ajlemm Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Maybe this topic has been broached before, but I was wondering how one would go about starting a DCI drum and bugle corps. Also, what are some of the markets that you believe could use another DCI corps? A few that come to mind are Minnesota, Colorado, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. As an example, in Minnesota we have three All-Age (DCA) corps, but no junior corps. If you know of any good resources and contacts, please PM me or email me at ajlemm@email.com THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OdeToArsenal47 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 (edited) Indiana definitely. Star did pretty well for themselves and if you work with IU, that could do nothing but improve the corps. There was a topic like this in the new member section before too. The guy went into serious detail. I'll see if I can find it. Edited May 19, 2009 by OdeToArsenal47 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajlemm Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 Thanks. Do they have a new member section anymore? I can't seem to find some of the old sections on here any longer. Maybe I am looking in the wrong spot. Indiana definitely. Star did pretty well for themselves and if you work with IU, that could do nothing but improve the corps.There was a topic like this in the new member section before too. The guy went into serious detail. I'll see if I can find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OdeToArsenal47 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I couldn't find it, but I can tell you the cliffnotes that I remember. Recruit, recruit, recruit. Once you have enough interest around high schools and/or colleges in the area, find instruments and a site to practice on. Spend the first year getting things in order, putting together a small show for the marchers and give them a uniform of t-shirts and shorts or something. Make dues just enough to get off the ground. The next year, expand a little. Year after, expand more. The important thing to remember is that the corps should always be on as stable of financial ground as possible. You don't want to disappoint the kids. Eventually, your goal should be a cheap weekend corps, with a reputation of being a fun experience for local kids. That's what I remember, more or less. I remember the post being MEGA long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouooga Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Bill Cook has a pretty solid article in the drum and bugle corps section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Maybe this topic has been broached before, but I was wondering how one would go about starting a DCI drum and bugle corps.Also, what are some of the markets that you believe could use another DCI corps? A few that come to mind are Minnesota, Colorado, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. As an example, in Minnesota we have three All-Age (DCA) corps, but no junior corps. If you know of any good resources and contacts, please PM me or email me at ajlemm@email.com THANKS! I think DCI has some sort of literature available that might be of assistance...at least I think I recall that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friceox Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 get lots and lots and lots of money, then the staff will come, then the members will come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindap Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Maybe this topic has been broached before, but I was wondering how one would go about starting a DCI drum and bugle corps.Also, what are some of the markets that you believe could use another DCI corps? A few that come to mind are Minnesota, Colorado, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. As an example, in Minnesota we have three All-Age (DCA) corps, but no junior corps. If you know of any good resources and contacts, please PM me or email me at ajlemm@email.com THANKS! I joined DCP a few years ago looking for an answer to this question. I've explored possibilities of an alumni, a winter guard, parade group. We're geographically west and north. In my opinion we, in our region, need to promote within the school system, provide a competitive spirit, re-introduce marching while playing (yes we have bands here and many fine musicians) before we can consider drum corps again. The potential is our area is quite good logistically but will take years of planning. The link below may offer some advice and is in proximity to the great lakes. http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=c...33-d8b02bc21400 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 My understanding is this: First you get the money, then you get the members, then you get the women Open Class championships. Seriously though, from what I've read on here over the years you need to start with a strong community backing and some serious fundraising capabilities. At the same time you need to gauge and generate interest, mostly among local marching band programs. Then, like OdetoArsenal said, you slowly build it up from maybe a parade corps or winterguard/drumline, intelligently adding assets (equipment, staff) as you progress. Hopefully you'll be ready to start competing in Open Class locally after a while, and after a few years make it out to championships. The important part is keeping the money coming (through fundraising and community support) and keeping the members coming (through aggressive recruiting, partnerships with local bands, providing an excellent experience and eventually, competitive success). Having a high quality staff is also very VERY important. It will, among other things, ensure your kids are getting good instruction and have a good time in corps, it will increase support from local band programs when band directors see their kids coming back from corps well-trained with a good work ethic, and it will lead to competitive success which is a HUGE recruiting tool. It all comes down to money and members, and it's really about the smartest and most effective way to keep both of those plentiful. Keep in mind I have no experience in starting a corps, but if I was to start one, that would be a very rough outline of a 5-10 year plan. I'm probably overlooking some key aspects and it's a lot easier to say "fundraise" than to actually do it successfully. I think another tip would be to contact directors of groups that have started within the last 5-10 years and talk to them about the things they did right and the mistakes they've made. They know a lot more about this stuff then all of us on DCP who just like to think we do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Chippewa Valley Brigade out of Eau Claire is taking 100-150 kids to Chicago to perform, then attend a few drum corps shows. UW Eau Claire is "instrumental" in getting this idea off the ground in a real meaningful way, and give the kids a good experience. http://www.blugoldmarchingband.com/Corps.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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