Did the "Import Membership" Model Kill Local Recruiting?

[Drum Korps Fan Man]

I'm using the Crossmen as an example solely 'cause they're local to me. Insert any WC name there. I taught music in Austin for a few years, so believe me, I know what you're saying there.

My response would be then - don't make it a JV. Make it a small, elite group of musicians. An "all-city" group, if you will. They'd be Crossmen (or whatever corps) the same as the summer group, only their performing schedule is different. Give them access to the corps staff, music, etc - they're still the Crossmen, only they're playing 1x or 2x per month in San Antonio (or whatever city) at events raising money and getting the Crossmen name out there. Don't design it as a second-class program - give them DCI-caliber education on a full year basis. That'll get you a core of kids that you can send out.

Of course I'm just BS'ing and brainstorming here, but the point I'm trying to make is that it doesn't have to be an "either-or" sort of thing - there are lots of ways for corps to more tightly integrate themselves into the local community despite the fact they're a national touring production composed of 72% college kids, 56% of which are music majors, only home-based in X city.

Mike

This is a great idea. I am curious as to why it doesn't happen. Maybe no one is interested in teaching? That seems like it would be a main obstacle. Also, it might not work everywhere, but still.

[Jerseyboy]

Of course, now that I say that, I fully support a corps growing deeper roots in a community. The more that a city feels the corps is invested in them, the more the city will invest in the corps.

So why not have a full-time local unit? Just to pick a nearby example to me, what if the Crossmen had, not only their 150 members who travel in the summer, but say a 50-person unit of all San Antonio kids that performed year-round, under the Crossmen name, in the Crossmen uniforms, playing "Crossmen" type music, but may or may not be in the summer corps? Invite 'em to the banquet too, each year - they're Crossmen as well as the summer guys. How would this hurt the brand at all? You would be likely getting kids who aren't WC quality, obviously, but you'd be teaching marching and playing skills to kids without having to foot the cost of a full-fledged touring "B" corps. And one that would be bringing in money and attention to your group on the local level.

Mike

I heard that was in the works.

[MikeN]

...Seriously? Wow - I'm a visionary.

Mike

[toneslinky]

So. did importing members kill off the local corps concept, or did lack of local recruits force the distributed membership paradigm?

I vote for the latter. If corps didn't start recruiting more widely, even more of them would be dead. It was a matter of survival.

I started in drum corps in 1959. Raised in Chicago’s West side. My family was lower middle class. It was a rough neighborhood. If it wasn’t for drum corps I might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time ! ! Who knows.. what I do know is that if drum corps was the way it was today back then I could not afford to join. For that matter I could not even afford a ticket to watch. I see that drum corps has changed to the point that you have to come from an affluent family and be talented to be involved in the top 6 corps. My little Chicago corps took kids off of the street and taught them to play music. The corps was a neighborhood family. I learned discipline from that corps that I attribute to the successes in my life. We had only two buses and one equipment truck. Much more manageable then the now five buses and three semis. There is no way a community could support corps this large monetarily or personnel wise. From my perspective drum corps belongs in the communities. Even though we kids in the 60’s lacked formal music education we rocked the stadiums with sound and no matter what direction those kids turned adult went in they will always be in the Chicago Royal Airs and 1965 national Champions. It is sad to see that neighborhood corps have left the drum corps pattern. SDCA is trying to change that pattern and give neighborhood kids and adults the opportunity to be in a manageable drum corps. Look at their web site www.thesdca.org

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

I started in drum corps in 1959. Raised in Chicago’s West side. My family was lower middle class. It was a rough neighborhood. If it wasn’t for drum corps I might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time ! ! Who knows.. what I do know is that if drum corps was the way it was today back then I could not afford to join. For that matter I could not even afford a ticket to watch. I see that drum corps has changed to the point that you have to come from an affluent family and be talented to be involved in the top 6 corps. My little Chicago corps took kids off of the street and taught them to play music. The corps was a neighborhood family. I learned discipline from that corps that I attribute to the successes in my life. We had only two buses and one equipment truck. Much more manageable then the now five buses and three semis. There is no way a community could support corps this large monetarily or personnel wise. From my perspective drum corps belongs in the communities. Even though we kids in the 60’s lacked formal music education we rocked the stadiums with sound and no matter what direction those kids turned adult went in they will always be in the Chicago Royal Airs and 1965 national Champions. It is sad to see that neighborhood corps have left the drum corps pattern. SDCA is trying to change that pattern and give neighborhood kids and adults the opportunity to be in a manageable drum corps. Look at their web site www.thesdca.org

I agree. Great post.

[bill]

Lack of local interest (i.e. potential members) would be my best opinion.

This all started occuring when the age of consent was lowered to 18 years old in most states way back when (since repealed).

A whole new venue was at the feet of 18 year olds at that time with them having the legal right to patronize pubs (bars).

They now had a whole new social outlet to visit and explore; this especially at the time when corps were still doing mostly weekends. Thus, staying home and (legally) "tossin' a few" and socializing in this new exciting venture was a higher priority over a weekend of doing drum corps. Those still interested in performing in the activity simply went to where the corps were, simply out of need.

So. did importing members kill off the local corps concept, or did lack of local recruits force the distributed membership paradigm?

I vote for the latter. If corps didn't start recruiting more widely, even more of them would be dead. It was a matter of survival.

[Arena Corps Guy]

Of course, now that I say that, I fully support a corps growing deeper roots in a community. The more that a city feels the corps is invested in them, the more the city will invest in the corps.

So why not have a full-time local unit? Just to pick a nearby example to me, what if the Crossmen had, not only their 150 members who travel in the summer, but say a 50-person unit of all San Antonio kids that performed year-round, under the Crossmen name, in the Crossmen uniforms, playing "Crossmen" type music, but may or may not be in the summer corps? Invite 'em to the banquet too, each year - they're Crossmen as well as the summer guys. How would this hurt the brand at all? You would be likely getting kids who aren't WC quality, obviously, but you'd be teaching marching and playing skills to kids without having to foot the cost of a full-fledged touring "B" corps. And one that would be bringing in money and attention to your group on the local level.

Mike

well Mike, SDCA is trying to do something like that. We are promoting community drum corps of smaller size and playng indoor right now. We are trying to have managable size corps of one or two buses. We think if we keep the old 60's and 70's size drum corps we can be entertaining as well as get community support. Currently we are supporting the communities annual festivals and in turn they are supporting an Arena drum corps show. So far it is working. check us out www.theSDCA.org

[MikeN]

well Mike, SDCA is trying to do something like that. We are promoting community drum corps of smaller size and playng indoor right now. We are trying to have managable size corps of one or two buses. We think if we keep the old 60's and 70's size drum corps we can be entertaining as well as get community support. Currently we are supporting the communities annual festivals and in turn they are supporting an Arena drum corps show. So far it is working. check us out www.theSDCA.org

I support you guys's mission, but I'm not suggesting a small touring corps - touring defeats the purpose of my proposal. I'm suggesting a performance-only ensemble (not competition) that stays local - doesn't travel.

Mike

[Shadow_7]

I think the higher costs of corps these days, supports the NON-local model best. IF I'm going to be paying $1,000 in dues or more, $1,000 in NON-dues related expenses(travel to shows/camps, lodging, upkeep) or more, then the last thing that I want is to feel like I'm crossing the street to slaters garage to rehearse. At a minimum spend my summer a little further north to beat the heat.

One downer with the non-local model is that when you need local people to run the home office, form an alumni corps, or other support our LOCAL community, the people just aren't there to do that. Pay my gas ($50) so that I can help with the fund raiser (to make you $20) just doesn't make sense. Week night rehearsals aren't possible, meeting every weekend just kills recruitment in general. And other everyone has their limits attributes.

As far as the blast model, once you get that going, where's the motivation to take on the additional time and budget needs to change to a competitive and touring model? If the days of million dollar bingo's and other things were still possible, it'd probably be a different story. But when you've got to ask so much of the membership, recruitment, fund raising, oh and every once and a while you get to DO drumcorps. And you might even get to see another corps, ONCE a year...... (I'm sort of surprised that drumcorps still exists myself)