CaliforniaDCfan Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 I was recently talking with a small group of friends about tour fees. All of us marched in the past ten years and have heard many rumors about what the current fees are for Word Class Corps. I tried looking around online but couldn't find anything. Does anyone know what current fees are for this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txorchdork013 Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 I was recently talking with a small group of friends about tour fees.All of us marched in the past ten years and have heard many rumors about what the current fees are for Word Class Corps. I tried looking around online but couldn't find anything. Does anyone know what current fees are for this year? If you go to the corps website, usually under the membership info, you can find the fee info. For example, Vanguard 2010: Membership Fee for New Members - $2,100.00 Membership Fee for veteran members who re-qualify for membership in 2010 - $1,975.00 Blue Devils: Your financial obligation to the Blue Devils for the 2010 season will be approximately $2,200.00 Carolina Crown: PARTICIPATION FEE / TUITION: $1900 *There is a minimum scheduled payment plan (list below) or an option for early payment with discount before January 15, 2010. UNIFORM FEE: $200 *This fee includes certain components (plumes, unitards, shoes, gloves…etc) of the uniform, which the member will keep at season end. Sacramento Mandarins: member’s tour fee of $2,200. Between these four corps the fees are pretty much equal. BD and SCV incorporate the uniform cost in their overall fee whereas, Crown charges separately, but when you add the 200 to the 1900 it comes out equal to SCVC. Overall, thanks to high gas prices and a pretty whacked economy, I am surprised that the fees aren't higher..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanda Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Break down for Cascades marching fees BRASS: $1750 Tuition PERC: $1950 Tuition GUARD: $1300 Tuition Other Payments $50 - New Member Registration $40 - Shoes $40 - Gauntlets Camp fees: $40 per camp X7 camps They keep there gauntlets at the end of season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FHdork Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 (edited) OK - listening to Sunday Weekend Edition yesterday, I heard a neat story about Stagedoor Manor - a summer theater camp for kids 13-17/18 in upstate NY...kind of a Catskills thing. Great story - some notable alumni - but it's not like they're turning out Decaprio's every year. Below is a pdf for their summer 2011 camps - families choose 3 or 6 weeks. http://www.stagedoormanor.com/pdf/2011/App...ed_w_Letter.pdf and their main web page, fyi: http://www.stagedoormanor.com/home.html I think if you factor in the cost of drum corps camps (with travel to and from), you're still UNDER the cost to just be at Stagedoor Manor for 3 weeks...not even counting the cost of getting there and back (and notice the 6 week cost is about $10,000!) Drum corps is an incredible deal. It offers more life altering experience for the dollar than anything I can imagine. Its value is not so much the musical/physical abilities it hones, but rather the work ethic and insistence that each member persevere that elevates it above any other activity for youth out there. High school/college sports: yep - good activity - great for all the things drum corps teaches...but the kids still have SO much time to wander off and waste time and such. It's far far less intense than drum corps Extra-curricular specialties (ice skating/gymnastics/tennis/golf et al...) - yes, these too are good - but they're such solitary activities. They're so 'it's all about me' - whereas life is 'it's all about our business/family/church, etc.' - individual achievement is important, and drum corps out shines...or at least if one considers the total number of people striving for excellence in the cited individual sports groups, equals - the life lessons one gets from 2-5 years of intense gymnastics or golf training. PLUS - I'm betting is a LOT less expensive! What am I forgetting? What else out there is NOT school, but requires individual drive and commitment, and pushes young people to go far beyond any false boundaries they may have erected in their psyche? While I would hate to see drum corps double their fees to members...I believe that given its outstanding results, and the prices people are paying for less of a life changing result (see above...), the price point for drum corps participation might just be as much as double what people are now paying. Much of the problem is that drum corps is sold as...well, drum corps. And only drum corps people even have an inkling what that means. We need, as an activity, to better sell our product. We fans know what the product is - it's the shows. We attend, or not, because of the shows. The kids want in because of the shows, too. In this the fans and the members are united. Both want those ecstatic performances. But the parents...why should they shell out $5k+ (camp costs plus spending money plus tour fee plus perhaps summer job income lost = cost of drum corps) for a few engaging shows? Well, without the ancillary (yet in fact primary) benefits, they shouldn't. I know of at least one corps that understands this...perhaps more, or all, do and I'm just not aware of it. Edited July 19, 2010 by FHdork Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAW Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Whenever I speak with parents or interested students, I try and point out that, depending on the section, the tour fees can represent as little as 30% or 50% of the total cost. The cheapest will b a guard participant who doesn't have to fly to any camps. Our most expensive summer was $7,000, the least expensive about $3,500. Of course, that doesn't include travelling to shows, etc... Relative to other youth opportunities in the same level, intensity and educational perspective its probably reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friceox Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 The way I used to sell it to my parents back when I marched was the fact that they'd be spending that money on me anyway of the summer....between feeding me, sending me to the movies, concerts, sporting events, etc. They also loved the fact of "I can pay $2000 and get rid of you for the WHOLE summer, and you'll come back in shape?? Deal!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Mickey Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 The way I used to sell it to my parents back when I marched was the fact that they'd be spending that money on me anyway of the summer....between feeding me, sending me to the movies, concerts, sporting events, etc.They also loved the fact of "I can pay $2000 and get rid of you for the WHOLE summer, and you'll come back in shape?? Deal!" That is awesome logic. When can I sign up my 6 year old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowncontramom Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Aside from the fact that my son (and I) love drum corps, there is NO WAY you could buy as many hours of superior musical instruction for the amount of money you pay to march for a season. Of course, I have a SEMI- musical background. His dad, while being supportive of any of his son's endeavors, has NO musical background at all, and while he attends all the camps, performances, etc that he can, and goes to finals too, he really doesn't "GET IT" with respect to the obsession and just how much music education his son is getting. In my opinion, drum corps is a GREAT bargain for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloooTubaDad Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 What's this about parents paying for their kids fee's? My kid paid his own fees, so I guess I am money ahead. Except for all the time off work to get him to and from camps. The price of tickets when he is at shows with in an hour of home. The price of Finals tickets, the cost of hotel rooms for finals, food on the road and the gas money. Cost of doctor's visit and fungal cream when he is at a show near home. I figure I have spent as much on him this summer as I normally would have. However, he is getting into great shap and will, I think, be more prepared for college in a few weeks. After spendig 7 weeks on a bus with college kids, he will have some idea of what it is like to live in a dorm. msquared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 If you go to the corps website, usually under the membership info, you can find the fee info. For example, Vanguard 2010: Membership Fee for New Members - $2,100.00Membership Fee for veteran members who re-qualify for membership in 2010 - $1,975.00 Blue Devils: Your financial obligation to the Blue Devils for the 2010 season will be approximately $2,200.00 to be fair, you are missing some of the costs for BD: $2100 tour fee $100 registration fee $X plume fee $X shoe fee $X responsible for your own housing, each camp $X responsible for finding a place to live during spring training Vanguard has at least another $100 thrown in with the $2100 you listed. Carolina Crown: PARTICIPATION FEE / TUITION: $1900*There is a minimum scheduled payment plan (list below) or an option for early payment with discount before January 15, 2010. UNIFORM FEE: $200 *This fee includes certain components (plumes, unitards, shoes, gloves…etc) of the uniform, which the member will keep at season end. Overall, thanks to high gas prices and a pretty whacked economy, I am surprised that the fees aren't higher..... again, missing some of the costs: $1900 tuition $400 camp fees $200 uniform fee $300 spring training fee obviously any travel you are doing is added into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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