that. It's not fun. Code switching shouldn't be a survival tactic, but it is for some of us.
  17. I would've felt strange answering that in my youth for sure. But again here, methodology in data collection is important, and why universities have institutional researcher roles. Not saying that's financially feasible in lower-budget drum corps scenarios, but that data is easily smear-y without that kind of attention and care in collection and dissemination. Indeed, were members asked or were their guardians/loved ones/funders? Ah the complexity of data. Looking back, the Methodology page says "students and staff" were asked. Fair enough. And the inclusion of a "prefer not to say" is industry standard in surveying. There's still important data in that response: how can you ask the question better? provide better options/answers? better survey tools? better timing on when the questions are asked? etc. Again, just glad it's happening.
  18. As a rookie in the guard, I was hanging onto that show design for dear life. From what I recall everyone else seemed to be as well. We all had to disregard everything we were hearing and hope the drum major and pit could somehow mitigate everything. Guard was not allowed to dut or count IIRC. Only a select few member leadership in battery and horns. Then there was bass 5 going rogue in the design, so beautiful. Love that guy. That first unison hit was always a huge relief cause we knew we had a better shot of syncing up. Then we landed at our first enclosed dome, Mile High I believe, and we all fried a few brain cells trying to reconfigure everything on the fly. That happened at every dome, cause the acoustics were always slightly different. If you look closely at the dna of anyone who marched that show, I'm pretty sure the music, drill and choreo is etched there permanently. Repping was the only way to sort of slay that beast.
  19. Numbers are only that high on economic status questions though. It wouldn't render the rest of the info gathering moot at all, especially ethnicity and gender. That will always be important and percentages that prefer not answer are much lower there.
  20. Having a qualified and having a diverse staff are not mutually exclusive and never has been. Plenty of companies value and pursue both to great success. Diversity runs deeper than skin color because it can include cultural differences, religious differences, as well as differences in life experiences and perspectives. "Not caring" about skin color does not diversity make. Many of us want these aspects of our unique lived experiences not only acknowledged, but accepted and celebrated in community with others, whether they share those experiences or not. To the above poster's point, I too would appreciate a section on background checks for staff and leadership that goes beyond the assumption that they happen. For example, statistics on who was rejected and why. But that falls more under safeguarding to me than equity work. Both are crucial and, yes, intersect. It's one thing to appear inclusive and diverse on the surface (or rather, getting "some diversity in the door"), speaking for my own home team here, but it's another to actually walk the walk. I don't feel comfortable interacting with much of VMAPA, in part, because they're faltering in this regard.
  21. Maybe OP to the comment referenced is actually a second-wave feminist who has adopted the mantra, "the personal is political." I'm super here for that conversation, but be forewarned, I'm a fourth-wave intersectional feminist and know my stuff. I can keep those dialogues within the bounds of platform rules, but such dialogues are usually challenging in that way for the uninitiated. Such principles directly inform my capacity for nurturing equity in professional settings.
  22. Affordability is a huge component and definitely needs to be addressed head on. That said, access upon member recruitment is only one component of this work. Let's say magically it was addressed tomorrow and anyone who wanted to march does. If staff and leadership equity has not been addressed as well, then corps still won't be able to ensure they have safe spaces to support greater diversity. When leadership and staff don't reflect member diversity, all of these efforts are still window dressing because members aren't represented as well, their voices are heard less, and ultimately they are less safe. The report itself discusses this as an issue to tackle.
  23. Gracias. If I'm not welcome on the inside, I'll just be here on the outside, hoping it helps someone somewhere... I'll re read pg 28 later for more clarity and edit this comment. Suffice to say again, if the report's goal isn't clearly established, then sticking to, and meeting that goal is not possible. Giving themselves credit for accomplishments should def be part of the goals, firmly stated or otherwise. Doing so would have a greater influence on all stakeholders. But still, I give them credit for wandering the dark woods of this work, building a fire, and starting the work of drawing out a map. No one else is... and everyone else stands to benefit from it.
  24. I didn't think to keep evidence when I was being abused. Most survivors not only don't, but can't. My injured-and-untreated thumb, though, which holds back my capacity to work and earn a living, will always be there.
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