3rd_Star_Brigade Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 The way I understand it, the corps does not practice anywhere near as much as a "full tour" corps. The director stated that the main intent of the corps was to allow members to take part in a corps without sacrificing part time jobs or summer classes. Some kids just don't have the ability to commit a full summer to a corps. I watched their last rehearsal before they left for TN. It was obvious that they could have used more rehearsal time. They are taking a great risk moving up into World Class. I also understand that the cost is nearly the same as a full tour corps (I could be wrong about that).In my opinion, the director and staff should be commended for taking on the challenge of starting this corps and taking it to the level it is now. Many people have sacrificed alot to make this happen. And, no, I do not know anyone who has ever marched in this corps nor do I know the director or any of the staff. By the way, this year's show is Mozart - some very familiar, some not. There are some pretty good arrangements and the show design is pretty good and somewhat challenging. I know they are playing the recitative before Sarastro's Aria, but are they indeed playing O Isis und Osiris? I always wanted to hear a corps do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crest99 Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 (edited) This debate has grown ever more banal since it first began back around 2001. The only redeeming quality of this thread is that the tide of DCP opinion appears to have turned against those who harbor irrational, self-serving, and generally ill-informed prejudices against a number of very decent drum corps and excellent nonprofit educational organizations. What has always surprised me about this debate - and in particular the positions taken by naysayers of the Jersey Surf, Academy, and Pacific Crest - is how people forget that the full-time summer touring model is really a fairly recent innovation in the history of the activity. The model adopted by these groups is not terribly dissimilar from that utilized by many corps well into the 1980s. To put this another way, the agitators on this thread appear to have adopted a parochial (that means narrow-minded, for the poster who confused serf and surf) and ahistorical vision of what drum corps is or ought to be. On that note, best of luck to Jersey Surf as they finish out their summer. I'm sure their members have been working very hard and are excited to take their show on the road again. Chris Pacific Crest, 1999-2003 Edited July 23, 2009 by crest99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovedc2 Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 This debate has grown ever more banal since it first began back around 2001. The only redeeming quality of this thread is that the tide of DCP opinion appears to have turned against those who harbor irrational, self-serving, and generally ill-informed prejudices against a number of very decent drum corps and excellent nonprofit educational organizations.What has always surprised me about this debate - and in particular the positions taken by naysayers of the Jersey Surf, Academy, and Pacific Crest - is how people forget that the full-time summer touring model is really a fairly recent innovation in the history of the activity. The model adopted by these groups is not terribly dissimilar from that utilized by many corps well into the 1980s. To put this another way, the agitators on this thread appear to have adopted a parochial (that means narrow-minded, for the poster who confused serf and surf) and ahistorical vision of what drum corps is or ought to be. On that note, best of luck to Jersey Surf as they finish out their summer. I'm sure their members have been working very hard and are excited to take their show on the road again. Chris Pacific Crest, 1999-2003 Here Here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treadstone Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Well, regarding this debate and the fact that it is a "re-hash", it is comforting to know that people are predictable, yes? Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobjacobs Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 (edited) <duplicate post... mods, please delete.> Edited July 26, 2009 by bobjacobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobjacobs Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Wow! So many people have sent me e-mails about this thread, that I figured I should probably read it. I want to thank everyone who has shared their thoughts in the past few weeks, in this forum, and to us privately... regarding our corps, our touring model, our business plan and our vision for the future of our organization. I'd also like to share a few thoughts to enable folks to better understand the view from our side of the street. To cut to the chase, drum corps competition is not our only organizational goal. As a matter of fact, in some ways for us it's a means to an end. We understand and embrace the fact that the competitive aspect of the drum corps art form is what drives its achievement of excellence. While we certainly endeavor to design a program that will give the corps an opportunity to be competitive with the world's elite marching music ensembles, the scores, caption awards and results on the final day of the season are most certainly NOT the primary reason for our existence. We have realistic expectations for what we can achieve each year within this format, and we are very open about these expectations in our discussions with the corps members. In fact, the corps members help to establish these expectations and define the metrics that will be used to assess our progress throughout the journey each year. If we had more of a competitive focus, perhaps we would recruit our members differently, tour for the entire summer, raise more money, spend more money... and we'd figure out how to make the full tour work for us. Our primary focus, however, is to provide an opportunity for participation in a professionally-run organization, with great instruction and all of the trappings of the modern-day drum corps experience in an ALTERNATIVE format, whereby marching members, instructional staff and volunteers can also take part in summer classes, summer employment, college visitations, family vacations, etc. By and large, prospective members join the Jersey Surf because we provide this alternative format. Some wish to "learn the ropes" so they can eventually fulfill their dreams of becoming a part of a full-time-touring corps. Others are in situations where the ability to work through May and June as well as the two weeks we are home in July are essential to their ability to pay for school, etc. We don't feel that we are depriving the corps members of anything, since we are quite transparent in what we're offering. We believe very strongly in this format, and we are committed to continuing our efforts to refine our operation and continue on the path of serving Jersey Surf members with a program that continues to grow and thrive. - We have winter camps once a month. - We rehearse every weekend in May and June in lieu of a lengthier "Spring Training" - We have one week of every day rehearsals prior to our "first tour." Combined, this accounts for about 18 days on the road together at the start of the season. - We usually have two weeks "off" in July. Corps members, staff and volunteers return home, rehearsing only on weekends during that time. - Our "second tour" lasts about 3 weeks, and runs from the last week of July through the World Championships. I'm sure that some may find that to be a cop-out or a rationalization for our competitive placement. Obviously, we disagree with that assessment. Some drum corps fans, as indicated in some of the notes we've received, seem to find our thought process to be in some way a self-righteous editorial on the approach taken by other drum corps. I can assure you that this is not the case. We have nothing but respect for those with whom we share the field, and appreciate the tremendous challenges that each corps must surpass in order to provide their members with a World Class experience in keeping with each group's mission statement. We simply focus on making our program better each year in every measurable way, and to living up to our own high expectations. If there is some day a new division of some sort for corps who don't tour for the full summer, we'd be happy to jump in there. Under the current divisional setup of Drum Corps International, we feel that participation in the World Class provides us with the best opportunity to serve our members in a dynamic environment promoting their growth as individuals and ours as an organization. Our application to the Drum Corps International participation committee and our subsequent decision to move into the World Class was the next logical step for the growth of our organization. We've enjoyed immensely our sixteen years of participation in the Division II/Open Class setting, and we hope to continue to work with Dave Eddleman and the fine people who lead the corps of the Open Class, to help new corps to pour a strong foundation for their success and to learn from the many mistakes we've made throughout the years. In closing, I'd like to once again thank all of those who have taken the time to write to us. It's quite flattering that so many passionate people are engaged in the drum corps activity and are willing to share their thoughts so openly with us. We appreciate the support and the criticism, and we look forward to continuing to work hard to create opportunities for participation in this great activity for some who may not be able to enjoy its benefits otherwise. We hope to see you in Indianapolis. Regardless of which day brings an end to our season, it's been a fantastic one for all of us. We hope you'll have the chance to share the excitement with us. Warmest regards, Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wandrr79 Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I love how some people are up in arms about what Surf is doing (and what Academy and PC did) because, God forbid, it doesn't involve lack of sleep or shoddy cooking or coming down with a disease or something like that... God forbid we try to do things to keep the corps healthy. Obviously that's not the only reason some people say that but it's a reason I've seen multiple times and I think it's stupid. Corps health should be top priority. Work smarter. "Shoddy Cooking"? I'm sure the food staffs of all the corps, work extremely hard to provide fine meals for their members. How about showing a little appreciation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rd_Star_Brigade Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 "Shoddy Cooking"? I'm sure the food staffs of all the corps, work extremely hard to provide fine meals for their members. How about showing a little appreciation! surf's volunteers do a great job with meals. anything from the baked potato bar to christmas in july to oriental night. delicious, delicious... i ate better on tour with surf than i did at home. also, a staff that really cares about the corps. you cant ask for more than that. all the rest is filler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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