SFZFAN Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Enough of that already. Mason wants to win, and in order to do that in 2011 you must innovate not recreate. I'm sure he's eagerly awaiting your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirdcoast Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 From DCI http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid610170001001?bctid=686946479001 Thanks Howdy, they have it covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirdcoast Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 bump! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirdcoast Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Too much wild conjecture going on here, I must interject. First, there seems to be much discussion that somehow Bill Cook is involved in the decision for the corps to be in Bloomington. While a great fan of drum corps and, of course, a close friend of James Mason, Bill is not involved with the Madison Scouts. He's has visited the corps rehearsal from time-to-time to support our great staff and see a good drum corps being developed. That's about it folks. The former Star Hall (now called the WACPAC) is a property owned by the Cook Group (amongst many others). It is available for lease. It's current tenants are the Mason Entertainment Group and the Madison Scouts. We both pay rent to use the facility and store equipment there. It's at market rate. It's not inexpensive, but a good value for what we get in return. Many corps have leased it for a week or two over the past several years. It is far from an ideal housing facility (small, rough fields) but it does very well for the rigors of a drum corps. I've talked with many alumni about the perceptions of rehearsing in Madison. They are often surprised by the actual ways we rehearse today, and upon hearing that, gain a better understanding of why we have made the decisions to do what we do. Let me share some of those key point: 1. When the corps rehearses (camps or spring training) it is 24/7 drum corps. They do not house with local families or go out to State Street in the evenings. Fun as all that was then, it is a different activity with different training standards. As well, there are also serious organization liability considerations that are far more encompassing then they were even 10 years ago. What that means is that we need facilities that can house the entire corps, enable us to provide food services, and have the facilities that enable us to rehearse properly. 2. The composition of all drum corps is extremely diverse geographically. This is both members and staff. If you want the best, you need the ability to pull them from all over North America and the World. What this means, is you need to rehearse within a reasonable distance to a major and affordable airport. If you have traveled through Madison's airport, you can attest it is not inexpensive or convenient. About half the membership and most of the staff flies into a rehearsal camp. It's pretty simple equation when you have members evaluating their total costs to march a drum corps. The difference of paying $250 to fly into Indy versus $500+ to fly into Madison will make a difference in their decision. 3. Being competitive in today's drum corps is about maximizing the time you have available. If you lose a camp due to weather, it can make a significant impact on your corps. So weather does play a key factor. Indiana is not ideal, but it's a major improvement over Wisconsin in terms of winter weather. 4. If you want to be a competitive drum corps you have to be able to work on movement and drill year round. That means you need access to an indoor facility for that, or have warm enough weather to make that happen. Ideally such a facility is close enough to minimize the challenges involved in moving 150 people at a time when you have no buses. 5. Drum corps are noisy and irritating, especially when they are training 24/7. THIS IS A BIG ISSUE. Communities are becoming less and less tolerant of having a corps rehearse in their backyard. It's novel and fun to watch when it's only a few hours. It's a public nuisance when they rehearse from 9a - 10p for 30 days straight with Dr. Beat pounding over the loud speakers. Having a facility that is remote and away from the public ear is an ideal situation. Before the corps rehearsed in Bloomington, it rehearsed in Baraboo, WI (50 miles north of Madison) until they kicked us out. Before that we rehearsed in Whitewater, WI (90 miles from Madison) until they kicked us out. During winter camps we rehearsed at Madison Country Day School...until they kicked us out. All those places "loved" the Madison Scouts, they just didn't want us rehearsing there anymore. Regardless of our relationship with James Mason, the corps was in desperate need of finding new options for rehearsal and there were absolutely NO OPTIONS being made available to us in Madison. Madison City Schools....NO WAY. University of Wisconsin....NO WAY. A few private facilities we explored...NO WAY. The decisions we made are not "scary", but very practical ones that have been made to the benefit of the organization. Our success on the field last season can be directly attribute to our improved off-season training routine. The matter of the corps' connection to the City of Madison is much more complex. The dynamics of the activity have evolved far beyond the organizational structures and intent of drum corps and their communities when they were founded. It's not just the Madison Scouts, but almost every corps in the activity. Our response is to develop other ways in which our organization can serve the Madison community, not the corps proper. We are rolling out a number of programs that are focused on this very thing. The corps can be a poster-child for the organization, but it will no longer be able to serve the community in the same manner it did when it was started or even up through about the 80s. Lastly, the corps was not on its way of "folding" before last season. In fact, we had a very successful financial year in 2009. We had well set in place a new course for correcting many of the historical financial challenges the corps faced long before last season. The strategy with James Mason and rehearsing in Bloomington were all about correcting our programming direction. Rehearsing down in Bloomington was not financial decision but a programming decision. I'd be more than happy to address any individual questions you may have by emailing me. Chris Komnick Executive Director Madison Scouts ckomnick@madisonscouts.org It does not get any better than this. Thats what I am talking about. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byline Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Enough of that already. Mason wants to win, and in order to do that in 2011 you must innovate not recreate. This is going to be fun to watch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byline Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Too much wild conjecture going on here, I must interject. First, there seems to be much discussion that somehow Bill Cook is involved in the decision for the corps to be in Bloomington. While a great fan of drum corps and, of course, a close friend of James Mason, Bill is not involved with the Madison Scouts. He's has visited the corps rehearsal from time-to-time to support our great staff and see a good drum corps being developed. That's about it folks. The former Star Hall (now called the WACPAC) is a property owned by the Cook Group (amongst many others). It is available for lease. It's current tenants are the Mason Entertainment Group and the Madison Scouts. We both pay rent to use the facility and store equipment there. It's at market rate. It's not inexpensive, but a good value for what we get in return. Many corps have leased it for a week or two over the past several years. It is far from an ideal housing facility (small, rough fields) but it does very well for the rigors of a drum corps. I've talked with many alumni about the perceptions of rehearsing in Madison. They are often surprised by the actual ways we rehearse today, and upon hearing that, gain a better understanding of why we have made the decisions to do what we do. Let me share some of those key point: 1. When the corps rehearses (camps or spring training) it is 24/7 drum corps. They do not house with local families or go out to State Street in the evenings. Fun as all that was then, it is a different activity with different training standards. As well, there are also serious organization liability considerations that are far more encompassing then they were even 10 years ago. What that means is that we need facilities that can house the entire corps, enable us to provide food services, and have the facilities that enable us to rehearse properly. 2. The composition of all drum corps is extremely diverse geographically. This is both members and staff. If you want the best, you need the ability to pull them from all over North America and the World. What this means, is you need to rehearse within a reasonable distance to a major and affordable airport. If you have traveled through Madison's airport, you can attest it is not inexpensive or convenient. About half the membership and most of the staff flies into a rehearsal camp. It's pretty simple equation when you have members evaluating their total costs to march a drum corps. The difference of paying $250 to fly into Indy versus $500+ to fly into Madison will make a difference in their decision. 3. Being competitive in today's drum corps is about maximizing the time you have available. If you lose a camp due to weather, it can make a significant impact on your corps. So weather does play a key factor. Indiana is not ideal, but it's a major improvement over Wisconsin in terms of winter weather. 4. If you want to be a competitive drum corps you have to be able to work on movement and drill year round. That means you need access to an indoor facility for that, or have warm enough weather to make that happen. Ideally such a facility is close enough to minimize the challenges involved in moving 150 people at a time when you have no buses. 5. Drum corps are noisy and irritating, especially when they are training 24/7. THIS IS A BIG ISSUE. Communities are becoming less and less tolerant of having a corps rehearse in their backyard. It's novel and fun to watch when it's only a few hours. It's a public nuisance when they rehearse from 9a - 10p for 30 days straight with Dr. Beat pounding over the loud speakers. Having a facility that is remote and away from the public ear is an ideal situation. Before the corps rehearsed in Bloomington, it rehearsed in Baraboo, WI (50 miles north of Madison) until they kicked us out. Before that we rehearsed in Whitewater, WI (90 miles from Madison) until they kicked us out. During winter camps we rehearsed at Madison Country Day School...until they kicked us out. All those places "loved" the Madison Scouts, they just didn't want us rehearsing there anymore. Regardless of our relationship with James Mason, the corps was in desperate need of finding new options for rehearsal and there were absolutely NO OPTIONS being made available to us in Madison. Madison City Schools....NO WAY. University of Wisconsin....NO WAY. A few private facilities we explored...NO WAY. The decisions we made are not "scary", but very practical ones that have been made to the benefit of the organization. Our success on the field last season can be directly attribute to our improved off-season training routine. The matter of the corps' connection to the City of Madison is much more complex. The dynamics of the activity have evolved far beyond the organizational structures and intent of drum corps and their communities when they were founded. It's not just the Madison Scouts, but almost every corps in the activity. Our response is to develop other ways in which our organization can serve the Madison community, not the corps proper. We are rolling out a number of programs that are focused on this very thing. The corps can be a poster-child for the organization, but it will no longer be able to serve the community in the same manner it did when it was started or even up through about the 80s. Lastly, the corps was not on its way of "folding" before last season. In fact, we had a very successful financial year in 2009. We had well set in place a new course for correcting many of the historical financial challenges the corps faced long before last season. The strategy with James Mason and rehearsing in Bloomington were all about correcting our programming direction. Rehearsing down in Bloomington was not financial decision but a programming decision. I'd be more than happy to address any individual questions you may have by emailing me. Chris Komnick Executive Director Madison Scouts ckomnick@madisonscouts.org Bravo, Chris! Thanks, as always, for providing a real-world perspective that addresses all the concerns. Like it or not, the world of drum corps has, indeed, changed . . . and thankfully the Madison Scouts have moved with it. The shocker in your reply was how many rejections the Scouts went through when searching for a relatively nearby home base. I'm glad the Scouts found a home that fulfills so many of the corps' needs and objectives, both in terms of programming and the staff and members' financial considerations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonW Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Drums on Parade in July what a lineup, Colt Cadets Legends Kilties Colts Troopers Bluecoats Boston Crusaders Cavaliers Madison Scouts Gonna be a great night of Drum Corps. Spectacular! It will be a great night of Drum Corps. One of the two (hopefully three) shows I will get to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcmello09 Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 have they announced anymore to their show? i've heard rumors of a piece but its only rumors but it makes me excited Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFZFAN Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Enough of that already. Mason wants to win, and in order to do that in 2011 you must innovate not recreate. How is this troll not banned yet? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cop Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Happy 73rd Birthday Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps The first rehearsal was held on February 8, 1938 in the basement of the Christ Presbyterian Church with equipment borrowed from the Masons. The instruments were bass, snare and tenor drums along with brass G-bugles. The drum major's baton was a broom stick and only three scouts had uniforms. Still the spirit was there and the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps was born. Mr. E. J. Hess was the first director and Mr. C. H. Beebe, Scoutmaster of Troop 20, was appointed quartermaster. C. H. Beebe became the Executive Director shortly thereafter. From the 1938 Annual Report: The Madison Boy Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps was started on February 8, 1938. In the short time of less than one year they have established themselves as one of the leading musical organizations in the Council Territory. Offices of the Corps are: E.J. Hess, Director; Jack Waidley, Drill Master; Glen Wood, Bugle Instructor; Mr. Imhoff, Drum Instructor; C.H. Beebe, Custodian; and F.D. Blumenfeld, Treasurer. The members of the Corps are all Scouts in good standing from fifteen Madison Troops. Troops having representatives are: 1,2,3,6,7,12,13,20,21,23,29,30 and 33. All of the Scouts must advance regularly, in fact they have set the pace for all Scout advancement in the Council. In addition to this they have piled up a total of 3278 hours of civic service to Madison and surrounding communities. Source: Annual Report 1938 / Four Lakes Council - Boy Scouts of America Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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