What if you owe tuition money ?

[Vickie Kingsmen]

I see the word "tuition" related to being a member of a drum corps, my blood runs cold, and I want to throttle somebody.

I discussed this with my husband the other day. Members are also referred to as 'students'. I guess it makes it more palatable to parents...

[DCIHasBeen]

I discussed this with my husband the other day. Members are also referred to as 'students'. I guess it makes it more palatable to parents...

Yeah, that drives me nuts as well. Okay, we're all students in this life, but ever since corps started going the 501( c) 3 route, they've started trying to bill themselves as educational institutions.

While that's true, to an extent (although very few have any accredited educational status), I always felt that it undercuts the value of the activity as a social and fraternal force. I stopped donating to one corps, among other reasons, because they adopted this lingo a few years ago.

Edited November 11, 2008 by DCIHasBeen

[Crowncontramom]

I know Carolina Crown will not let you march if you owe money to another corps. It's in the FAQ section on their web site.

[SkyRyder_FMM]

Yeah, that drives me nuts as well. Okay, we're all students in this life, but ever since corps started going the 501( c) 3 route, they've started trying to bill themselves as educational institutions.

While that's true, to an extent (although very few have any accredited educational status), I always felt that it undercuts the value of the activity as a social and fraternal force. I stopped donating to one corps, among other reasons, because they adopted this lingo a few years ago.

"Going the 501©3 route" is not something new. If a corps was not registrered as a 501©(3), there could be tax consequences that would threaten its existence. Use of terms like tuition and students do not in any way dimish the value of the activity. But use of these terms DOES in fact help when explaining the activity to potential supporters, including grant applications. I'd rather see corps explain to the uneducated precicely what it is this activity does for its participating members, using the terminology that supporters use, than use terms that mean the same thing but have specific meaning to a select few in a niche activity and miss an opportunity.

According to Merriam-Webster Online,

Tuition = the price of or payment for instruction

Dues = a payment or obligation required by law or custom

Students = scholar , learner ; one who studies : an attentive and systematic observer

Members = a part of a whole

Tuition and students are better descriptors, and they are terms that funders recognize and reward. It's a smart business decision, and corps must do a better job of operating like a business if they are to survive. I sure hope you did not stop contributing to a corps for simply changing some terminology.

Edited November 13, 2008 by SkyRyder_FMM

[Michelle]

Yeah, that drives me nuts as well. Okay, we're all students in this life, but ever since corps started going the 501( c) 3 route, they've started trying to bill themselves as educational institutions.

While that's true, to an extent (although very few have any accredited educational status), I always felt that it undercuts the value of the activity as a social and fraternal force. I stopped donating to one corps, among other reasons, because they adopted this lingo a few years ago.

I'm not quite sure I understand. Are you saying that you stopped donating because drum corps starting billing themselves as having a place in music education?

Maybe it's just because music education is something I'm passionate about, but I don't understand how that is a bad thing. I started marching at a time where almost everyone on the music staff has a music degree of some sort. I don't think drum corps can survive without the facility of the music education community. You can't expect to draw membership from an area with very little support for the arts. Most kids marching these days have their first marching experience in high school marching band. By offering clinics and building relationships with music educators, you are gaining the approval of the people who see students on a daily basis. More over, you can gain community support because people need to see the benefits of music education. In a day and age with No Child Left Behind and National Education Standards, I think anything drum corps can do to appear valid in a student's music education is great. Otherwise, the never-ending debate over funding for the arts will get torn down in our own little niche.

Community support + music educator involvement = more money and membership bases for drum corps

And this is when I've realize I spend a lot of time listening to my music education professors...

I would also like to add that I don't think the fraternal and social aspects of drum corps will ever change. That is what makes the experience well-rounded, by and large. People get upset over the evolution of instrumentation and show designs, and I sometimes think we forget that the members on the field still love what they're doing. Those memories and friendships we form are related to how a drum corps functions on a day-to-day basis. The fact that we learn something about playing our horns, spinning our flags, and playing our drums is a wonderful extra benefit.

[Elmo Blatch]

...I can't believe that a person who has marched before even has to ask this question.

Wow.

[Puppet]

Yup. Within the same summer season, as you probably know, under DCI rules, and they do check, the answer is certainly, No, one cannot switch without paying off all the money he owes, or without being excused by Corps A. DCI caught on to this game a long time ago.

Over two years, not sure, but I still think it's likely No, especially if Corps A realizes the ex-member is trying to do this, and if Corps A knows to get in touch with Corps B, or if Corps B checks with DCI first.

And, c'mon, it certainly should be No, by any moral standard, no matter what justification the person asking may think he has.

Not to get all holier-than-thou, but the right answer is: settle up, before trying to move on. What corps would want to take on any potential member who didn't understand this?

Some have probably expressed this, but I'll just get to it. You can't or shouldn't move out of your house or apartment or pay just a portion of your check. Hey we didn't have that problem BITD. If there were dues, you paid them weekly or monthly as I've heard it. We, as St. Rita's, were self sustaining through our Bingo Program. Bingo paid our bills big time.

Puppet

Edited November 12, 2008 by Puppet

[Puppet]

...I can't believe that a person who has marched before even has to ask this question.

Wow.

then let me reiterate. Speaking for myself I didn't realize just how much "tuition" was for a Drum Corps "Student" until I help to raise funds for a new Contra player "accepted" to march for the Crusaders last season. We traveled from NYC to Wisconsin, back to Boston then home one season and all the corps members were asked to pay for was their food and entertainment. We slept in hotels, motels and ate in restaurants. We were instructed by highly competent individuals well respected in their time and rarely took money for their time. We are among hundreds of corps no longer in existence because of bad business practices no doubt, but the top 20 corps were the top 20 out of a 100 or so. And I've completely gone off topic - sorry. So you see, there are some folks out here who just never knew.

Puppet

[Elmo Blatch]

then let me reiterate. Speaking for myself I didn't realize just how much "tuition" was for a Drum Corps "Student" until I help to raise funds for a new Contra player "accepted" to march for the Crusaders last season. We traveled from NYC to Wisconsin, back to Boston then home one season and all the corps members were asked to pay for was their food and entertainment. We slept in hotels, motels and ate in restaurants. We were instructed by highly competent individuals well respected in their time and rarely took money for their time. We are among hundreds of corps no longer in existence because of bad business practices no doubt, but the top 20 corps were the top 20 out of a 100 or so. And I've completely gone off topic - sorry. So you see, there are some folks out here who just never knew.

Puppet

I should have said "I can't believe that a person who (since the gradual evolution in fees associated with marching) that has marched under that guise (knowing the cost to march a certain corps) would consider ditching the corps that they owe money to the corps in order to march somewhere else. To me, this is no different than a bill skipper.

You can make the argument that we old timers don't know the cost of today's drum corps, but you can't for the current kids. They know full well what it costs to march for the corps in which they want to audition--and they know the sad reality that having a big budget (and the corps fees that accompany that) generally (but no always) equates to higher placement of the corps (if that is an important aspect to the perspective member, to me, no, but to many, yes). The corps fees are an accepted part of this audition. If you have no intent of coming up with the money to march the corps, find a corps which is less expensive. The system isn't great, granted, but don't short change your corps.

This could easily lead to the "we had great corps back in my day and we didn't have 1/10th of the budget that these corps have today." I agree and that's true. There are plenty of inexpensive corps out there to march. The matter of the fact is: if you owe a corps money (a contractual agreement to which you signed) you shouldn't be allowed to march elsewhere until that previous corps' fees are satisfied.