Community Service vs. High Quality Perfomance

[Stu]

So now I am not sure what you are getting at...what the point is of this. What am I missing? The Cadets consist of some of the top marching/music performers in the country...it's a totally different population from the inner city kids in need who benefit from those groups YEA! is supporting. Are you saying that there should NOT be groups like those? I'm missing something, for sure.

Member dues, whatever they are, provide a fraction of the cost of marching. YEA! has other sources of revenue that fund most of the Cadets plus the other groups they are sponsoring. Member dues cover what...a third...of the cost of The Cadets?

USSBA has been growing and expanding to many areas of the country. I'm sure that the revenue from USSBA is supporting a lot of the things YEA! is doing.

Plus alumni and other donations.

Some people engaged in various forums have the idea that part of the mission of DCI is, or should be, one of community service and charity for the underprivileged by keeping the membership dues low (while keeping the high quality performance aspect that it has evolved into). All that I was pointing out was that we cannot have it both ways. Performing units can be either charitable organizations providing community service to at-risk youth by putting instruments in their hands instead of drugs at no cost to the youth, or highly competitive groups designed for the best youth musicians in the world which also includes high cost to the members. Of course YEA can have two or more groups; one for charity and one for DCI competition. But to say that the community service charity group with low membership dues can be highly competitive on the national or international scale in DCI, or that the highly competitive group involved in top 12 WC DCI can be mainly about charity and community service helping the needy by keeping the membership dues low is not reality in today's DCI world.

[fifer]

You forget that Nothing is "Free". Stuff can be provided at no cost to the users as long as (someone else) foots the bill. Who is paying for all of this "Free" stuff in the Xscape Dance Troup, the Leigh Valley Youth Drumline, and the Community Hand Drumming Program: the Tax Payers who are already over taxed? a rich person's Foundation?

And it ain't free for ANY group that offers no cost or low cost community services. Why do you question where YEA! funds come from but not question where funds to keep costs low for each SDCA corps comes from? What do you conisder "acceptable" sources of funding for community service groups? Do they differ for groups that you support versus groups that you seem (reading between the lines) to have an issue with?

So, on one hand it sounds like you are trying to support the efforts of "community service" groups while on the other hand you have done nothing but try to shed a questionable light on this work by YEA! If you truly want to know where they get their funding, then ask them. You will find that it comes from a combination of sources just like any other community service group (donations, grants, fund raisers, foundations, etc.). Why have you not been able to bring yourself to even ackowledge the fact that YEA! IS offering some of the community service opportunities that you seem to be promoting through this thread?

You may want to conisder the advice of another poster who suggested you do a little "looking within". Since you have already restated your point about community service versus high quality performance groups several times (and nobody has disagreed with that initial point), I remain at a loss to understand what other point you are trying to discuss here.

[Blackstar]

Stu, this was one of the reason corps didn't do well in that charitable event on Facebook. While most orginizations did do things for those struggling, corps do things to win. So thier a chartible orginization for the upper middle class? Its why I will never donate money to a top 12 maybe even 15 corps.

Drum corps is only about winning period point blank.

[euponitone]

Drum corps is only about winning period point blank.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....

[euponitone]

Stu, this was one of the reason corps didn't do well in that charitable event on Facebook. While most orginizations did do things for those struggling, corps do things to win. So thier a chartible orginization for the upper middle class? Its why I will never donate money to a top 12 maybe even 15 corps.

Ok, since your post was somewhat on point until the last ridiculous sentance, I will address it seperately. You are right in that drum corps (especially in DCI) have missions more specific than most charities, and that they are indeed generally focused on the upper middle class. They are purposefully shutting out other groups, it just happens as a function of money and playing ability. If you can afford to take the time to get really good on an instrument (especially an instrument that gets you nowhere in life, such as baritone *trust me, i know*), and if you can raise thousands to march, well, you probably arent scrapping and clawing for your existance. Yeah, you may be a poor college student working 2 jobs while taking 6 classes, and yeah, your life may be hard, but at least you're in college, and at least you have a job, so yes...i get what you're saying. And hey, its your money, do what you want with it. I generally support corps by going to shows and buying souvies, im not quite loaded enough to just give up my money for nothing yet.

Now, with all those lovely points you made, Im not sure why you felt the need to jump to the non-sequiter of 'corps only care about winning point blank end of story...and nothing else'. But, i think I sufficiently addressed that with my last post....

[MikeD]

Some people engaged in various forums have the idea that part of the mission of DCI is, or should be, one of community service and charity for the underprivileged by keeping the membership dues low (while keeping the high quality performance aspect that it has evolved into).

DCI is an organization made up of the corps that participate in DCI. Nothing more and nothing less.

All that I was pointing out was that we cannot have it both ways. Performing units can be either charitable organizations providing community service to at-risk youth by putting instruments in their hands instead of drugs at no cost to the youth, or highly competitive groups designed for the best youth musicians in the world which also includes high cost to the members. Of course YEA can have two or more groups; one for charity and one for DCI competition. But to say that the community service charity group with low membership dues can be highly competitive on the national or international scale in DCI, or that the highly competitive group involved in top 12 WC DCI can be mainly about charity and community service helping the needy by keeping the membership dues low is not reality in today's DCI world.

Is anyone really saying that? Of course it can't be like that in 2010. There is room for both types of organizations, and both have their place.

[Stu]

DCI is an organization made up of the corps that participate in DCI. Nothing more and nothing less.

True, but not all corps can participate. DCI is an organization made up of corps’ that have to be "accepted" to participate in DCI Open Class by DCI, and it takes the vote of the WC corps for an Open Class corps to move into WC. So only a select few corps are allowed to participate in DCI.

Is anyone really saying that?

[in reference to some saying that DCI corps' need to become more charitable by lowering membership dues enough so that underprivileged kids can participate because that is the mission of DCI]

Yes some are saying that; if you read through the postings entitled Is DCI Losing its Diversity, you will find that many have questioned the lack of “charity” shown by DCI corps' today with their high membership dues. All I am getting at with the start of this thread is that we need to all realize that DCI today is not about charity and those that desire community service type charity can find solace in organizations like SDCA.