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Madison Scouts Audition Process & Tuition


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Ok let me clarify my point.

Yes, drum corps costs money, duh. However, was Madison's tuition increased from last yr to this yr, in order to help pay for the new staff only?

The other point that was more surprising to me was what I mentioned first. The fact you have to send in an audition video, before you can be accepted to go to the initial audition camp. This is something I have never heard of, and trying to buy a plane ticket on less then 2 weeks notice can be very hard to do, especially for college students that don't have the most amount of money in the world, like myself.

So to sum up: Is the audition before being accepted to audition a new thing in the drum corps world?

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Ok let me clarify my point.

Yes, drum corps costs money, duh. However, was Madison's tuition increased from last yr to this yr, in order to help pay for the new staff only?

The other point that was more surprising to me was what I mentioned first. The fact you have to send in an audition video, before you can be accepted to go to the initial audition camp. This is something I have never heard of, and trying to buy a plane ticket on less then 2 weeks notice can be very hard to do, especially for college students that don't have the most amount of money in the world, like myself.

So to sum up: Is the audition before being accepted to audition a new thing in the drum corps world?

While it might be more expensive to buy a plane ticket in a limited time frame, I can see how this would save lots of potential marchers even more money if the staff can tell they need more time yet before having a chance at a live audition. That seems like it would be more merciful and shows more concern for their economic well-being. It's much better for a potential marcher who doesn't play up to the standards of the corps yet to learn that fact before they spent the money to travel, and it sounds like the staff is still going to tell them where their deficiencies are and what they can do to improve and get ready for the next year. That sounds quite commendable.

As for the taped audition being new to the world of drum corps, I don't know. But I expect it will catch on more in this challenging economic time and will be seen as a tool to finding the best potential members and sparing the others the expense and time of a live audition.

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Yes, drum corps costs money, duh. However, was Madison's tuition increased from last yr to this yr, in order to help pay for the new staff only?

That was the same amount that I paid last year at Scouts.

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That was the same amount that I paid last year at Scouts.

Yeah, I believe dues were $1800 in 2004 and $2000 in 2007. This is a logical increase in fees that's by no means incommensurate with the dues of other corps. Madison's probably still on the cheaper end for a division one corps.

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nothing positive here. again.

shocking.

Whats shocking is that you took that post seriously.....it was literally dripping with sarcasm and hyperbole. Wow.... :satisfied:

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So can you not attend the November camp if you don't submit a video? That's pretty new and different if it works that way... I know some corps allows videos to be submitted in lieu of traveling a long distance but a video just to get invited to the initial camp is pretty intense. If that's not the case then :thumbup::satisfied:

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I'd like to present an entirely different take on this...

In the several years that I've been an instructor/director, I've always told kids who indicated a desire to audition for D-I/World Class corps to go audition anywhere they wanted...regardless of what talent level they possessed. Yes, I was up front about what the most likely result would be, but I also told them that they'd learn a great deal about how the "big boys" approached the activity...and, that they'd benefit by the process.

Telling anyone they don't deserve to even audition really is a slap in the face. A kid can have a bad video presentation...for any number of reasons, but now they're not going to get a chance to present themselves in-person. I can speak from personal experience.

When I auditioned for Madison back in '84 (for the '85 season), I went in not expecting to make it because I knew my talent level was not nearly as strong as a lot of other guys. And, my actual playing audition truly sucked. However, during the process, the staff was able to see me in-person, and was able to see how I worked during the entire audition weekend. I was rewarded with a spot that season, and it's something that I still remember fondly, and share with kids I work with.

I honestly don't like this, "video audition just for the right to audition in-person," garbage. It's another demonstration of how this activity just seems to getting more and more elitist.

I'm sure there will be plenty of disagreement here, but it's my honest opinion and feeling.

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Telling anyone they don't deserve to even audition really is a slap in the face. A kid can have a bad video presentation...for any number of reasons, but now they're not going to get a chance to present themselves in-person. I can speak from personal experience.

If I may interject as someone who knows NOTHING about this process, nowhere in the application does it say anything about WHO will be called to audition in person. Nowhere does it state that not everyone will be invited to audition in person.

The application process only states that one might be called back, but as I mentioned above, it doesn't state anywhere that not everyone who submits a video audition will be called back.

This might be a way of seeing who's really interested enough in the corps to go the distance to be a part of the organization. If so, that's clever on the part of the staff and management.

Anyone who is called back would have a great experience in attending the first camp, even if they end up coming in last in their section.

I wouldn't be surprised if more corps don't start this sort of process.

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