Liam Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 As for changing a junior corps to all-age, esp a smaller one in div III with younger members, is also not 'relatively easy', IMO. I have a feeling that there would be parents who don't mind their young kids marching with their peers who would think twice about permitting them to march/rehearse with adults all season long...and spending a decent amount of time on the road. It's just the times we live in. Nothing against the adults. Not to mention the fact that there is the little matter of the not-for-profit status of the organizations supported by their mission statements that are generally written to promote youth/young-adult education. Not saying that these can't be adjusted and re-certified, certainly they can. But it's not necessarily a snap of the finger and you're back up and running tomorrow with a new format, that's all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 ,...............many current DCA corps have policies and controls in place to address these types of concerns, and work quite well,................ I'm not saying it is impossible...just that dismissing that sort of issue as 'easy' is dangerous. I also think that taking a current junior div III corps and just changing it to all-age overnight, with no "experience" to back up the policy....would impact some parents of current members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Matczak Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I'm not saying it is impossible...just that dismissing that sort of issue as 'easy' is dangerous. I also think that taking a current junior div III corps and just changing it to all-age overnight, with no "experience" to back up the policy....would impact some parents of current members. agreed,.................................for the recent inactive corps here, it would be easier, as right now we have NO members. :sshh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legolaus Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Certainly there are concerns of switching from a Div II/III corps to an all age corps, and there would be a process that would need to be developed and a checklist to make sure all of these issues are addressed. The point of my initial post is that Div II/III corps need to do something, and this is the most viable course of action I can come up with. There are resources (current all age corps) that could be used to gather ideas and procedures. I agree some parents would be concerned about this situation. I think I would be if my child was involved with a change like this, but there are ways to deal with this in a positive, professional manner. As one poster mentioned there are corps that have dealt with these issues already. Also the change to all age would open up new recruiting opportunities so that membership expansion could happen. After having gone through a major change in the make-up of a corps that I was in charge of I can say that from experience something like this would need to researched and discussed among the membership (including parents) so that everyone understands why the change needs to happen and how the change will be handled. Policies and procedures are certainly good things to have in place, but in my experience they do not replace good old fashioned communication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersop Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 If there is enough interest from Jr corps to begin with, I see no issue in having a Jr corps Division. Just have their championships be a couple of weeks earlier. If it takes a couple of years to implement the culture change to an all age corps (if that's the direction the organization wants to move toward), then this will soften the blow of the change. I'm not sure that DCA is really interested in butting heads with DCI by going after their corps. However, if the corps approached DCA with a unified plan and a number of corps in agreement that wanted to move their affiliations, then that's an entirely different matter. I think it's fair to assume that DCA wouldn't put themselves in that position but they should find a way to make their options known to the drum corps world without being abrasive. A little marketing in this area wouldn't hurt. I, for one, would love to be involved in a show with 4 Jr corps, 4 All Age and 1 or 2 Alumni corps on any given night. Talk about giving the fan$ some bang for their buck. There is a good segment of talk in this thread that focuses on Div 2/3. For some reason, my gut tells me that there are some Div 1 corps out there that would be interested in the DCA option as well. It might not be a top 7 corps, but it could be a Mandarins/Pioneer/Scouts/Colts etc. Most of the Div 1 corps were VERY VERY successful this year. I just can't say enough about that. However, the long term affects of the DCI touring model are slowly starting to show. At some point, enough will be enough and another favorite corps will be forced to go inactive. For the low cost of operations, turning to DCA just seems like a completely obvious choice to me under those circumstances. I think the biggest advantage for DCA is a possibility of the Jr corps investing in their own marketing through the parent organization. It doesn't make much sense to have 300K in the bank for a competitive season when you only need 100K or less to do DCA for a year. Shared profits, mutual investments etc, could make things interesting for the growth of DCA as a business. Many more thoughts, but I have to hit the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Certainly there are concerns of switching from a Div II/III corps to an all age corps, and there would be a process that would need to be developed and a checklist to make sure all of these issues are addressed. The point of my initial post is that Div II/III corps need to do something, and this is the most viable course of action I can come up with. There are resources (current all age corps) that could be used to gather ideas and procedures.I agree some parents would be concerned about this situation. I think I would be if my child was involved with a change like this, but there are ways to deal with this in a positive, professional manner. As one poster mentioned there are corps that have dealt with these issues already. Also the change to all age would open up new recruiting opportunities so that membership expansion could happen. After having gone through a major change in the make-up of a corps that I was in charge of I can say that from experience something like this would need to researched and discussed among the membership (including parents) so that everyone understands why the change needs to happen and how the change will be handled. Policies and procedures are certainly good things to have in place, but in my experience they do not replace good old fashioned communication. That;s why I posted that it is not an 'easy' thing to do, as someone (not sure who) posted it would be. Dismissing or downplaying issues like that are a sure way to have the change NOT work. Your great post outlines a lot of things that would have to be done to make it work. Good job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackstar Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 There have been reason why it won't work but I'm a half full kind of guy. 1- Marketing, there are many ways to market on he cheap. I'm doing it with my business and have grown somewhat successfull. You start by sending letters to high schools and community bands etc. Partner with them the first year to have more competitions, reduced cost to host shows with a higher payout to the corps. I'm also sure sponsorship would be easier to get on a national level with corps like Spirit of Newark that helps inner city kids ir Raiders and other smaller corps that actually have kids marching instead of young adults. 2- National touring, who says a DCA show can't be held during the week. Who says it as to have any of the current senior corps in the show. There are several D2/3 shows right now. Expand on that. Set up regional tours and go from there. There are enough D2/3 corps in all parts of the country to have a decent show and maybe even one of the DCI corps would appear like DCA corps do at their shows 3- Cost to DCA and other corps- Would it really cost DCA so much more money since they are supported by shows and not the corps themselves. More corps would mean more shows and more money all around. 4- Changing the mindset of D2/3 directors, The goal with alot of corps directors are to make it to the big show. They need to change that thought to I'll make my own big show. With over 100 plus channels I'm sure the championship could be televised. On the east coast we have CN8 which is regional. I'm sure thee other regional networks around the country. If not go the Community cable channel route and put it on yourself and keep the money ffrom selling ads. I would LOVE the chance to do that. I beleive making he switch is easier then alot of people think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Matczak Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 2- National touring, who says a DCA show can't be held during the week. .................those 2/3 shows you are refering to could be held on weekends, giving them a chance to actually draw a crowd by getting one or two of the bigger DCA corps in it, and make a profit,........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersop Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 (edited) 3- Cost to DCA and other corps- Would it really cost DCA so much more money since they are supported by shows and not the corps themselves. More corps would mean more shows and more money all around. I beleive making he switch is easier then alot of people think. Suggestion 3 is a misnomer. Just because you have more corps does NOT automatically equate in to more shows. Running a show does have a cost. Speaking for myself, being part of an upstart all age corps takes time to generate renewable income. Shows typically lose money the first year or two until they get enough of a following buying tickets that will offset the costs of hosting. I think it's been pretty clear in DCA that just because you have a new corps in your region doesn't mean you should expect a show to happen for anywhere from 2-5 years. If you're talking about Jr corps converts from DCI to DCA ... they have income already in place. If you're talking about bringing back a defunct Jr corps .... you'll have to wait a couple of years for it to happen. Edited August 17, 2007 by supersop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKBari Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 .................those 2/3 shows you are refering to could be held on weekends, giving them a chance to actually draw a crowd by getting one or two of the bigger DCA corps in it, and make a profit,........... Let's see... Cabs, Bush, Empire, Bucs, Brigs, Spartans, Raiders, Dutch Boy, and Surf. I'd pay to see that line up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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