Is it REALLY worth it?

[Carolina09Spirit]

well, the only way to participate in drum corps is to make the cut. If you don't make the corps, then you are not participating in the activity, so you can't really say if it was worth it, since you didn't do it.

and yes, corps are using new means of advertising their openings. Remember the internet as a whole is still fairly new. 12 years ago there was no DCP to post your openings. Facebook only started in 2004 and didn't open to everyone for a few more years. Twitter is even newer.

Well, this statement is obviously true. But, the way people keep pressing about the financial situation almost covers up the fact that you even have to make the cut anymore. It's almost like since money is becoming such a huge factor, corps are having to take who can afford it, rather than who is the best at their respective instrument.

[GUARDLING]

Well, this statement is obviously true. But, the way people keep pressing about the financial situation almost covers up the fact that you even have to make the cut anymore. It's almost like since money is becoming such a huge factor, corps are having to take who can afford it, rather than who is the best at their respective instrument.

as someone who took part in judging a WC audition this year and many before this year MONEY IS A BIG FACTOR..AS IS TALENT....to many dead beats in the activity who feel they are entitled to do this simply because they want to. Ive seen many winter programs go under and some corps in the last decade go into financial ruin for many reasons and member dues is a huge part.

[RockyGranite]

Here's an anecdote:

My son started playing clarinet in elementary school. He found that he had a love for classical music and he found that he was quite good as a clarinetist. He started marching, as a freshman, in his high school marching band and found that he loved that. Then, his Director took the kids to see a DCI show at a theater. At the end of his sophomore year he surprised everyone by deciding to switch to horn/mello. He told me his primary reason for switching was to march with the Blue Knights. His senior year of high school he became mello section leader and given the task of teaching two other members to play the mello. That's when he found out that he really liked teaching. Last fall, while in his freshman year in college...working for a music ed degree...he decided he might be good enough, after three years, to get an invite to the Blue Knights. He was good enough and he's touring with them right now.

So...what will my son have gained from his DCI experience this summer? I didn't read all the posts in this thread so I'm sure all of his benefits have been mentioned. But here are the most important, in my opinion:

Decisiveness. Setting a goal. Working for that goal. Attaining that goal. Knowing he "can do it if he tries" is, in my mind, the greatest benefit.

First-hand exposure to and immersion into the major league of marching. Some day he will be expected to provide a school with a marching band. This summer will teach him what marching is all about in ways he never learned in four years of high school. He will have "walked the walk".

Is it worth the money his mother and I had to scrape together to pay for this experience? Hell, yes.

[Carolina09Spirit]

Agreed with previous post.

[Hup234]

Of course it isn't worth it, and those who continue to soldier on each year espousing their novus ordo goal of Broadway-on-the-field still don't get it.

There just aren't that many affluent budding musical/dance geniuses out there ready to discover what's still called "drum and bugle corps" and deciding to spend their teen years in it.

Your leaders are blind to that reality, but far worse, blind to the disenfranchisement and exclusion of all the millions of youth who could and did benefit from drum corps before the wannabe-Bob Fosse-types usurped the activity thirty years ago and redesigned it to appeal to the most-moneyed and best-educated teens who need yet another activity like Imelda Marcos needed another pair of shoes.

While they're digging around seeking far-flung instant talent who they don't have to spend time training, they overlook the nearby neighborhood diamonds-in-the-rough, the original foundations of drum corps' Golden Age, poor untrained kids like Mel Torme, Fred Waring and Les Elgart and so many more who became superstars because of drum corps, or the original intent of drum corps anyway.

So if you're panning for gold but ignoring all the little tiny nuggets hoping for that really big score you think/heard might be out there, the call is yours whether your system is worth it to you or not.

[kaseyW]

I'm sure there will be some negative responses to this thread, and that's fine. I am just wondering if "the drum corps experience" is worth what it costs these days, and if it outweighs giving up other opportunities. Opportunity cost is key here; the cost of doing something (in this case marching corps) also includes the cost of not doing other things.

Now, say you have two kids who are in college, in, let's say, Kansas City. One decides to march with Spirit of Atlanta, the other stays at his apartment near school for the summer.

The drum corps kid pays:

$2400 for corps fees

$75 for the audition

$450 for camp fees (6 camps x $75)

$10 for an audition packet

Now, let's say for the sake of argument, since he doesn't have a car and has classes until Friday afternoon, driving isn't an option, so he is able to get flights for an average of $200 (which is pretty optimistic). $200 x 6 = $1200, so his total cost of being in the corps is:

~$4135 for a summer in Spirit of Atlanta (all these numbers are from their web page).

The non-corps kid decides to take lessons from the principal of the local symphony. These aren't cheap, so he is paying top dollar: $80/hr, once a week. Let's say 12 weeks of summer, so we end up with $960 of one-on-one instruction from a top musician, and since it is summer, he can afford to practice four hours a day. He decides to get in shape for the summer, so he pays $50 a month to join a fitness club, $150 total. He spends about $20 a day on food, so that comes to about $1800 total. He also has to pay rent, about $450 a month or $1350 total (the corps kid is subletting his place, so he breaks even). In total, that comes out to: ~$4260, around the same as the drum corps kid. He could get a part-time job and make back some of that money, or he could spend that time doing other things, like independent reading up on subjects related to his major.

At the end of the summer, the corps kid has toured the country, though mainly high school football fields, made some great friends, performed a lot, gotten in shape, etc. The non-corps kid has vastly improved in his own personal musicianship and repertoire, is planning on doing an independent research project with a professor in his department based on his readings, and dropped about 10 pounds going to the gym.

Now, I know there are intangible aspects of the corps experience--I marched World Class for 3 years--but is corps really the best way to spend one's time and money? The answer, of course, is highly subjective, and it depends who you are...but I think it is important to challenge the automatic assumption many have that corps is better than anything else you could do.

I don't know about you, but most college kids can't afford that nice of a summer alone, paying for everything themselves. Most people who march drum corps start saving for drum corps right after the season ended all the way to when the season begins and then some.

[Roark1]

"Is it really worth it?"

For some yes, for some no.

[Carolina09Spirit]

I don't know about you, but most college kids can't afford that nice of a summer alone, paying for everything themselves. Most people who march drum corps start saving for drum corps right after the season ended all the way to when the season begins and then some.

Which is exactly what I'm doing now.

[actucker]

From my perspective, there are a lot of things you learn by experience in drum corps that you can't learn simply at home practicing. I make my entire living either teaching or playing music. One of the biggest challenges I had to deal with as I matured as a musician was the mental game. Being able to produce the same level of performance every time you go out on stage is not something you can learn from a private teacher. Its a mind set that you have to learn, and the best way to learn is by experience. Drum corps manages to pack a bunch of performances into a small period of time, with high pressure rehearsal settings, and a high level of expectations that the average student won't be able to demand of themselves as consistently.

Essentially, I learned what it takes to make it in the music world. Its a rough existence. As artists we tend to be insecure, and emotionally attached to our work. That attachment can make it very difficult to separate business from personal in many ways. In my years on tour, I learned that it was possible to receive criticism and get better without allowing that insecurity to affect your confidence. I learned how to deal with people who get intense about the music without allowing it to become a confrontation, and how to hold myself accountable to the rest of the ensemble. I also learned how important it is to respect the process. It might not be perfect today, but it needs to be better than it was the last time. Consistent progress is a huge part of my teaching, as well as my playing. I don't ever want to play a chart the same way twice. I don't ever want my students to take a step back. That consistent drive to be a life long learner has been a huge part of my philosophy, and without it, I'm confident I would not be as successful as I am today.

Is drum corps always the most economically sound choice to make? No, but when you find something you love to do, you make sacrifices, which leads me to another important thing I learned. I paid for drum corps out of my own pocket. I paid for all of my flights, and tour fees by working part time jobs, taking any gig I could get, and saving money every way I could. This drive to find a way to make it happen stayed with me through college, and as a result, I came out of college with minimal debt, and an ability to find a way when I needed to. Being incredibly busy as a music major, I learned to schedule out everything very carefully, making sure that I had time to practice things for my ensembles and lessons, as well as time to practice for corps. For most of college, I literally had every hour of my days planned out in order to make sure everything was properly prioritized. Believe it or not, I even had time scheduled out to stare at the wall for my own sanity's sake.

All of these are lessons that would make a huge impact in any career or life path, not just a musical one. Not every one of these lessons is taught by the staff, or learned on the field. The entire experience is important. Obviously everyone will value these lessons and experiences differently, but if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't hesitate for a second. Even at today's prices, I would say I got the better end of the deal.

[pbeau]

"Is it really worth it?"

For some yes, for some no.

Marching world class DCI is an exclusive youth activity afforded to a select group of performers who by talent, location, life circumstances, looks, and endurance are fortunate enough to be selected to partake in what, for most, will be a tremendously rewarding experience.

But the truth is many will be fulfilled, successful, and have great experiences spending their youth doing things other than drum corps.