MelloHorn13 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I think people should stop being Mr/Mrs Negative and be proactive within the activity. I don't think many of you know how hard it is to operate a corps... especially a open class corps. Some of you think you know...but you don't. I thought I knew how to solve all the problems with the organization I'm with now... it's kicking my butt... and it's not money, It's getting kids to stick. You wouldn't believe it. If every kid that showed up for camps stay around until the summer.... I guarantee most open class corps would have well more than 100 members. Send some kids out to open class corps... it help ALOT. Almost more than donating money. Just my $0.02 take it or leave it. P.S. no worries, the corps I'm involved with is doing just fine, not worries! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leadsop97 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 You know Bobby, I agree with you, but I'm sure you'll get your fair share of people flaming you for this. I think it's a mixture of problems that we've all talked about on here before. However, I wish kids would stay. When I was marching with Targets kids would come and go, and I've met way more people than I can remember the names for. It is kind of depressing. You know, we'd probably go through at least 25-30 horns a year, but we never marched a hornline larger than 17. And back then, that was a fairly decent size for a Div III corps, and it was only for one year. I think a lot of it has to do alot with the environment (location and/or attitude of corps). We'll see in the next couple of years how this is all going to play out. I'm hoping that somehow, with our generation being the next wave of music educators, it can somehow pay off in a positive way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 and it's not money, It's getting kids to stick. Quoted for truth...if even half of the people who came to various En Garde rehearsals last year had stuck it out and returned on a regular basis, we would've fielded...no doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dir_en_X Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 it's not money, It's getting kids to stick. You wouldn't believe it. If every kid that showed up for camps stay around until the summer.... I guarantee most open class corps would have well more than 100 members. QFT'd again I'm coming from the other side of the horn arc/drum/flag/weapon line. I went to camps/open houses in 07 to get info on the season, meet the other potential other new members/vets and *cough*learnhowtoplaybrass*cough*. If the corps doesn't appear like they do not have a clear view of the season or if the other members aren't receptive to someone new in the line (especially after a few camps and the corps' personality forms), then the potential new member may as well not have been there. The money thing did scare people off I know, there was one place I went to that after hearing the expected financial commitment I though that there was no way I could come up with the money to march that year. Marching in an independent WGI drumline didn't help my finances, but that's beside the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Our little Bobby is growing up Love you man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelloHorn13 Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 QFT'd againI'm coming from the other side of the horn arc/drum/flag/weapon line. I went to camps/open houses in 07 to get info on the season, meet the other potential other new members/vets and *cough*learnhowtoplaybrass*cough*. If the corps doesn't appear like they do not have a clear view of the season or if the other members aren't receptive to someone new in the line (especially after a few camps and the corps' personality forms), then the potential new member may as well not have been there. The money thing did scare people off I know, there was one place I went to that after hearing the expected financial commitment I though that there was no way I could come up with the money to march that year. Marching in an independent WGI drumline didn't help my finances, but that's beside the point. I've been to many drum corps camps across the country, and I've never experience the other members not being receptive to someone new. In drum corps it's just foriegn. If you every have that feeling just look and the mirror and ask... what can I do to fix it? And money.... that's the case with some corps. But when tuition is $1000 and the corps offer financial assistance to just about anyone, it's kids learning and being taught that being flaky and unreliable is okay. IT'S NOT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelloHorn13 Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Our little Bobby is growing up Love you man! I would kill to be 14 again and getting my butt kicked by a Euph. It was so much easier then when I didn't know what went on behind the scenes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 You know Bobby, I agree with you, but I'm sure you'll get your fair share of people flaming you for this. I think it's a mixture of problems that we've all talked about on here before. However, I wish kids would stay. When I was marching with Targets kids would come and go, and I've met way more people than I can remember the names for. It is kind of depressing. You know, we'd probably go through at least 25-30 horns a year, but we never marched a hornline larger than 17. That kind of thing was common in the 'class B' corps in the 60's and 70's too. I taught a corps, the King's Regiment (a merger of the Wayne Monarchs and Greenwood Lake Lakers) here in NJ...we started with something like 48 horns, 6 snares, 4 tenors, 5 bass, 4 timps and 2 keys in 1977....kids came and went all winter long...ended up fielding 30+ horns, 3 snare, 2 tenors, 3 bass, 3 timps and 2 keys...and by 1978 about 1/2 of that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOLE04 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Its a great point you make, I remember marching Teal if we had kids stay from camp to camp we would have had decent-sized corps OR could have made cuts and take just the best instead of taking everyone possible just to survive. On the money note though, I can see where lately it would turn some kids off. Looking at some websites its almost as expensive and sometimes just as expensive to march Open Class as it is World Class and you dont always get the same full tour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Its a great point you make, I remember marching Teal if we had kids stay from camp to camp we would have had decent-sized corps OR could have made cuts and take just the best instead of taking everyone possible just to survive. On the money note though, I can see where lately it would turn some kids off. Looking at some websites its almost as expensive and sometimes just as expensive to march Open Class as it is World Class and you dont always get the same full tour. The other end of that is the risk of making it SO affordable that there may be an impression of little to no value in marching with that corps. Looking back at it, that may have been one element -- of MANY -- that hurt En Garde...we dropped out fees to $150 (which, given the size of our tour -- only the 5 SoCo shows that we could carpool too -- was workable) in an effort to offset the worsening economy, but the value angle may have come up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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