Fan of the Arts Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Teal Sound Board of Directors Curtails 2012 Tour The Board of Directors of the Teal Sound Drum and Bugle Corps has made the difficult decision to end its 2012 tour immediately following tonight’s performance in Centerville, Ohio. Although extremely disappointing for everyone and after considerable discussion and the remarkable generosity of many great people, our board has determined that in order to ensure the safety and best possible experience for our members, it is best to cease our touring operations for the remainder of this season effective immediately. The corps will begin the return trip to Florida on Tuesday, July 10. Over the course of the past week, Teal Sound and its board have worked closely with Drum Corps International and Executive Director Dan Acheson in an attempt to address mounting financial and logistical challenges facing the organization. DCI and its board of directors have worked on our behalf since becoming aware of our difficulties and have been extremely supportive of our efforts. We cannot thank them enough for their consideration and assistance and for their understanding as we announce this difficult decision. We sincerely apologize to the members of Teal Sound for having to end the season early and to fans of drum corps who were expecting the corps to perform at events throughout the country. Although difficult, we are confident that this is the right decision for our organization. We will seize this opportunity to raise additional funds and address areas of opportunity within our operation to ensure a bright future for the Teal Sound and all of its members. This was just posted to their Facebook. Sad news from Teal, but better to get their finances in order now instead of having to fold after the season Best wishes to the Teal Sound members and the organization. A very difficult decision; my heart goes out to the kids. On a brighter note I hope the organization has looked at the world class corps who may have vacancies due to injuries. This could end on a happy note for a few of your members. Irving Fan of the Arts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 No lawyer is going to take a case like this for a fee of ~$700. (Assuming recovery of $2100, which would never, ever happen.) I was thinking more of a group of parents/members/whoever going together on the suit. No idea how this works or the idea is even legal but enough for it to make $en$e (sense) to the lawyer.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Actually, they did do that. This text is from an email I received a few days ago. Not sure why I was even on the list - I guess from a Magic staff position in the '90's? Anyway: "As you may have heard, through no fault of theirs, they had to switch bus companies 2 days into tour. As a result, they have additional expenses that are putting pressure on the corps' operational budget. We are reaching out to the people that we know care about drum corps and the great kids that dedicate themselves to the activity, to ask for help." So, seeing the news today, it wasn't a big surprise. They have really been scraping the past few weeks. Thanks for this; it proves my point although I had not seen it. Apparently an email blast appeal is not "upfront" enough (or maybe some posters here, who so freely display their riteous indignation were not on Teal's list of those that they knew "care about drum corps"). Again, unless one has a vested interest in the corps - donor, volunteer, staff member, creditor, MM, or parent - one has absolutely no right to know anything at all beyond the disclosures required by the IRS to qualify as a non-profit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacrificialclown Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) I have memories of being on tour with a corps in financial hardship. Pushing with everything you have, and looking to finish a season on hand outs is just ... well, it's not a good situation. My heart breaks for the members of this group who worked so hard to get to tour. I respect the decision to break off from tour if it's in the best interest of keeping the corps in tact going forward. Thankfully, the BOD of this group was able to realize they weren't in a position to finish the tour as opposed to pushing on to the detriment of the members. A lot of the vinegar here and on fb/tumblr/etc seems to be revolving around misappropriation or refunsd, but no one's really applauding the small group of people who had to muster up every last ounce of dignity they had and say, "We just can't do it". It's a tragic situation, and the only way there's ever any closure is for Teal to field again in 2013 stronger. Until then, the lot of you are just going to be upset about it. It's the kids who suffer at the end of the day, but not as much as they would have dragging out a tour under financial duress. "One meat. One cheese. It's a sandwich not art" Edited July 10, 2012 by sacrificialclown 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Anyone not aware that Teal (or any other corps) is in need of contributions is not paying attention. Just curious how much you donated to Teal's cause this year? Past years? ANY years? I can see the Facebook post: "We're on our last legs! Please donate now so we can finish our tour!" Yea, that would be real good PR for the corps. Trust me, I've donated plenty...although not anything DIRECTLY to them I suppose. That is exactly my point! Guess I wasn't on their mailing list. I was "paying attention" enough to hear of their bus issues and rumours of folding. Had the corps utilized the same social media to get me a message that was different than "all is well, we will be continuing on shortly, and have advised the parents that the kids are safe and sound", I would have been more apt to throw some money in a jar at Jackson. Had they come on DCP with an actual $$$ goal needed to keep the tour going, and promoted that at shows across the country with a Paypal site, letting everyone know of the progress toward the goal, I bet they would have had a chance to raise whatever was needed. Certainly a better chance than the approach that was taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Lamon Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I toured with a corps that had to cancel one of its appearances, at the end of their first tour leg, due to finances. They canceled due to the rising cost of gas and some unplanned expencese. They were fined for missing the show. The corps did so to not put themselfs in a bad position for the second leg of their tour. I felt it was unfair to fine a corps for making this hard decision, so they could survive the rest of the summer. I wonder if Teal Sound will be fined for not making the rest of their shows? This would be a further blow to a struggling corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortAndFast Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I'm very sorry for the Teal Sound members - I hope that everyone gets home safely and that those who wish are able to find other marching opportunities this summer. DCP had a thread a few days back where we were discussing corps finances and the risks of someone folding on tour. The World Class tour is an incredibly expensive undertaking, vastly more than typical "non-profit youth activities" or "music education activities". All the emotion in this thread highlights the risks of shaky finances: bad press, angry parents, kids stranded, litigation, maybe worse. What if DCI had stepped in months ago and told Teal Sound "your financials don't support a full tour this year, we're going to reduce your tour to x shows"? Painful for both sides, no doubt. But I'd bet that all the affected parties would prefer that to what's actually happening. I think it's long past time for the DCI BoD to take the financial health of all World Class units seriously. I don't know whether that's best accomplished by periodic audits, required financial disclosure each year, or something else. I don't see why it's in anyone's interest to have units on tour without appropriate financial reserves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000Cadet Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Oh wow! I just saw them in Jackson, NJ a few days ago. This is painful and it sucks. I feel bad for the organization, but most of all, for the members. I would not feel great about having to go back home in the middle of tour. I don't know the entire circumstances behind the decision so I won't comment negatively or positively, but good luck to all the members who won't have the opportunity to finish tour with Teal Sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thanks for this; it proves my point although I had not seen it. And you not seeing it proves my point. I don't recall anyone who got this email sharing it with DCP members, either. My regret is that I wish we could have done something for the kids who have to pay the price for whatever happened. If that is coming across as riteous indignation, so be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Yeah? Will we? Did we find out the truth about Revolution last year? Impulse when they collapsed? Oregon Crusaders when they were begging for money to tour? Magic? Southwind? What seems to happen is these things fade away until people forget about them and the outrage has died down. It's the same, tired, DCP story. A handful demand answers and accountability, while another handful insists on baselessly defending every failed corps and says "hey let's just wait and see, we don't know the whole story". I completely agree with most of your post. Color me skeptical whenever I hear people try to defer blame from an administration. As for "finding out the truth," though, I'm not sure what you're implying. I'm pretty confident no one is getting rich off the corpse of a non-profit organization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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