En929 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Hi Ch1k3n, Let me answer you with some insider info. :) I make my living by working with DCI. I don't hang out with kids. I used to instruct at the high school and college level, and I even judged WGI at the circuit level for a while. Once I started drawing a paycheck, you have to have the understanding that your work affects the kids indirectly. Others have mentioned that the seasonal nature of the job means you can't get a full-time gig instructing. Mostly, that's true. Even the best instructors make a good portion of their salaries in academic environments. There are three approaches, as there is in all entertainment. There's Administration, which is removed. There's instruction, which is a high-demand, low-pay gig that must be supplemented. Or there's volunteering, which is often the most rewarding, but doesn't pay. My best advice is to do what you're really good at, and apply that where you can at the drum corps level. Don't try to be something you don't like just to be involved in a different way; it's a quick way to financial ruin. Be yourself, be involved, and make yourself valuable. It'll "pay off", in some way. I was involved as a performer, admin, and volunteer for 16 years before someone paid me, and like I said, it is for what I know from outside the activity that is why I'm paid, not for being a "drum corps dude". Good luck, and let me strongly suggest the DCI intern program so you can get an inside view first. Great post. Everything said here is some of the greatest advice and very well said, and you beat me to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
En929 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 (edited) Hello! So I have been thinking about what I want to do for my career when I grow up, and since I love Drum Corps, it would only be natural for me to want to have a full time job working with corps. I would love to do some sort of instruction, I really would like visual and maybe help out with music, but I don't really know if this would be a realistic job opportunity, as I'm sure most of the instructors are volunteers. I would love to work on a personal level with a corps, and was just wondering what type of schooling I would need so that I could have to chance to. Thanks! This might sound like a crazy idea, but I'm serious because I've seen it done. But if a person wants to have a career with drum corps, another thing that I could suggest is street performer (or performer somewhere). And YES, I've seen some kids with some drum corps styled drumming and they made buckets of money doing that and had crowds. People love drum corps more than some realize. So that's another suggestion. In that way, one wouldn't have to worry about tours and what have you. Anyway, that's another idea. Edited October 1, 2012 by En929 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 (edited) This might sound like a crazy idea, but I'm serious because I've seen it done. But if a person wants to have a career with drum corps, another thing that I could suggest is street performer (or performer somewhere). And YES, I've seen some kids with some drum corps styled drumming and they made buckets of money doing that and had crowds. People love drum corps more than some realize. So that's another suggestion. In that way, one wouldn't have to worry about tours and what have you. Anyway, that's another idea. Wow; those are really great "Career" choices? Starving Artist jobs, pan handling for cash, asking the tax payers to facilitate your living, that I can see with combining drum corps with street performing; but as a Career? Really? A Career? As in this is how I make my mortgage payments, car payments, insurance payments, utilities payments, put food on the table, save for retirement, this is my Career? What great, wonderful, fabulous advice to give someone!!!!!! Edited October 1, 2012 by Stu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 This might sound like a crazy idea, but I'm serious because I've seen it done. But if a person wants to have a career with drum corps, another thing that I could suggest is street performer (or performer somewhere). And YES, I've seen some kids with some drum corps styled drumming and they made buckets of money doing that and had crowds. People love drum corps more than some realize. So that's another suggestion. In that way, one wouldn't have to worry about tours and what have you. Anyway, that's another idea. Yes it sounds crazy. But I think it depends on where you are. In NYC there are so many street performers they have to register with some office somewhere, and the good ones can indeed make some money and more importantly practice their art in front of an audience. As Stu suggests, I wouldn't expect to make a career out of it, but your point I think is that it can be an exciting step in a musicians life, especially as an amateur. Especially if you live someplace where you can't practice a loud instrument. Whether you actually make money (or even put out a basket) is besides the point. But: Safety is by far the biggest issue. Your area may have some kind of in-between activity, a place where 'street performers' get actual time slots and there are enough people around to be safe. This also happens in NYC. Of course there may also be open mics in your area, but you generally pay a few dollars for those and AFAIK don't get donations (?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Wow; those are really great "Career" choices? Starving Artist jobs, pan handling for cash, asking the tax payers to facilitate your living, that I can see with combining drum corps with street performing; but as a Career? Really? A Career? As in this is how I make my mortgage payments, car payments, insurance payments, utilities payments, put food on the table, save for retirement, this is my Career? What great, wonderful, fabulous advice to give someone!!!!!! I generally agree with your concerns, but how is this asking the tax payers to facilitate his/her living? 1. Many drum corps do get government money in some form, and are constantly trying to get more. So there's nothing unusual in drum corps about being supported by tax payers. 2. What the poster describes wouldn't be tax money, but donation-for-service. A common enough non-profit model employed by museums, etc. 3. I would say though that street performers are generally lumped in with homeless people as far as social status (as I think you did here) so the OP would have to deal with that. I am nit-picking, because you did support the idea, just not as a career, which I agree with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 (edited) ... but how is this asking the tax payers to facilitate his/her living? Techs, Instructors, and Caption Heads in Drum Corps make very little money at that craft; and most, if not all, Street Musicians make very little money at their craft(at least what they report to the IRS); and even if you combine those two facets as a "Career", I say again as a "Career' you will still not make enough money to pay for mortgage, utilities, food, car, gas, insurance, retirement, children's college fund... even from the money that is not reported to the IRS; in fact you would make so little money that you would more than likely qualify for Earned Income Credit (which is paid by the tax payers who actually do have "Careers"). Therefore the tax payers would certainly be facilitating a person's "Career" choice as a Drum Corps Tech / Street Musician. Edited October 2, 2012 by Stu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 This might sound like a crazy idea, but I'm serious because I've seen it done. But if a person wants to have a career with drum corps, another thing that I could suggest is street performer (or performer somewhere). And YES, I've seen some kids with some drum corps styled drumming and they made buckets of money doing that and had crowds. People love drum corps more than some realize. So that's another suggestion. In that way, one wouldn't have to worry about tours and what have you. Anyway, that's another idea. A french horn friend of mine from college could not land permanent gig playing, so he and 3 friends formed a quartet and played outside of Lincoln Center (this was in the late 70's) while he tried to land a real gig. He slowly worked his way into real jobs, and is doing quite well today. It can work as a short term kind of thing, but it is hardly a dependable thing, and my guess is it is much more difficult to make it work today than 35 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 A french horn friend of mine from college could not land permanent gig playing, so he and 3 friends formed a quartet and played outside of Lincoln Center (this was in the late 70's) while he tried to land a real gig. He slowly worked his way into real jobs, and is doing quite well today. It can work as a short term kind of thing, but it is hardly a dependable thing, and my guess is it is much more difficult to make it work today than 35 years ago. Street Musicians in many major cities today even have to obtain a business license and conform to various city codes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
En929 Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Techs, Instructors, and Caption Heads in Drum Corps make very little money at that craft; and most, if not all, Street Musicians make very little money at their craft(at least what they report to the IRS); and even if you combine those two facets as a "Career", I say again as a "Career' you will still not make enough money to pay for mortgage, utilities, food, car, gas, insurance, retirement, children's college fund... even from the money that is not reported to the IRS; in fact you would make so little money that you would more than likely qualify for Earned Income Credit (which is paid by the tax payers who actually do have "Careers"). Therefore the tax payers would certainly be facilitating a person's "Career" choice as a Drum Corps Tech / Street Musician. That doesn’t matter!! I was naming some ways for if someone wants to make a career with drum corps more or less and have one without having to spend a crap load of money. Sure, one is not going to make lots of money with a career in drum corps (maybe or maybe not) but those are a few ideas and they can be mixed (but I have to disagree with you on street performers: if you’re good, then that money will come. It just has to be done right)! Among other things that one can do is also teach some of the drum corps instruments. For example, be a brass instructor, drum instructor or guard instructor for a school with a marching band or like venues (it’s close enough to drum corps) as well as performer (whether it’s street or what have you). There are a lot of things that I can see that haven’t been done with the drum corps venue. People think just because they aged out of drum corps, their drum corps ambitions have to stop there. Heck, drummers can get together with some friends who play drums drum corps style and go out on the streets (but, follow the laws) or somewhere, get some cadences together and play them, and watch it draw crowds, and so forth. Heck, make original music with drum corps instruments (afterall they’re brass instruments right)? One has to think, be innovative, be creative, be original, think outside the box, don’t always follow the norm and do a mixture of things. The hell with talking about taxes and all of that. Just go out and do what you got to do!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 (edited) That doesn’t matter!! It certainly matters!! It matters to all of the hard working tax payers when 'their' taxes are facilitating someone who would rather play around like a kid in a musical playground instead of securing gainful employment; people who get Earned Income Credit do not pay taxes, the tax payers pay them! I was naming some ways for if someone wants to make a Career with drum corps more or less and have one without having to spend a crap load of money. Sure, one is not going to make lots of money with a Career in drum corps (maybe or maybe not) but those are a few ideas and they can be mixed (but I have to disagree with you on street performers: if you’re good, then that money will come. It just has to be done right)! A Career does not Drum Corps or Street Performing make!!!! As a Drum Corps Tech / Street Performer a person can scratch out an existence, maybe make enough cash to stay just above starving, and that is fine with me if a person wants to do that (as long as that person is not taking my tax money with Earned Income Credit). But that life you describe is far, far, far away from having a Career. A Career will allow you to facilitate your own financial independence based on your own increasing wealth through the work in which you engage. One might be able to make a Career performing at a venue like Disney, or if they are lucky enough be able to make a Career performing in say David Letterman's Band; but that is a far cry from hacking it out Street Performing. Moreover, only recently has it been possible for the top, the very top, the very top few corps to support full-time Executive Directors; and even then the Careers of Designers and Caption Heads are still something akin to University Professorships, which take a Masters Degree. Edited October 3, 2012 by Stu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.