scheherazadesghost

The problem is not with those who wouldn't come forward or any supposedly unfounded rumors, it's with the institution that allows, enables, or encourages retaliation against anyone who does. The reddit thread points to that happening throughout the org's history. Finally someone else is putting this to words. Triumph over odds that never should have been levied against young people.

You see what happens when concerned parties try to say something out loud, though. Not surprising.

Sir. This is a current Vanguard staffer.

Gross. That's not acceptable at a corps with a corroborated history of abuse. It normalizes enabling. The adult "kid" defended, enabled a known abuser into shows by providing a badge, enabled him to advise my corps on their show... supposedly. Those are all disqualifying, enabling behaviors, exactly as I pointed out at the time. And they demonstrate the adult "kid" is likely challenged by calling out and acting appropriately on other concerning behaviors if they're observed. Has the adult "kid" done any additional professional development to assertively demonstrate otherwise? Has this bare minimum been reached, requested, or even attempted?

Regarding GH and claims regarding a current staff member at Vanguard:

You would be so lucky.

SCV's April Fools prank announcing Scheherazade 3 is in poor form. Sure, make light how this abuse survivor at Vanguard's hand (corroborated by your current CFO/former board president and alum herself) asked you never to revive Scheherazade. She assured me to my face you wouldn't with witnesses present. How much longer can your staff claim they didn't know? You need a qualified communications director. The internal synchrony of this organization continues to be its downfall. On the one hand you've corroborated past abuse, while on the other, you make public jokes for internet points. These kinds of things keep alumni away... or do you simply want us to remain splintered? It's getting difficult to tell. Worse, I've been actively encouraging other survivors, who say they're ready to disclose their stories of abuse to you, to come talk to you. Insensitive actions like this make me want to stop. Especially if they'll be treated as callously as this. Announce the real show material and get on with it.

This little ghost has stories of both 03 and 18. As well as seasons in between, before, and after. All of them weave a very complicated narrative of my beloved corps that many alum seem to refuse to listen to at this point, at least without making it worse. I genuinely believe that the new CEO is doing what he can to mend fences that never should've been necessary between alum, but now very much are. Godspeed to him. He's only one man.

Lol, then I'll blame the wind for my sail! Man, I've lost some serious details. Ty for the correction!

Thank you, brother. TBF, guard may have dragged that score down. I had a sail in the closer I'd never encountered before, for example. (In a dome no less lololol.) Like the previous season, the guard overall had better runs during quarters and semis. Waddayagonnado? But being carried by that drumline was also a pretty bittersweet feeling. Sad that we couldn't match them, but I literally felt swept off my feet by them so.... 🥰

Heard. That's how the art is corrupted... and will remain corrupted (corrected below.) I'll be a good little alum in this thread and keep the rest of my opinions on the matter, as they relate directly to my corps, to myself. Alternatively, I can elaborate further on the pathways conceptual idea, as I lamented that my fellow alum didn't dive into it deeper in Decades. Freddy was spot on in hinting at how the show represented the different pathways we can take in life. But this was very literal in Myron's drill: Opener: before the big unison hit, there are two corps racing toward each other and toward unity... but there are also outliers all over the field taking their own paths. Even in the unison hit, my seat partner cymbal player is separated from the drumline in the middle of the horn block, crashing away. The outliers are never fully separated though, and always find their way back to the group, even if they seem displaced from their section. For the rest of the opener and ballad, we were a unified corps. Ballad: it's all about unity and agreement on our pathways together. Ends with the guard duet separating, their paths taking them oppositionally apart. Anima Mundi: disunity and chaos. Pathways are rarely drawn out in the drill, instead individuals and small groups trace their own. This movement is bleeding with outliers from each section all over the drill. Our silly green maze pieces constantly trapping other guard members. During the drum break, the hornline traps the giant rifle line and even plays violent here and there, taking swings at them with their horns. Ends with a lone rifle escaping entrapment. Closer: mostly back to unison here and reincarnations of major drill ideas. Oh the rewrites we learned of this dang closer. As it settled, there was only one outlier, Chris, the cymbal player who was interviewed. Just before the big hit, he beautifully high-marks time at the unison hit where eventually the rest of the corps meets him. The whole corps realigns to one of our most iconic, historical images. I loved my part in this moment, but that drill idea is golden. (A precursor to 09's company front if you ask me... and there have to be others before and after 03, but my historical understanding is still emergent.) I'll note too, that for the years I marched, Myron really really took creative care with the cymbals. They played significant roles both years. Their charge thru the corps was not in the first iteration of that closer. The show needed to cook a bit before he found that final idea. The man at the center of it all, not my ex, is a friend to this day. Love those guys. So Freddy was right, but the metaphors in the drill are exceptional and they were strong again the following year. Numerous creative iterations of a single word/ idea. Beautiful to track as a young person in the corps. Still relevant to this group of individuals to this day, as bringing this project to life was quite the challenge. I pushed some of that challenge, knowing they could take it. ❤️💚🤍

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.

IIRC, Myron cried for us that day. Also IIRC, it was the last time we beat our friends from across the Bay until 2017. Corrected below. Very very cool that we shared that moment in time and space, V. Many sacrifices were made to bring both shows to life.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

🥹 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:

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.

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.

lul, sometimes I like books, reports, studies and articles more than people, admittedly. 🤓 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.

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.

Last update was a month ago. Can be read here: https://www.reddit.com/r/drumcorps/comments/1ajx6f6/vanguard_update/