Canadacorps

Just a question - Does any place still sell new G keyed horns? Just curious.

We're working on it, Thanks!

East Coast Jazz!!? Please tell me that this is the start of something new for them.. I'd love to see them back in action!

I agree with Chris. I'm not trying to 'gang'-up on you Dean, but the leaders of the OC Division are not some big, corporate board - meeting in a high-rise tower board room somewhere, with a massive budget to work with. "OC Div. leaders" ARE the Corps Directors themselves, and they work within the budgets of each of their individual organizations, which we have already established are fairly limited. Again - would you rather they spend their energies and budgets reaching out to the Legacy fans? Or have them use their budgets and energy ensuring there is a quality experience for their kids, and through the health of their respective organizations, continue to offer an OC division today, tomorrow and into the future? Maybe this is a better question - In what ways do you think the OC Division has failed in reaching out to Legacy fans?..., and what would you see them do instead?

This is where groups like DCNA, and the SDCA have their place - a starting ground where newly "spawned" corps can gain their footing, collaborate with others who are building, support and encourage each other, share knowledge and experience, and begin creating more stable corps for this activity who will eventually take the field. As these new corps grow, they can join the shows in their area/help create new ones. In short - are we able to go back to a TRULY regional approach tomorrow? No, - but Maybe West, Midwest/Central and East for now, with Corps who can afford it crossing over occasionally to make appearances. More Corps = More opportunities for everyone, and then we can expand into a fully regional approach, with people going to the "World" championships if and when they can afford it. This would give the big boys a chance to mix it up ocassionally with Corps they don't see everyday on the tour, and give the audiences a (potentially) different experience each year at Championships.

GREAT! Court of Honor was an excellent Corps, I'd love to see them re-form.

I honestly do not see how you can come up with the conclusion that OC corps do not care about Legacy fans. Of course they do. The hard truth is, Many OC Corps are busy trying to ensure their SURVIVAL, so they are focusing most of their effort there. You will have no OC Corps to be a fan of, if they do not focus the Lion's share of their attention on the growth and health of their own organizations. Many OC Corps operate on a 100,000 or less operating budget (and even some presently active touring OC corps on much, MUCH less). They also have vastly less of the most important resource: PEOPLE. (think: Volunteers. Afterall, Charity Golf Tournaments, Poker Tourny's, Silent Auctions don't run themselves, Grants don't write themselves, and the bigger the Corps, the more parents you have to help. Volunteers are the essential lifeblood from which all good, healthy non-profit organizations come.) (ASIDE:) How do these OC Corps grow? By ensuring they focus all their attention on creating a FABULOUS member experience. Happy members stay in the Corps, and bring their FRIENDS! as the corps grows, so does the level of support. It's all connected, but back to my original line of thinking: Now, compare the OC Budgets to the operating budget of some of the WC corps. - Some have as much as up to 5 million per annum to work with, (I kid you NOT) Big Corporate Sponsors, Huge fan bases, huge support teams, Merch sales, advertising support, appearance fees, enough funding to spawn companies dedicated to earning money for their Corps' continued operations, etc. etc. They are models of success. But with that kind of contrast - suddenly, you can see why there isn't a nationwide movement of OC Corps trying to win back the Legacy fans. They are busy focusing on operations, and trying to ensure that there IS an OC here to serve the kids we care so much about. It's about the KIDS. OC loves and values their fans too, and realize they are important, but many of these corps play to small crowds day-in and day-out, and aren't reliant on the merch sales, DVD sales, crowd attendances and appearance fees to make the clock tick in the same way that the WC corps are. They are simply trying to ensure that their valuable segment of the activity is here to continue enriching the lives of young people throughout North America for years to come. It's a question of economics, really.

Rather than challenges, I want to offer what I think, in my opinion would be the start of a possible solution: In my (flawed, I'm sure) opinion, the best way forward is to go back to a regional model, find ways to make the shows entertaining and accessible but still creative and satisfying to the designers, approach and engage the legacy fans, stop with the "best of the best of the best" approach, and return to the primary focus of serving the kids and growing the activity. Would this solve all problems or be an easy answer? No. but I think it's a step in the right direction, after all.

I agree with Mark, In the West - there's a new Corps forming in Edmonton. :AHEM: . I also hear rumor that a Edm. Strutters/Santa Clara Vanguard Alumni might be starting something up in B.C....

We're looking forward to sharing some good news from Edmonton with the Drum Corps community very soon!

Wishing you all the best. Upped my pledge to 100+. Who's going to step up to the plate and match it?

And it's that dedication and tenacity that will see you through. All else aside, it takes a REALLY hard head to stick with it. Kudos, and all the best to your new organization! - @ the topic, I agree. Sounds like the schedule is just not completed yet.

Thanks, will do :) All the best at your first rehearsal. it looks like you're off to a great start!

Best wishes to you and your new organization.

The Corps ARE what comprises DCI. I also understand the responsibilities of these directors to their organizations, in ensuring they continue. However, I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. Any plan for the future should adequately address the future and sustainability of the activity, not attempt to simply cement the top tier position of a few Corps above everyone else in the activity into perpetuity, while at the same time destroying the circuit that serves half of the currently active Drum & Bugle Corps in existence (Open Class). Maybe it's time we all go back to the founding documents and take a look. A few things like brotherhood, and other simply .... ridiculous ideals .... like ...... Supporting, growing and sustaining the activity. I'd rather be in an organization that focuses primarily on serving their kids, building them into leaders, and giving them great experiences, than one that concerns itself primarily with how they can leverage the kids to make the most profits, thereby ensuring they stay at the top of the game.

They can add into a show and they can attend the champs but there is no real service offered. This is a change –a clear change and a clear decision to confine our efforts to a specific group of organizations. Confine - 1. To keep within bounds; restrict: 2. To shut or keep in, especially to imprison. 3. To restrict in movement Confining efforts to a "specific group" sounds pretty "clear" to me.

If you're including me, I've always supported A60, Division II/III, Open Class, whatever the divisions have been called. This is not a new development that people are wondering what happens to the 21 Corps that we will say Sayonara too, that no-one wants to even give more than a foot-note to in this discussion. I understand this is the World Class Forum, but this is a decision being made by World Class Corps that is essentially trying to kill off our segment of this activity. Just because OC Corps don't get the same attention that World Class gets on this forum doesn't mean that there aren't thousands of people involved with these organizations, and many fans that DO care about them. SO TRY TO THINK ABOUT THE HUNDREDS OF KIDS YOU ARE THROWING "UNDER THE BUS" when you're all sitting around talking about profit. This is a YOUTH activity, comprised of NON-Profits. I understand the business elements of this activity. Believe me, I do. But this doesn't feel right. It feels like, "Try our new miracle weight-loss program! Instead of dieting, We just lop off your legs! The weight reduction results are amazing!"

So, I know so much conversation has taken place about this proposal, but here is one thing I haven't seen directly addressed yet: Open Class Corps (All other corps not listed in the AAA-AA-A class. ) Under the guidance and care of the regional association! They can add into a show and they can attend the champs but there is no real service offered. This is a change –a clear change and a clear decision to confine our efforts to a specific group of organizations. If this proposal passes, what are we supposed to tell these kids? 7th Regiment Blue Devils C Blue Saints City Sound Forte Genesis Gold Impulse Incognito Legends Les Stentors Music City Oregon Crusaders Platinum Racine Scouts Raiders Revolution Spartans Spirit of Newark/New Jersey Spokane Thunder Velvet Knights I suppose someone will go up to these corps and say, "Oh by the way, we're trying to appoint this new regional association that will control your destiny now, if they feel like it. Hope you guys have all your ducks in a row, cause you're on your own!" So I'm assuming they won't want to waste any space on the DCI website listing these guys, since they're not "Worthy" of bringing in lots of Moola for the World Class guys. Too much effort I suppose, lets just ignore these 21 corps. Who cares about those kids? Or the fact that they comprise almost HALF of the remaining Drum Corps associated with the DCI Circuit? They can audition with all the rest of the band kids to be part of World Class, or sit on the sidelines, right? If I'm reading this wrong, I would LOVE for someone to set me straight, cause this is REALLY beginning to bother me.

This whole situation makes me sad. If he has the money he claimed, and had approached this in a different way, this whole thing could have turned out differently, albeit over a much longer period of time. Failure is a great teacher. If he really is as passionate as it seems, relaxes on the ego, and enlists the help of educated and mature individuals, his dream could come to fruition some day. If he's reading this, and I can offer any advice: Humility is a great asset. Realize that you can't re-invent the wheel. There are so many individuals who are much wiser and much more talented than any one of us in our early 20's. Try and go about getting them involved in the correct way. Let them teach you what they know. Be patient and be grateful for their assistance. And, let's face it: 99% of new businesses fail. Drum Corps is a business. It's almost more important to have a solid admin team than building an instructional staff. It's the executive body that handles the legal, administrative, and business elements. It is they who should be guiding and steering the ship. If you want to be the guy running the music program, do that. But make sure you are prepared to handle that also before you bite off more than you can chew.

Those seem like very big problems, however, let me play devil's advocate for a moment: In Canada, school ends June 30th. (and sometimes, especially in Alberta, there's snow on the ground until the end of May!) It may make it harder to, say, put a corps in the Top 12 of Division one (err. World Class), but there have been a few Canadian Corps that have done it in the past. I could see it being a little easier in New York. If people are burned out on Drum Corps, why is DCA in Rochester so well attended and growing? There must be plenty in the great state of NY who support drum corps still. If one was looking to rustle up support for a new junior Corps, I would assume attending DCA Championships would be a great place to find some support from old corps members in the state. But, if traditional supporters are burned out, why not look for fresh new faces? I mean, you can always find new families to support you, if you build it as a great youth activity first and foremost, provide an excellent quality-experience for your students, and then slowly introduce your parents and supporters to the concept of DC through your programming, videos, regional shows, etc. The cost issue is probably the biggest factor, But it is not an insurmountable obstacle, given the right levels of support. Who says that any Corps from NY state has to be World Class? A strong open class corps would be a lot less expensive I'm sure. Have you researched the local bingo situation? In Alberta, we have similar non-smoking laws to New York, but some halls are still doing ok, and it may require looking into new facilities that have been relatively un-tapped and in favorable areas. Do they allow Casino fundraisers in New York? That may be a way to help funding if it's permissible. Sorry a little off-topic. Wishing the best to both Citations and Spartans this upcoming season. More Corps = Better.

Interesting... keep us in the loop.

Do you know something I don't? If you have any recent info on Fever's status, can you please pm me and share?..

Excerpted from www.allegianceelite.org/ "On Tuesday, August 25th, the drumline was hired and featured in a video about Canadian Olympic downhill skier Jan Hudec. These 2 minute “vignettes” will be televised “internationally” in January and February prior to and during the Olympics." There is a whole article on this along with some of their future plans. Looks like they plan to make the trip to Rochester in 2010.

The Strutters Open House is being held on Friday, September 25th, from 6:30 - 9 PM at Laurier Heights School, 8210 142nd Street in Edmonton, AB. We've got a great facility this year, and an early start. The event is being held in the South Gym and membership packages will be available for all interested students/families. This will be a great opportunity for anyone interested in our programs to come and meet our staff and administration. For more information, check out our website: http://www.strutters.org/