You know what I think?

[goldingna]

See, that's what I mean.

Good thread gone bad.

I just don't get you and others like you on this forum....in this world. It make me question myself everyday about this music educator thing. It's just not worth sometimes.

I disagree. It is ALWAYS worth it. If you can't handle a little negativity or adversity, then you're definitely in the wrong business. It's not about you, and it's not about the people who might say mean things to you. It's about the kids.

[MelloHorn13]

I disagree. It is ALWAYS worth it. If you can't handle a little negativity or adversity, then you're definitely in the wrong business. It's not about you, and it's not about the people who might say mean things to you. It's about the kids.

..I just go with it. There's no winning.

[Canadacorps]

Bobby, keep fighting the good fight.

I definitely feel for you. I am getting first hand experience also.

IMHO, I believe Drum Corps is not a question of talent, economics or geography. It is a simple question of support. If enough people support the idea and the plan, the rest is achievable.

Edited April 4, 2009 by Canadacorps

[JOHNNY_A]

I honestly think that most corps rely on out of state / province (open class). I don't think that much is done to recruit within the immediate area of the corps.

[Canadacorps]

I honestly think that most corps rely on out of state / province (open class). I don't think that much is done to recruit within the immediate area of the corps.

I think that all depends on the corps. Some do more than others, some less, but I think most of us will agree that we can all improve in the recruiting department.

[MelloHorn13]

I honestly think that most corps rely on out of state / province (open class). I don't think that much is done to recruit within the immediate area of the corps.

For some, very few. But 3 school visits a week for 4 months in the local area is a start.

[dcf06]

True about the recruiting but I think that there is more to it.

Since DCM went belly up how many of it corps survived? Not many, from Division 2/3. Since shows were being taken away, corps started to suffer. No local attention no support.

Recruitment is a big factor, the less shows you have in an area the less you are going to have in interest. No one is going to join something they know nothing about.

If you walk in to a school trying to recruit to a band program whose band program is the laughing stalk of the school Chances are your wasting your time. Kids get too scared. They find it easy to come up with excuses.

"I am not good enough to do that"

"I don't know anyone"

"It's too expensive"

"It's too much of a time commitment"

"It's too hard"

"I am going on vacation this summer"

'

Kids just don’t care nor do they have the proper discipline to actually go through a program like a drum and bugle corps.

Here are some reasons I feel that corps have folded from what I have seen. (I am not going to point fingers to specific people this is just my opinion from my involvement.)

1. Bingo was declining, yet nothing is being done to help fundraise. There was no booster program, there was minimal Alumni Support. No parents to help out.

2. There is no LOCAL community Involvement. How can you get support if the area around you doesn't know you exist?

(Case of the Americanos, people thought the Americanos folded years ago. Why because that was the last news they received.)

I have talked to a lot of people about the Americanos, they remember the corps but they had no idea that the organization still existed. The American Legion post that founded the organization has no clue who the Americanos are, or were.

3. Local Recruitment. This kind of ties in to number 2. This was a major down fall for the Americanos. All of the staff and kid were coming from everywhere but fox valley area. I firmly believe that if a Drum corps was to get local involvement they should be tied in with the school system in some way.

The Colts are a perfect example of this. They use the colt Cadet as a recruitment tool for the Drum corps. But they also have branched out to the local school system for extra programs that are not Drum corps related Example: youth Choirs, steel pan ensemble and heavy support to Dubuque senior high schools Color guard. A good number of kids that are in the colts youth organization are Local. Most of the colt cadets now want to graduate to the colts.

Because of this the Colts have one of the best parent support systems out there. They sometimes have so many parents they don’t know what to do with all of them. This also allows the Colts to help kids march if they can't afford to. Parents are the ones who should help fundraise not the administration. Too many administrations try to handle way too much at once, leaving them burned out.

In 2004, The Americanos housed with the Colt Cadets, Some of the parents noticed that we didn't have much of a cook crew and completely took over the kitchen trailer and told everyone who was cooking to go rest.

4. No staff to help local schools improve. Drum corps is all about retention. The Americanos Had a great staff in 2004, but the corps was not directly benefiting the local schools. If the organization could focus on getting in to the local schools and work on getting the band programs boosted, by working with them you have a better chance of kids sticking with the Drum corps or the activity the organization is sponsoring.

Face it kids are not going stay with something they are not familiar with. In 2004, there were a total of three kids who were from the fox valley area. I joined because I knew what drum corps was. There were 20 kids at my school who were "interested", but because the band program did not have a structured foundation, no one furthered that interest. The two other people joined because they knew what drum corps was.

Most of the school in the area in fact did not like the Americanos because of the attitudes the kids have when they come back. I was a prime example of this. I only stayed in band because I was required to in order to join the Americanos.

If the drum corps can assist the school in marching, color guard, or percussion chances are the kids who were taught by the corps staff will join corps. In return the band director will encourage kids to go. By building a Symbiotic relationship, retention would stay in the schools band program as well as the drum corps.

Drum corps is becoming Survival of the fittest those who can not keep up will eventually fail.

Edited April 5, 2009 by dcf06

[Canadacorps]

True about the recruiting but I think that there is more to it.

Since DCM went belly up how many of it corps survived? Not many, from Division 2/3. Since shows were being taken away, corps started to suffer. No local attention no support.

Recruitment is a big factor, the less shows you have in an area the less you are going to have in interest. No one is going to join something they know nothing about.

If you walk in to a school trying to recruit to a band program whose band program is the laughing stalk of the school Chances are your wasting your time. Kids get too scared. They find it easy to come up with excuses.

"I am not good enough to do that"

"I don't know anyone"

"It's too expensive"

"It's too much of a time commitment"

"It's too hard"

"I am going on vacation this summer"

'

Kids just don’t care nor do they have the proper discipline to actually go through a program like a drum and bugle corps.

Here are some reasons I feel that corps have folded from what I have seen. (I am not going to point fingers to specific people this is just my opinion from my involvement.)

1. Bingo was declining, yet nothing is being done to help fundraise. There was no booster program, there was minimal Alumni Support. No parents to help out.

2. There is no LOCAL community Involvement. How can you get support if the area around you doesn't know you exist?

(Case of the Americanos, people thought the Americanos folded years ago. Why because that was the last news they received.)

I have talked to a lot of people about the Americanos, they remember the corps but they had no idea that the organization still existed. The American Legion post that founded the organization has no clue who the Americanos are, or were.

3. Local Recruitment. This kind of ties in to number 2. This was a major down fall for the Americanos. All of the staff and kid were coming from everywhere but fox valley area. I firmly believe that if a Drum corps was to get local involvement they should be tied in with the school system in some way.

The Colts are a perfect example of this. They use the colt Cadet as a recruitment tool for the Drum corps. But they also have branched out to the local school system for extra programs that are not Drum corps related Example: youth Choirs, steel pan ensemble and heavy support to Dubuque senior high schools Color guard. A good number of kids that are in the colts youth organization are Local. Most of the colt cadets now want to graduate to the colts.

Because of this the Colts have one of the best parent support systems out there. They sometimes have so many parents they don’t know what to do with all of them. This also allows the Colts to help kids march if they can't afford to. Parents are the ones who should help fundraise not the administration. Too many administrations try to handle way too much at once, leaving them burned out.

In 2004, The Americanos housed with the Colt Cadets, Some of the parents noticed that we didn't have much of a cook crew and completely took over the kitchen trailer and told everyone who was cooking to go rest.

4. No staff to help local schools improve. Drum corps is all about retention. The Americanos Had a great staff in 2004, but the corps was not directly benefiting the local schools. If the organization could focus on getting in to the local schools and work on getting the band programs boosted, by working with them you have a better chance of kids sticking with the Drum corps or the activity the organization is sponsoring.

Face it kids are not going stay with something they are not familiar with. In 2004, there were a total of three kids who were from the fox valley area. I joined because I knew what drum corps was. There were 20 kids at my school who were "interested", but because the band program did not have a structured foundation, no one furthered that interest. The two other people joined because they knew what drum corps was.

Most of the school in the area in fact did not like the Americanos because of the attitudes the kids have when they come back. I was a prime example of this. I only stayed in band because I was required to in order to join the Americanos.

If the drum corps can assist the school in marching, color guard, or percussion chances are the kids who were taught by the corps staff will join corps. In return the band director will encourage kids to go. By building a Symbiotic relationship, retention would stay in the schools band program as well as the drum corps.

Drum corps is becoming Survival of the fittest those who can not keep up will eventually fail.

Fantastic Post. You hit points that resonate, even here, on the other side of the continent. I think this situation may be very similar with many groups. What is needed for the growth of Open Class are teams who can identify the specifics of the situation in their local communities, come in with the right approach, develop a realistic and acheivable plan to address the issues, and then find the support. (ie. have the bodies/hands needed to DO the work.) Again, IMHO, it all comes back to the support system being the key factor.

[j.morgus]

Face it kids are not going stay with something they are not familiar with

In our area (south Louisiana) at least, since the demise of the last active junior corps here in the early 90's, "Drum Corps" to most school aged kids means 5 minute clips of the top 5 or so corps that they have seen on tv. Last season there were only two shows within a two hour bus ride of New Orleans, and not many students got any exposure to the activity at all.

[dcf06]

In 2006 I asked a high school band if the ever heard of a Drum and Bugle corps, or if they knew what it was. Two out of 80 kids rose there hands. Believe it or not I was completely shocked at that number. They only knew what it was becasue there parents were drum corps fans back in the day.

I work for a major retailer in the E Commerce Department. I talk to people all over the united states. People have either forgotten, or dont know what the activity is. I had a customer call from Concord, I asked them how the Blue Devils are doing. The reply was "who". All most every city that I know a drum corps is from I ask them about the corps. You would be suprised how many people dont know what is in there city.