Can a person make a living being a Guard Designer?

[wtxcg]

would a union representing designers working in the pageantry arts be feasable,beneficial or necsessary?

1. A union would scare away school districts.

2. A union would scare away band parents associations.

An instructors association that offers professional accreditation would be something to go for. A professional certificate can be used to push for a higher salary than $1,000/semester.

[MiniSopGuy]

would a union representing designers working in the pageantry arts be feasable,beneficial or necsessary?

The buckets full of problems with this would be enormous!

As for making a living, I can think of a few out here in SoCal. One that comes to mind has even had his shows used as examples when WGI made the "Desiging Effect" DVD. He wrote the field shows and did the guard on the field then did the winterguards. Scholastic and Independent. Wish he were still more involved.

I think most do it as a sideline gig rather than a primary income job. For me, I always say that I work in my family's insurance agency for a living and work with bands/guards for my life.

Edited May 15, 2008 by MiniSopGuy

[wtxcg]

The buckets full of problems with this would be enormous!

I agree a union would lead to more problems than it solves. What do you think of a professional association?

[byline]

It's possible, but I definately paid my dues to get where I am. For years I was working for schools that only paid $1000 a season.

$1,000 per season was actually the high point of my career, LOL!

I too found out the hard way about who pays . . . and who doesn't. Though I will say that I always got paid, albeit minimally by some programs. And, in one case, I'm pretty sure the only reason I got paid was because I marched over to the principal's office and told him what was going on. The season was long over, I'd waited until a week or so before Christmas, and still hadn't been paid. This was after stopping by the band room multiple times and checking with the band director, who repeatedly assured me that *smile* I was going to be paid, but *sympathy smile* she just hadn't had time to get around to it yet . . . and she didn't know when she would *dismissal smile*. After five or six rounds of that, I'd had enough and went to see the principal. Needless to say, the band director's smile vanished faster than you can say gotcha, but at least I finally got paid.

Edited May 17, 2008 by byline

[Will]

I charge $1,000 for one week of camp (guard, band, whatever) plus a design fee (if I make the flags), plus between 2,000-6,000 for the season depending on how involved I am.

Now, I don't always get what I ask for, but I am pretty firm in laying out the terms of my contract. Oddly enough, the private school I currently teach is the best paying so far (aside from my 2 years in Indiana).

[Guard Diva]

the problem I have is that, while there are not enough guard instructors in the area to go around, there are enough that will do it for much less than me. They don't have the experience, and the directors here don't care about that...they basically want a warm body. Even the top schools I work for only paid me 3000 for the fall season. The problem is, I enjoy teaching and if I stand firm on a price, I won't be teaching any longer. Plus the guards would be taught by inferior instructors and the guard would get incrementally worse each year, turning out less experienced kids, to become the new crop of less experienced instructors....and eventually the activity I love s odearly would completely die out in teh this area. I don't want to see that happen, so i work for less money.

[Odessa]

the problem I have is that, while there are not enough guard instructors in the area to go around, there are enough that will do it for much less than me. They don't have the experience, and the directors here don't care about that...they basically want a warm body. Even the top schools I work for only paid me 3000 for the fall season. The problem is, I enjoy teaching and if I stand firm on a price, I won't be teaching any longer. Plus the guards would be taught by inferior instructors and the guard would get incrementally worse each year, turning out less experienced kids, to become the new crop of less experienced instructors....and eventually the activity I love s odearly would completely die out in teh this area. I don't want to see that happen, so i work for less money.

I think this is the problem specifically. On another thread, we have people getting at each other's throats because of sabres on the field or not. We're missing the big picture here about the quality of education. There are no standardized tests for colorguard education. There are no standards entirely. If we were to take a trip across the US, we would see everything from knee high boots with 4' poles to bare feet, modern costuming, rolling around on the ground with yards of fabric on poles. We know band directors at least need to have a standard of a college degree with certifications specific to that state. What does it take to be called a colorguard director? So what if I have DCI and WGI experience and DCI teaching experience... Think that's going to matter to a band director who doesn't even know what that is? I don't... But then I guess I wouldn't be working for them.

I'm not one for a "union", but I am all about some sort of certification process that makes me "legit". Think of it like a dance teacher- there are ones who's resume's go on for days but what does that matter if they can't teach? They have different certifications that matter to the people going to their studios.

I'm all about the previous post where someone said if you have a certification, then you should be making at least X amount. We, as instructors/designers/writers/etc, should be protected by SOMETHING! I don't think contracts are enough. I don't think "gentlemen's agreements" are enough. Why do we have to shortchange ourselves to do what we're good at? I always hear friends and peers talk about the issues of teaching their guards, and every issue is different and specific to teaching at that school and dealing with their directors.

And just for the record, I'm teaching now at a school I love, a guard I love, and a band director that's awesome. So I'm speaking generally. I guess I'm just venting mostly here about the current status. I think something needs to change, but what and how, I'm not sure...

[Jak]

Say you are of the caliber, of Karl Lowe, Scott Chandler, or Tommy Keenum. Could you make a decent living designing shows, consulting, and etc., or do most guard designers have 2nd career?

I realize what one considers a decent living is subjective, but I am just curious.

Tommy Keenum doesn't make a living teaching color guard. He does work part time at the Band Hall designing costumes and flags, but he is a bit of a Renaissance Man, earning income in many different ways.

[byline]

If we were to take a trip across the US, we would see everything from knee high boots with 4' poles to bare feet, modern costuming, rolling around on the ground with yards of fabric on poles. We know band directors at least need to have a standard of a college degree with certifications specific to that state. What does it take to be called a colorguard director?

True, but this is not such a foreign concept in the professional world. I'm a freelance writer who worked as a reporter for a daily newspaper for 10 years. Now, in addition to writing for the local paper, I also do a fair bit of editing. And I can tell you that the writing is all over the map. When I edit, I'm basically like a guard tech, and I make a whole lotta people look real good. The training these writers received is all over the place, and so are their stories. Even those with reputable credentials turn in shoddy work, some more frequently than others. It's up to me, the editor, to polish them. Some stories need little work other than editing for style, while other stories require massive rewrites.

How is this possible? Basically for the same reasons cited about guard instructors. These folks are willing to do the work, and the price is right. I suspect folks can come up with plenty more examples.

[la mejor]

I know that some Color Guard directors in my area can make between $20,000 and $30,000 per year for just teaching at one school.

On the union - I agree this would scare away many BD's/ administrators, plus I know that I could NOT afford not to work in the event of any 'strike' or disagreement. I think school districts would sooner decide to drop the union member and hire a younger, less experienced instructor.

Thirdly, there is not a standard for Color Guard teachers, but it does give us more freedom in curriculum. Some districts do require teacher certification, but there is already a severe shortage of qualified instructors who not only have the experience but the teaching skill to be successful. I think that requiring certification or accreditation would scare away potential instructors - besides, who would regulate?

Lastly, something to consider would be a dance degree - these programs focus on the elements of choreography, classroom instruction and management, as well as the business side of running a HS program/studio that are essential tools to any choreographer/instructor. The option is always there for a double major or even a minor with certification in two teaching fields... just my two cents.