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Marching for free


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A week at a decent quality, nothing extraordinary summer camp for kids will run the parents between $400 and $600 (and I know, because I've got two kids, and they both spend a week at camp each summer).

Broken down by the week, tuition and tour fees at most touring corps will range closer to $150-250 per week, and for that, the kids will be even more engaged, will eat better, and will probably come back home in better mental and physical shape than they would at any other camp, save for Camp Lejeune

In terms of some kids being offered discounted or free tuition, that's what corps have scholarship programs for. If there's a kid who might not be able to afford the tuition but who is not only an excellent performer, but the type who had the type of personality that inspired others around them to make their own games better, why wouldn't you want to get that kid a spot if you could?

The Interlochen Summer Music camp for HS Wind/Percussion students costs, for a 6-week program, $6,795.

About 25% of the HS students attending the summer camp receive some level of financial aid. According to their website...

Financial aid is based on three criteria: the financial need of the family, the artistic ability of the student, and the enrollment needs of the Camp.

There is also a full tuition scholarship awarded to 52 students nationwide through the Emerson Scholrs program, based on student audition...not financial need.

So...you can see that in some cases the needs of the camp will drive a financial award, as opposed to the need of the family. A bassoonist might have a better shot at such an award than, say, an alto sax player.

That cost makes $2,000-$3,000 for drum corps look pretty good.

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I just want to throw out a couple things...

1. Some people do not have a "local" corps. The year that I drove to corps, it was 6-8 hours, depending on traffic. After working hard for 15-16 hours on Saturday, catching 6 hours of sleep, and working 5 more hours on Sunday... it is not ideal to be driving back to school.

2. People who fly to a corps do not always fly to a higher placing corps than one they could drive to.

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I think most people on this forum would be shocked beyond belief at how many kids march for free (or for substantially reduced cost) in World Class.
That's certainly an understatement...shoot, I'm shocked that they let ANYONE march for free! However I'm sure that if you look closely enough you will find that the word "free" has a very liberal interpretation....
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I do not recall ever having been asked for a penny to march drum corps... I am very clear on that my parents didn't pay for it!

Now that I am back in corps I do have to pay... I guess time is catching up with me! :rolleyes:

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Having a full corps and complement of members benefits the entire organization. If the corps needs to offer some scholarships to make that happen then it benefits everyone in the long run, including those that paid full tuition.

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Have we degenerated into caring more about the result than about the experience?

Isn't the journey more important than the destination?

No.

Championships = Endorsements, and Endorsements = $$$$.

If an extraordinarily talented kid can help push the corps over the top (especially if they play an instrument in high demand) that kid will probably be sought by many corps, and can choose the highest bidder. The kid will still get the same experience and education, they will just have their choice of which corps they get it with.

Is it fair? Absolutely. That kid is either more talented or puts in more work than the other kids, and is reaping the benefits. That's what happens in a competitive activity that requires entrance auditions. Not everyone can march a top 12 corps.

Edited by MarimbaManiac
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There is no such thing as free. Period. If a member doesn't pay, the corps pays for the member indirectly by subsidizing the unfunded cost of all their food, instruction, transportation, etc... for the whole season.

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There is no such thing as free. Period. If a member doesn't pay, the corps pays for the member indirectly by subsidizing the unfunded cost of all their food, instruction, transportation, etc... for the whole season.

So what you're saying, is, the member marches for free... :rolleyes:

I suppose we could use your logic, and say that nothing is free, because anything that one gets free of charged is payed for by someone, somewhere...but that would be a waste of time, and a petty, prototypical dcp argument, so im sure we just wont go there... :thumbup:

Edited by salad315
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No, I'm saying that if the member doesn't pay, someone pays on their behalf. Always. If you're going to read between the lines, get better at it.

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No, I'm saying that if the member doesn't pay, someone pays on their behalf. Always. If you're going to read between the lines, get better at it.

If you go to mcdonalds and order a cheeseburger, and they dont charge you, YOU GOT IT FOR FREE. I dont care if mcdonalds still had to pay for the meat and bun, process it, and pay some guy 6 bucks an hour to make them. It's FREEEEEEEEE. I can not believe this is even an issue. Of course, anytime anyone gets something for free, it was paid for (or stolen) by someone, somewhere. And when I jump, the earth moves .000000001 nanometers...who gives a ####? Yes, the money has to come from somewhere - we get it...but by all but the most anal-retentive definitions, it is free to that member. :rolleyes:

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