roosevelt Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I would rather have 40 to 50 talented and dedicated brass players and about 20 of the same for percussion show for the 1st camp. Then I can truly work with the students, find out what we can and cannot do, how we can use them, who soloists might be, etc., and then have my design team complete the show based on that information.I then believe it is better to fill in the gaps as you push through the winter months, advertising for the right kind of people, those who match up with what you need in order to fill the position appropriately. Having big numbers at the audition camp is nice, but ultimately it serves one purpose, and that's to pad your pocket with registration and camp fees (which is a necessary evil in drum corps). And numbers simply don't always tell the story. Some corps rake in over 350 people to a camp, and others bring in 50. But those 50 might be a better mix, may have a bit more talent, and may also be more committed to serving and marching with that corps. The 350 that attend the "flavor of the month" corps often end up moving around, checking out the other "girls" on the block, and many do not even march. They were there for the experience only. So I say Bravo to the corps that attracts a lot of students to their early camps, mainly because you can give those kids a neat experience and you put some coin in your pocket. However, it really has no effect on scoring and placement. This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 One has to also look at the format of auditions for each corps. For some corps it's "everyone who wants a spot shows up at 1 of these 2 camps" and for others it's "everyone who wants a spot shows up at 1 of 4 audition sites, then you go to a full corps camp in January to continue the process if you're asked to return." In other words, there are multiple ways of holding auditions, and while first camp numbers are good at creating hype sometimes they don't tell anything close to the whole story. Anyway, my take is this: the first camps around Thanksgiving (or just prior) are often very inconvenient for a lot of reasons - many academic. But the next round just before Christmas are usually a bit easier to attend since final exams are over and band programs are done with their major season commitments. Then for the lower tier there's the January/February/March influx of people cut from the top tier who can fill in some of the ranks of those still recruiting at that point. (and I'm pretty sure top tier folks do point some of their cut list to other corps - some might do it more than others.) So, yeah... is it June yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corps-mudgeon Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I would rather have 40 to 50 talented and dedicated brass players and about 20 of the same for percussion show for the 1st camp. Good luck! The 350 that attend the "flavor of the month" corps often end up moving around, checking out the other "girls" on the block, and many do not even march. What's a flavor of the month corps and who are all these people who have an airline ticket tree in their back yard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjordansc Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I marched back in the 70s and we would have 40-50 talented brass players show up for winter camps. In May, we would scrounge the ends of the earth looking for the 10-15 players we needed to fill the line. I would have loved to see 200 horn players audition for 72 spots. But that is just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiteroses Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Considering the Blue Stars charge $110 for audition materials ($75 for returning members) and I assume other corps charge similar fees, the number of people at an audition camp is very important. A $30K plus infusion of cash in November is very welcome (I would guess). These audition camps are first and foremost a way to fill the corps with quality members, but secondly, they bring in revenue. along these lines, I believe some corps use these large numbers to their advantage. they have a Nov. camp with 250 or so auditioning, then invite all of them back to their Dec. camp, helping their revenue, when some of those 250 should have been cut from the beginning. now, I can't say this is fact, but I have my suspicions, and I find it disgusting. invite back only those who have a good shot at making the corps, not those who have a bank account to help the corps, and cut those who are better suited elsewhere. more on topic, less ranting! I believe audition camp numbers are not always an indicator for summer placements. 80% of auditionees might fit the bill, which is a larger amount when you have 250 auditioning. on the other hand, you have lower numbers at smaller ranked corps, but they are usually the ones who want to make that corps go somewhere, and are not just going for the experience. think of how many people audition at Phantom Regiment just for the experience- which is not a bad thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrownStarr Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 along these lines, I believe some corps use these large numbers to their advantage. they have a Nov. camp with 250 or so auditioning, then invite all of them back to their Dec. camp, helping their revenue, when some of those 250 should have been cut from the beginning. now, I can't say this is fact, but I have my suspicions, and I find it disgusting. invite back only those who have a good shot at making the corps, not those who have a bank account to help the corps, and cut those who are better suited elsewhere. Devil's advocate: inviting everyone back also gives everyone a chance to show how hard they can work to improve after the first audition, which is just as important as how well they show up to the first audition. Trust me, no one at a November camp is ready for the summer. The vets know how much and how consistently they have to work, and the staff wants to see how many kids can hang with the vets in that respect versus how many stay at the same level from camp to camp. Imagine some system of grading, where one kid might get a B and another has a D+. You'd want to invite the B kid back over the D kid, but what if you invite both back in December and the D+ kid has worked his way up to a B, whereas the other kid has only inched up to a B+? All of a sudden, you might see them in a different light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjordansc Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 along these lines, I believe some corps use these large numbers to their advantage. they have a Nov. camp with 250 or so auditioning, then invite all of them back to their Dec. camp, helping their revenue, when some of those 250 should have been cut from the beginning. now, I can't say this is fact, but I have my suspicions, and I find it disgusting. invite back only those who have a good shot at making the corps, not those who have a bank account to help the corps, and cut those who are better suited elsewhere.more on topic, less ranting! I believe audition camp numbers are not always an indicator for summer placements. 80% of auditionees might fit the bill, which is a larger amount when you have 250 auditioning. on the other hand, you have lower numbers at smaller ranked corps, but they are usually the ones who want to make that corps go somewhere, and are not just going for the experience. think of how many people audition at Phantom Regiment just for the experience- which is not a bad thing! I disagree. The kids at these camps want to march drum corps and they are paying a fee for some excellent instruction. I believe most kids have an idea where they stand after the first weekend. They may come back in December for an experience that, if they do not make the corps, will help them the next time they audition. They now know what to expect, where they need to improve and how to practice building up to an audition weekend. Where else can you get two or three days of the quality instruction you receive at a world class drum corps camp for $125? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMH Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Crown had 73 snare auditionees. Cadets had 25. Draw your own conclusions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaos001 Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Crown had 73 snare auditionees.Cadets had 25. Draw your own conclusions. Crown's going to make more kids cry tomorrow? Do the Cadets have prescreening for auditions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesjones0611 Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Crown's going to make more kids cry tomorrow?Do the Cadets have prescreening for auditions? Neither of these corps are going to end up in 9th place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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