Piper Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Corps go where the talent is and talent goes where the corps are. Paint jobs and gender don't mean squat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 It is fair to say that DCI is not in step with the rest of the country regarding diversity. Statistics bear that out quite clearly. Obviously, some here (far more than I would have expected) think that is a good thing, or at least that the status quo is just fine. I'm not sure why, and frankly I'm ashamed at some of the responses to this thread. If we want drum corps to grow (and I think most of us do), then something should be done to allow and encourage more people of all kinds to participate. Greater diversity - economic, racial, and gender based - would be an appropriate and positive step in that direction. Thanks for this Marimbasaurus! Spelling out *why* diversity is something to strive for was something I found I wasn't really able to put into words, but I think you managed to do so really well. I too was a little surprised to see so many people dismiss the question outright, and I was worried the thread would get closed quickly, but I'm glad to see a few more people voicing support for increasing diversity, and I'm glad to see the discussion has settled down a little bit into a more meaningful one. Jeff Ream is right, of course, and I've tried to acknowledge this repeatedly in this thread: certain sections have become significantly more diverse, at least genderwise, over just the past 20 years, and so it may still be too early to expect staff diversity to match membership diversity. Based on the numbers posted here, a third of corps members are women, and about a sixth of staff and boards are women. So this is definitely something to keep an eye on. If the wait-and-see folks are right, then those ratios should get closer over the next five to ten years. I hope so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craiga Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 AS far as I am concerned, the demographics of the pool of DCI directors represents very similar demographics as the membership. It is a false argument, imo, to suggest that DCI is not diverse....we are, in fact, a niche activity and we do not mirror the population of the US as a whole. I have no problem with that, as long as it is not by design, which as far as I know no one is alleging. It carries no more significance than saying "why aren't there more African Amercian women coaching NHL hockey teams?".....obvious..... One area in which DCI is diverse, however, is sexual orientation. In fact, I would suggest that there is no "niche" out there with greater diversity in this respect than DCI, with the possible exception of musical theatre. Is there any doubt that in this regard, we ARE substantially more diverse (and tolerant, by the way) than the general population? Come to think of it, I demand to see more gay professional football coaches in the NFL!!! I am quite sure there aren't any.....at least out of the closet, anyway!! Seriously, this is a non-issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Contra Guy Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Corps go where the talent is and talent goes where the corps are. Paint jobs and gender don't mean squat. /end topic ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 (edited) It is fair to say that DCI is not in step with the rest of the country regarding diversity. Statistics bear that out quite clearly. Obviously, some here (far more than I would have expected) think that is a good thing, or at least that the status quo is just fine. I'm not sure why, and frankly I'm ashamed at some of the responses to this thread. If we want drum corps to grow (and I think most of us do), then something should be done to allow and encourage more people of all kinds to participate. Greater diversity - economic, racial, and gender based - would be an appropriate and positive step in that direction. Corps directors might even see a few new funding sources open up because of it. But, this possibility doesn't seem to be remotely on the radar of DCI's leadership. Saxophones are apparently of greater importance. That is their answer to the problem of relevance. Go figure. It all just seems very narrow and short sighted to me. Change the organization and DCI looks very diverse in comparison: It is fair to say that DCI Honda Battle of the Bands is not in step with the rest of the country regarding diversity. Statistics bear that out quite clearly. If we want drum corps show bands to grow (and I think most of us do), then something should be done to allow and encourage more people of all kinds to participate. Greater diversity - economic, racial, and gender based - would be an appropriate and positive step in that direction. Corps Show Band directors might even see a few new funding sources open up because of it. But, this possibility doesn't seem to be remotely on the radar of DCI's the Traditional Black College's leadership. It all just seems very narrow and short sighted to me. Again, who is more diverse, DCI or Honda Battle of the Bands? Edited September 9, 2010 by Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgarside83 Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Not at all. But when I read quotes like "Diversity in Corps Directors should represent the membership diversity", it appears that is what is being suggested.Not that it has never happened, but I have never heard of anyone not getting a job running a DCI or DCA corps because of skin color or gender. I can also not quantify how many African Americans, women, Hispanics, Native Americans or on and on have wanted those jobs currently or in the past. But to suggest the absence of color or whatever is anything less than consequential in this industry just boggles my imagination. At the very least I think it's irresponsible. And just so we are perfectly clear, sarcasm is only one of the services I provide. How many times are corps even posting director jobs openly for people to apply? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craiga Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 (edited) Change the organization and DCI looks very diverse in comparison: It is fair to say that DCI Honda Battle of the Bands is not in step with the rest of the country regarding diversity. Statistics bear that out quite clearly. If we want drum corps show bands to grow (and I think most of us do), then something should be done to allow and encourage more people of all kinds to participate. Greater diversity - economic, racial, and gender based - would be an appropriate and positive step in that direction. Corps Show Band directors might even see a few new funding sources open up because of it. But, this possibility doesn't seem to be remotely on the radar of DCI's the Traditional Black College's leadership. It all just seems very narrow and short sighted to me. Again, who is more diverse, DCI or Honda Battle of the Bands? Yeah...not a lot of white members/staff in the show bands represented by the movie "DRUMLINE"......and nobody seemed to complain...... again, a non-issue.... Edited September 9, 2010 by craiga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgarside83 Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 AS far as I am concerned, the demographics of the pool of DCI directors represents very similar demographics as the membership. It is a false argument, imo, to suggest that DCI is not diverse....we are, in fact, a niche activity and we do not mirror the population of the US as a whole.I have no problem with that, as long as it is not by design, which as far as I know no one is alleging. It carries no more significance than saying "why aren't there more African Amercian women coaching NHL hockey teams?".....obvious..... One area in which DCI is diverse, however, is sexual orientation. In fact, I would suggest that there is no "niche" out there with greater diversity in this respect than DCI, with the possible exception of musical theatre. Is there any doubt that in this regard, we ARE substantially more diverse (and tolerant, by the way) than the general population? Come to think of it, I demand to see more gay professional football coaches in the NFL!!! I am quite sure there aren't any.....at least out of the closet, anyway!! Seriously, this is a non-issue. While I still think that more effort could be made to reach out to diverse populations, these are good points. However, there are certainly more diverse participants in DCI and DCA than in hockie, percentage wise. However, it doesn't match the leadership percentages. I think that's the point the thread is trying to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugleguy1 Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 Change the organization and DCI looks very diverse in comparison: It is fair to say that DCI Honda Battle of the Bands is not in step with the rest of the country regarding diversity. Statistics bear that out quite clearly. If we want drum corps show bands to grow (and I think most of us do), then something should be done to allow and encourage more people of all kinds to participate. Greater diversity - economic, racial, and gender based - would be an appropriate and positive step in that direction. Corps Show Band directors might even see a few new funding sources open up because of it. But, this possibility doesn't seem to be remotely on the radar of DCI's the Traditional Black College's leadership. It all just seems very narrow and short sighted to me. Again, who is more diverse, DCI or Honda Battle of the Bands? The Honda Battle of the Bands isn't ran nor controlled by HBCU schools. Honda wanted to promote collegiate band competitions and frankly HBCU bands are very competitive and compete all the time, they wanted a piece of that audience. I went to an HBCU and THEY DO promote diversity or to be blunt about it THEY WANT MORE WHITE PEOPLE, some of them actually spell it out on admissions applications pleading for more white students and they band programs do it as well with their scholarships. Just wanted to point out some things in your statement because it appears that you believe that the Honda Battle of the Bands is an umbrella organizattion like DCI and therefore comparable, it isn't. I run my own drum corps and as a black director I cannot tell you why there are not many minorities involved in this activity. My corps is 99.9% white and male and I did heavy recruiting to diversify the membership, the kids I have are the kids I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craiga Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 The Honda Battle of the Bands isn't ran nor controlled by HBCU schools. Honda wanted to promote collegiate band competitions and frankly HBCU bands are very competitive and compete all the time, they wanted a piece of that audience. I went to an HBCU and THEY DO promote diversity or to be blunt about it THEY WANT MORE WHITE PEOPLE, some of them actually spell it out on admissions applications pleading for more white students and they band programs do it as well with their scholarships. Just wanted to point out some things in your statement because it appears that you believe that the Honda Battle of the Bands is an umbrella organizattion like DCI and therefore comparable, it isn't. I run my own drum corps and as a black director I cannot tell you why there are not many minorities involved in this activity. My corps is 99.9% white and male and I did heavy recruiting to diversify the membership, the kids I have are the kids I have. Well put from someone who is uniquely qualified to make this observation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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