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Open Class Committee Approves Forte in DCI Review


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I am proud to announce that DCI Open Class Director Dave Eddleman informed me yesterday that the Open Class Advisory Committee unanimously approved Forte to participate in the 2012 DCI summer tour. The corps will be added to the schedule in coming days and the official announcement will be made by DCI as well.

DCI Executive Director Dan Acheson visited Forte's rehearsal camp this past Saturday, meeting with members of the Board of Directors and Administrative Staff, viewing the evening ensemble rehearsal (in which members coordinated the forty-five drill sets learned earlier that day with music!) and mingling with staff, parents, volunteers, Board members, etc. He was particularly impressed with the calibre of staff, how they conducted rehearsal and the sheer output of our members.

I would like to especially congratulate Program Coordinator Dallas Burgess, himself a "rookie" in that role, for assembling this staff, who was receiving praise from parents Saturday evening as well. I have asked staff for one thing and one thing only...push the members! I am not asking for score or placement. I simply want members to come back in 20 years saying, "Man, staff pushed us to beyond what we thought we could achieve...and we achieved it!" The numbers, at that point, will work themselves out.

Congratulations to the entire Forte family! Now the hard work begins. But so does the "fun stuff," too!

A couple of answers to questions that have come up recently as well...

Forte Drum & Bugle Corps will, on Saturday, June 23, 2012, become the first drum and bugle corps to perform in "Jerry World"...aka Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, TX. We are proud to be the "halftime" entertainment for the Guns & Hoses Foundation's football game between police and firefighters. G&H will also stage the "Diva Bowl," a "Powder Puff" game between female police and female firefighters. I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I would label any game between female police and female firefighters a "Powder Puff" game! More details as well as tickets will be announced shortly.

Forte's DCI schedule has been slightly truncated as a part of our review process. DCI felt it would be more conducive to assist us reduce the total miles and length of our tour by condensing our performance schedule slightly. Our schedule will now begin with our performance in Denton, TX on Thursday, July 19th. The full schedule will be released by DCI shortly. I'll wait to discuss publicly until this occurs.

Forte continues to forge new partnerships with schools in the D/FW region as we continue to develop our own programs and establish our brand as an elite performance ensemble in one of the greatest markets in the marching band and drum corps activities. Stay tuned for more announcements regarding partnerships with area schools, districts and other entities.

In the meantime, congratulations again to the entire Forte family for successfully passing our DCI Review. Members...PAY YOUR DUES!!...come to camp at Memorial Day in better shape (last Saturday was tough, eh?) and better prepared to continue to raise the bar another notch. Drill Designer and Visual Caption Head Andy Brady said it best after March camp, "This is a different corps every month!" Meaning, you are improving noticeably each time we see you--keep it up!

And beware challenging staff...you get what you ask for! ;-)

Semper Porro

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I thought they competed in DCI shows last year

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Forte competed in 2010 and 2011.

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Shoot, Blooo...why do you say that? :ph34r:

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  • 2 months later...

Maybe the DCI evaluation should be less concerned with the "calibre of the staff" and more with the financials.

Having 45 drill sets on the field means crap if the management is incapable of getting corps out of Texas.

Lets hope there were no kids from Teal Sound or Racine Scouts who wound up in Forte.

I am proud to announce that DCI Open Class Director Dave Eddleman informed me yesterday that the Open Class Advisory Committee unanimously approved Forte to participate in the 2012 DCI summer tour. The corps will be added to the schedule in coming days and the official announcement will be made by DCI as well.

DCI Executive Director Dan Acheson visited Forte's rehearsal camp this past Saturday, meeting with members of the Board of Directors and Administrative Staff, viewing the evening ensemble rehearsal (in which members coordinated the forty-five drill sets learned earlier that day with music!) and mingling with staff, parents, volunteers, Board members, etc. He was particularly impressed with the calibre of staff, how they conducted rehearsal and the sheer output of our members.

I would like to especially congratulate Program Coordinator Dallas Burgess, himself a "rookie" in that role, for assembling this staff, who was receiving praise from parents Saturday evening as well. I have asked staff for one thing and one thing only...push the members! I am not asking for score or placement. I simply want members to come back in 20 years saying, "Man, staff pushed us to beyond what we thought we could achieve...and we achieved it!" The numbers, at that point, will work themselves out.

Congratulations to the entire Forte family! Now the hard work begins. But so does the "fun stuff," too!

A couple of answers to questions that have come up recently as well...

Forte Drum & Bugle Corps will, on Saturday, June 23, 2012, become the first drum and bugle corps to perform in "Jerry World"...aka Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, TX. We are proud to be the "halftime" entertainment for the Guns & Hoses Foundation's football game between police and firefighters. G&H will also stage the "Diva Bowl," a "Powder Puff" game between female police and female firefighters. I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I would label any game between female police and female firefighters a "Powder Puff" game! More details as well as tickets will be announced shortly.

Forte's DCI schedule has been slightly truncated as a part of our review process. DCI felt it would be more conducive to assist us reduce the total miles and length of our tour by condensing our performance schedule slightly. Our schedule will now begin with our performance in Denton, TX on Thursday, July 19th. The full schedule will be released by DCI shortly. I'll wait to discuss publicly until this occurs.

Forte continues to forge new partnerships with schools in the D/FW region as we continue to develop our own programs and establish our brand as an elite performance ensemble in one of the greatest markets in the marching band and drum corps activities. Stay tuned for more announcements regarding partnerships with area schools, districts and other entities.

In the meantime, congratulations again to the entire Forte family for successfully passing our DCI Review. Members...PAY YOUR DUES!!...come to camp at Memorial Day in better shape (last Saturday was tough, eh?) and better prepared to continue to raise the bar another notch. Drill Designer and Visual Caption Head Andy Brady said it best after March camp, "This is a different corps every month!" Meaning, you are improving noticeably each time we see you--keep it up!

And beware challenging staff...you get what you ask for! ;-)

Semper Porro

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Maybe the DCI evaluation should be less concerned with the "calibre of the staff" and more with the financials.

Having 45 drill sets on the field means crap if the management is incapable of getting corps out of Texas.

Lets hope there were no kids from Teal Sound or Racine Scouts who wound up in Forte.

The DCI evaluation DOES include looking at budget and financials. Why are so many people jumping to conclusions about the situation when they dont have first hand knowledge....oh.....wait....i forgot I was on dcp for a second.

The number of things that could have happened between the time of final evaluation and when the corps hit the road is exponentially high. There are also some thiings that the general public just dont "need" to know (not to be confused with "want" to know).

There are a lot of things that both DCI and the corps themselves can do to prevent this type of situation. There are also a lot of things that both sides are doing well. The activity isnt perfect, nor was it in the 90s...or the 70s...or any decade...

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The DCI evaluation DOES include looking at budget and financials. Why are so many people jumping to conclusions about the situation when they dont have first hand knowledge....oh.....wait....i forgot I was on dcp for a second.

The number of things that could have happened between the time of final evaluation and when the corps hit the road is exponentially high. There are also some thiings that the general public just dont "need" to know (not to be confused with "want" to know).

There are a lot of things that both DCI and the corps themselves can do to prevent this type of situation. There are also a lot of things that both sides are doing well. The activity isnt perfect, nor was it in the 90s...or the 70s...or any decade...

The problem is evaluating solvency based on projected or expected revenue instead of actual assets. I am positive that these corps during their evaluation process were able to show that they had x number of performers which would equal y income when collected; and therefore that projected y income was sufficient to get the corps through the summer tour. This is an operational fallacy which has caused the demise of many companies, large and small, non-profit and for-profit. And this is why I contend that all corps should be required to show DCI in May that they have enough actual "money in the bank" to get the corps from home to finals to home safely or they do not go on tour.

Edited by Stu
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The DCI evaluation DOES include looking at budget and financials. Why are so many people jumping to conclusions about the situation when they dont have first hand knowledge....oh.....wait....i forgot I was on dcp for a second.

The number of things that could have happened between the time of final evaluation and when the corps hit the road is exponentially high. There are also some thiings that the general public just dont "need" to know (not to be confused with "want" to know).

There are a lot of things that both DCI and the corps themselves can do to prevent this type of situation. There are also a lot of things that both sides are doing well. The activity isnt perfect, nor was it in the 90s...or the 70s...or any decade...

Actually, the drum corps activity was as close to perfect in the 1970's as it ever was.

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The number of things that could have happened between the time of final evaluation and when the corps hit the road is exponentially high. There are also some thiings that the general public just dont "need" to know (not to be confused with "want" to know).

True; but.... a) if some of the corps members failed to pay their dues by the first day of tour it is the duty of the director to state that those performers will not get on the bus, and if many or most have not paid their dues the corps should not go out on tour at all; b) if money from a grant or a major donor which is required to pay for tour costs is delayed, or an event such as somebody committing fraud emptying out the bank account occurs prior to going out on the road, it is the responsibility of the director to also delay or cancel going out on tour; c) if a tragic event such as a death or monetary theft occurs while the corps is on tour the director has the responsibility and duty to make a general public statement concerning that tragic event as to why the tour is being cut short. Point being if the director knew that there was not enough actual money in the bank after the DCI evaluation but "prior" to going out on tour the corps should have never boarded the buses in the first place.

There are a lot of things that both DCI and the corps themselves can do to prevent this type of situation. There are also a lot of things that both sides are doing well. The activity isnt perfect, nor was it in the 90s...or the 70s...or any decade...

Perfection is not a human trait, and yes mistakes will happen. However, in most cases the demise of a drum corps does not occur from human error but from human stupidity. Going out on the road hoping the majority members will pay their dues during the tour is flat stupid; going out on the road without first securing money in the bank, hoping to collect some funds during the tour to cover the costs for buses, food, fuel, is flat stupid.

Edited by Stu
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Stu - I really like reading your comments. I totally agree with them!

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