Lower level corps need horn players too

[bersurkman]

I know this topic has been beat to death but it still irks me that a lot of kids who get cut would rather not march anywhere than join a corps from the non-finalist ranks.

Blue Stars reported 170 horns. Will the 90 that get cut (or leave on their own) fill in somewhere else? WHY NOT? If you love drum corps enough to want to do it in the first place, why not spend a year or two with a lower corps to get the experience to make the corps of your dreams?

This happens every audition season.

Edited for intent.

Edited November 22, 2010 by bersurkman

[BRASSO]

I know this topic has been beat to death but it still irks me that a lot of kids who get cut would rather not march anywhere than join a corps from the non-finalist ranks.

Blue Stars reported 170 horns. Will the 90 that get cut fill in somewhere else? WHY NOT? If you love drum corps enough to want to do it in the first place, why not spend a year or two with a lower corps to get the experience to make the corps of your dreams?

This happens every audition season.

Here's another option too : Why not get most members to stay with a lower Corps, get better, and then go out and kick the living daylights out of the Corps that look down the noses at the " lower Corps " after bleeding them dry of their experienced and most talented marchers every year ? Now THAT would be real " competition " imo. Just a thought.

Edited November 22, 2010 by BRASSO

[Stu]

Why; you ask why??? Here is why many WC "cuts" do not audition for OC corps'!

Audition Fee: $100 (payable at the audition)

Camp Fee: $500 each (payable in 5 installments of $100 per camp)

Tuition Fee: $2000 (payable in 5 installments of $400 per camp)

Total: $2600 to perform one season with ........ Forte

[keymodf]

Total: $2600 to perform one season with ........ Forte

Who offers absolutely no quality instruction or experience.

[kickhaltsforlife]

Why; you ask why??? Here is why many WC "cuts" do not audition for OC corps'!

Audition Fee: $100 (payable at the audition)

Camp Fee: $500 each (payable in 5 installments of $100 per camp)

Tuition Fee: $2000 (payable in 5 installments of $400 per camp)

Total: $2600 to perform one season with ........ Forte

This isn't just about not auditioning for OC corps... it starts even within the lower finals corps and then all the way down to the lowest OC corps.

And your viewpoint is a pretty shotty one at that. My placements in a WC corps: 13th-16th. I wanted to go back in 2010 but didn't have the money. But I'm pretty sure in 2008 I had a lot more fun and a better experience than a lot of people who made finals and might even have a ring on their finger.

Just saying that just because a corps is lower placing, doesn't mean you aren't going to get a great drum corps experience. It's not all about the competition. Yes that is a part, but anyone who has marched drum corps knows what I am talking about.

I hate the attitude that "If I'm not with the best then it's not worth it."

IMO that is an awful attitude to have... and it is one of the attitudes that is killing drum corps. It's okay to want to be the best, but you have to do work to get there, like I know a ton of people do.

I don't know... from what I hear, marching a top 5 corps isn't always what it is coughed up to be. And I wish some youngins out there would realize that there are corps outside of finals that are truly WORLD CLASS organizations where they will get an awesome experience have the time of their life and work with some great people.

[DreaminMello]

Who offers absolutely no quality instruction or experience.

I hope you don't mean that about Forte! I know some of the staff and their experience goes back to the late 70's, and quality instruction? These are some excellent instructors. Maybe they chose to instruct an open class corps because they love the activity but can't spend every living moment instructing. I marched jr corps with some Open Class (world class now) and Class A (Open class now) and guess what, my Class A instructors.... many of them are in the DCI hall of fame. Please don't ever bad mouth an Open Class corps or their instruction as inferior..... look at I&E and see how many of these guys win their competitions.

[2000Cadet]

Here's another option too : Why not get most members to stay with a lower Corps, get better, and then go out and kick the living daylights out of the Corps that look down the noses at the " lower Corps " after bleeding them dry of their experienced and most talented marchers every year ? Now THAT would be real " competition " imo. Just a thought.

Climb down off your horse buddy.

Some people have the "all-or-nothing" attitude. If they can't make the corps they really want to march with, they'd rather sit it out because some feel that corps is where they really wanted to be. I don't think we can fault a kid for not going to a corps that needs members because they ARE paying for it, even though we would like to see those lower corps be just as successful. People are going to do what they want to do. There's no point in getting ###### off about it.

Also, I think some people seem to be forgetting that as much as you are blaming the upper corps for "bleeding lower corps dry" of talented members, SOME of those lower corps also need to share blame for that, particularly because of quality of shows, quality of staff, quality of teaching, etc. And I personally can attest to that. Same also applies to the upper tier corps. Surely we've heard of some kids leaving one upper corps for another. You'd be surprised of the reasons why (although you shouldn't be).

Edited November 22, 2010 by 2000Cadet

[JimF-LowBari]

Why; you ask why??? Here is why many WC "cuts" do not audition for OC corps'!

Audition Fee: $100 (payable at the audition)

Camp Fee: $500 each (payable in 5 installments of $100 per camp)

Tuition Fee: $2000 (payable in 5 installments of $400 per camp)

Total: $2600 to perform one season with ........ Forte

Have asked the same question in the past a few times and lot of responses basically said "Not worth the money, especially if the costs are about the same". Can't say I totally agree but have not bought many things if the price was about what was worth to me.

[Blackstar]

If my kids had marched I would have pointed them to a "lower tier" corps such as Surf or Raiders. Having march in a finals level corps I didn't gain more out of then if my HS band toured. While the level of instructor was great the thought of getting into finals wasn't a big concern.

I would want my kids to have fun. Since thier not going to be music majors its more about the experience. As a parent I try to teach them loyality which is a forgotten quality in the activity. I see on peoples sigs that they marched with Surf, then Crossmen, then a championship with the Cadets. Then write how much they love the Cadets. Was marching with Surf and Crossmen so bad? I would rather stick with the corps that gave me a chance and help them grow. But thats just the way I was raised.

Edited to say that after seeing 2000cadet posted on the thread and marched with Surf, Crossmen and Cadets that the above statement was not pointed towards him. Just used those three corps as an exambple because of geographical reasons.

Edited November 22, 2010 by Blackstar

[keymodf]

I hope you don't mean that about Forte! I know some of the staff and their experience goes back to the late 70's, and quality instruction? These are some excellent instructors. Maybe they chose to instruct an open class corps because they love the activity but can't spend every living moment instructing. I marched jr corps with some Open Class (world class now) and Class A (Open class now) and guess what, my Class A instructors.... many of them are in the DCI hall of fame. Please don't ever bad mouth an Open Class corps or their instruction as inferior..... look at I&E and see how many of these guys win their competitions.

Please insert belated sarcasm in my last post. Absolutely no disrespect. OC is a wealth of great instructors. Similar to the members, just because they choose to work in the smaller of the classes doesn't make them inferior. And how else are smaller corps going to get the top staff that some of them have than by charging similar prices to some of the top world class corps?