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What states should have a drum corps?


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It's gotta be tough to start a corps these days. You have to:

1. Must be a music teacher so you can get summers off for touring. This involves possibly giving up your non-touring HS program.

2. Must be in an area that will generate enough interest of music ed majors willing to pay several grand (sorry Maine, North Dakota...Alaska)

3. Must secure start-up costs in an industry that isn't exactly thriving

4. Build your organization from the ground up - instructional staff, support staff, unis, instruments, etc

Your payoff? At least 3 years at the bottom of Open Class struggling to survive financially and competitively.

Who is going to give up their HS program for that when they could, if they wanted to, get a decent paying position on an established D1 corps?

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It's gotta be tough to start a corps these days. You have to:

1. Must be a music teacher so you can get summers off for touring. This involves possibly giving up your non-touring HS program.

2. Must be in an area that will generate enough interest of music ed majors willing to pay several grand (sorry Maine, North Dakota...Alaska)

3. Must secure start-up costs in an industry that isn't exactly thriving

4. Build your organization from the ground up - instructional staff, support staff, unis, instruments, etc

Your payoff? At least 3 years at the bottom of Open Class struggling to survive financially and competitively.

Who is going to give up their HS program for that when they could, if they wanted to, get a decent paying position on an established D1 corps?

Music teachers shouldn't be starting drum corps.

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Music teachers shouldn't be starting drum corps.

It's gotta be tough to start a corps these days. You have to:

1. Must be a music teacher so you can get summers off for touring. This involves possibly giving up your non-touring HS program.

2. Must be in an area that will generate enough interest of music ed majors willing to pay several grand (sorry Maine, North Dakota...Alaska)

3. Must secure start-up costs in an industry that isn't exactly thriving

4. Build your organization from the ground up - instructional staff, support staff, unis, instruments, etc

Your payoff? At least 3 years at the bottom of Open Class struggling to survive financially and competitively.

Who is going to give up their HS program for that when they could, if they wanted to, get a decent paying position on an established D1 corps?

...and Wyoming isn't any more populous than Maine, North Dakota, or Alaska yet there's a WC corps there with a rich history.

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New York!

the last and only corps to make finals from NYS was the Auburn Purple Lancers in 1974.

Donny

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...and Wyoming isn't any more populous than Maine, North Dakota, or Alaska yet there's a WC corps there with a rich history.

... that rehearses in Colorado and Indiana and auditions in Washington and Texas.

Actually, they should consider moving camps to SLC. So much easier to get to, and not much is actually in Casper as it is.

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... that rehearses in Colorado and Indiana and auditions in Washington and Texas.

Actually, they should consider moving camps to SLC. So much easier to get to, and not much is actually in Casper as it is.

True, they could move the camps there for sure.

Of course, Boston rehearses in other states during the winter.

So did Kiwanis Kavaliers

So does Phantom

So do other corps...

It really doesn't matter too much where a corps says it's from anymore. Most of the membership is from somewhere else.

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....maybe Alabama...

I believe there is another group starting in the Mobile area but unlike the last one, this organization is making sure it is self funding and operational before they do things like: hire a staff, design a show, etc... Best of luck to them, I hope the actions of one person during the previous attempt did not make the activity look bad in the area.

That said:

I think any attempt at a Drum Corps inside this state (Mobile area is different as I feel the Gulf area is more a regional thing) would be a flop with the educators. I work with some and spoke to many and the local High School directors in general will not support it.

Edited by CloudHype
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The Latter Day Saints?

The Latter Day Scouts! :thumbup:

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Well, I only saw a few people mention Alabama.

Of course, we've had Spirit...but they've moved on. There have been numerous times I said to myself "why can't there be a corps closer?" I remember back in 2008, Capital Sound from Madison came down to Enterprise, AL to do these weekend camps. I went to one and really enjoyed it. Long story short, they never did anything and eventually folded.

As of right now, we (Alabama) have: Spirit (Atlanta), Forte (Atlanta), Teal Sound (Florida), Music City (Nashville), and if you want to include Carolina Crown as being close...that's your call. I feel like the people from Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana sometimes feel the way I do, in that it's tough to explain to anyone about Drum Corps, when we live in an area that hasn't seen much of it. Yeah, those states have shows every year of course, but that's different than having your own corps.

I probably left out some Open Class when I was listing, but you get the point.

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