AZFan Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I'm sorry, I don't understand your comment. Whenever I talk to someone still in a high school marching program, one of their biggest complaints is about the people who just don't want to be there and are only there because someone is making them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoyWonder1911 Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Let me ask you this - if you took all the best horn players, percussionists and guard in the entire country ages 16-21 (whether they have marched or not), along with all the best staff in the entire country (whether they have taught drum corps or not) and put them all in 20 drum corps, they'd each score at least 90 points. The fact is, not everyone marches. 150 marchers x 23 WC corps = roughly 3,500. There are a couple hundred thousand band students that play horns or drums or guard in the US. It's just that only a small % of those who could make a drum corps choose not to, for various reasons, not being able to afford it being one of those reasons. Not enough interest in the activity would be another. Those would probably be the biggest two. A lot of band students really don't know about drum corps either. I think if member fees were reduced somehow (more donations, lower fuel prices, etc), then that will probably spur more interest in the activity. Another thing is if DCI were able to become a more popular thing in the US (ESPN broadcasts were tried, not enough advertising interest). Also another thing is that there are more than a handful of HS band directors who don't like their marches marching drum corps. Another point I want to make is that even if interest in the activity grew, doesn't mean that there would be more drum corps. Member fees only cover about 30-35% of the cost of touring a drum corps for a summer. Donations make up the rest. And in this economy, donations are harder to come by. So if there were more marchers, we really wouldn't see more drum corps emerge, there would just be tougher competition to successfully audition for a corps. Money is key to everything. What I would personally like to see myself is drum corps starting to earn money through business models. Star of Indiana was founded on the fundings of 4 businesses created for the purpose of funneling money into a drum corps. They were successful because of this, along with the fact that they were in what may be arguably the best part of the country for a drum corps to be in. But money is key. I'd like to see more of this happen. BW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickT Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 There are so many broad generalizations about Open Class that are quite false for most of the current Open Class units. And some things in this thread that supposedly apply to Open Class actually apply to all corps. I want people to join my corps because they chose my corps, no other reason. YOUR corps? Interesting way to word it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 What I would personally like to see myself is drum corps starting to earn money through business models. Star of Indiana was founded on the fundings of 4 businesses created for the purpose of funneling money into a drum corps. They were successful because of this, along with the fact that they were in what may be arguably the best part of the country for a drum corps to be in. But money is key. While I don't disagree, I think this is not entirely true. Star of Indiana was founded on grants from Cook. While they did indeed start companies that aided in Star's operations, the businesses didn't really make money to go back to the corps for quite sometime. I suspect the reason this hasn't been copied is because it's difficult to find a multi-millionaire (billionaire?) to fund the "seed money" necessary to let a business & drum corp grow. My mom is a business banker, and I can tell you from things she's told me over the decades she's been doing her job that it's close to impossible for a business to start from scratch and survive, let alone thrive. Add in funneling money from that fledgling business to a non-profit organization with million dollar expenses, and the proposition is pretty crazy. What would make more sense, I think, is for a WGI unit to start a small business and then thrive. I always thought that if a WGI group bought a storage warehouse type business, they could potentially have a rehearsal facility as well as business opportunity to rent storage 'sheds.' You can even have members work the shed, maybe, to help work off fees. Of course, WGI groups have significantly smaller budgets than DCI groups so it would be a little bit more manageable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 I can understand OC corps as a whole having to be evaluated before going WC, but individual kids? I don't think that would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirit7698 Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Also let's not forget that open class ( div II III/A A60 BITD ) always gets the shaft money wise from DCI. I think many people who have not been a part of one of these organizations has no clue about this issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDBaritone Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 As a marcher (and returning member) of an open class corps making it basically a requirement to use us as a feeder corps would be offensive. People who join usually make it painfully obvious they plan on leaving ASAP, this would compound the problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrillmanSop06 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 YOUR corps? Interesting way to word it. Yes. He takes pride in his organization and does not subscribe to the notion of using it as a stepping-stone to another corps. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tone Quality Matters Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Bad idea. You should march a particular corps because you want to be there. I have spoken to many kids that march in open class corps and they all say the same thing for the most part. They march their first year there and they feel as loyal to their corps as the kids marching world class corps. On several occassions, the kids I spoke with were annoyed by the question. In particular, one trumpet player who aged out with the open class corps. Stayed there 8 seasons and had the talent to march lead at a world class corps. It is called loyalty. Let's leave it the way it is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickT Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Yes. He takes pride in his organization and does not subscribe to the notion of using it as a stepping-stone to another corps. That's all well and good. But I've never heard a staff member, let alone the corps director, call the corps "my" corps. No biggie. Just kinda caught my ear the wrong way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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