Glassmen have an opportunity to reinvent the way things are done

[garfield]

well, the US has a $1.2 trillion deficit even though it brought in the same amount of revenue that was enough for a surplus 12 years ago (adjusted for inflation).

so the analogy is not so good.

Well, it seems your statistics prove my point. But we should probably move on so the mods don't come calling.

[En929]

We demand the best teachers for our students in schools, and we now insist on the best available instructors for the members of our corps. We celebrate and pump our fists when a corps picks up a top-notch instructor or designer/arranger...we have threads about that all the time.

These top people never come free, and neither do those who aspire to reach the same level of success

I'm not comfortable today mentioning to a prospective instructor, "You've worked hard developing your craft. You've been professionally trained and you want to share your knowledge of many years with others. We want you aboard our staff and we'll work you into the ground. And don't worry about placing in a higher tax bracket, because we think you should work for free. But to honor your experience and training, we'll feed you and give you a floor to sleep on and we'll schlep you around the country at our expense. Heck, you'll think you're on a paid vacation, except for the paid part!"

Actually Michael, there are some people who would take that offer lol. One gets to eat, sleep, travel, watch drum corps and participate in music and all of the other great stuff that goes along with it for free??? That's a great deal!!! I can see some people jumping on that bandwagon especially if they don't have anything else going on at the time lol.

[Geoff]

Well, it seems your statistics prove my point. But we should probably move on so the mods don't come calling.

^ this.

[En929]

IT CAN BE DONE. You just won't be top 12, or even World Class, and you will most likely be two million dollars and 40 points behind the G7. But it can be done.

In the early 90's I was part of an all volunteer staff at a DIV 2 drum corps. If you wanted to drive a bus, the corps would pay for your license. If you instructed, the corps you got to play drum corps and travel during the summer (weekends only with a short tour at the end of the season). If you wanted to help on support staff you might get a tour discount for a child in the corps.

We had several veteran instructors and superior writers/designers volunteering their time and talents. Most of the staff where young kids that had marched and wanted to teach, many older instructors had YEARS of experience but now had families and just wanted to give back to the activity. The parents were just great, and some gave YEARS (and still do) to the corps....free of charge. The corps director loved drum corps so much he pumped thousands of dollars out of his own pocket. For the love of the game.

The corps has grown, and has out grown this model. But it was fun and it worked.

That’s exactly what I was thinking. I don’t get why corps don’t follow this model and-or got away from it so much. I’d like to add, there’s all kinds of talent going in and out of the Glassmen and DCI itself by the thousands. So thus, why not tap into some of that talent and-or expand on it. I have a problem believing that the ones who get the biggest salary to teach drum corps are the only talented people out there that can make the corps do what they do. There are a lot of talented people out here!!!! And some people would love working with the Glassmen just to keep that corps a float and because they love the Glassmen and drum corps itself and yes, volunteer. That would be a huge honor for some people and not just for their enjoyment of drum corps, heck that could be a good spot on their resume and bragging rights too! Just think how that would sound: “I taught for the Glassmen’s Drum and Bugle Corps!!!”

[En929]

And ALL of this goes to show that this IS NOT JUST A GLASSMEN problem. When you need 1 to 2 million dollars to fund a drum corps to go on tour and exist for ONE year then Houston we have a problem. The national tour model, the expense of housing and rehearsal sites, the high paid staff and instructors req'd now are slowly killing drum corps period. And don't tell me about how corps has changed over the years and we can no longer be local based and such etc. I know the modern reality but would challenge the assumption that it has to keep going down that path. With localization you go back to getting a better chance of local support of businesses that would have a dog in the race (they would know the corps and the kids), volunteers that don't have to take a summer off, staff that would not have to FLY in every month (OR kids),and so on and so on. With ALL the corps staying local or regional until the World Championships the cost would drop dramatically. There WAS a reason there were thousands of corps back in the day. And for the most part the instuctional staff & mgmt did not make a "living" off of corps.

And don't come at me saying well then you'll be left in the dust by the G7...Seems like Cavies,Sac,Boston and all of the top 12 BITD had at least 25 to 30 corps at any given time knocking on the door. And for the most part the top people were either local in IN the region. I know I'm an old dino...but this old dino has been marching corps since 68 up to and including this year. I've seen a tremendous amount of change and not all for the best. We all know the good stuff that has happened because of DCI, but seem to want and ignore the bad...and that 800lb gorilla in the room is going to kill corps. Nuff said.

Well said!

Edited January 8, 2013 by En929

[En929]

For those of us who marched years ago, we weren't in drum corps because of our "world class" status (didn't exist back in the day). We were in drum corps because we got a chance to make friends, perform, and have fun. Sure there were elite corps (maybe some of you marched in them). In my corps, we looked up to the elites - not because we thought we'd ever be as good as them, but to enjoy them for the performance stature they attained. The top corps didn't have any more fun than we had - just scored a heck of a lot higher. I'm also sure that our expenses weren't as high either. We were a local group of kids who traveled much less. The difference today is many corps are regional/national/global. The touring model doesn't work for all corps. We need to find a way to encourage the development of small, open class corps, regional travel, and recruit more effectively at the local level.

Well said. A lot great points made here too.

Edited January 8, 2013 by En929

[En929]

So if full summer tours are a factor in why it's so expensive to run a corps, then fine--let's go back to the regional touring model. (And while we're at it, let's stop calling it "tuition" and call it what it used to be correctly called, membership and tour fees.)

I, for one, am sick of seeing corps after corps falter and die because they cannot keep up with the so-called "elite" Big Six/Seven Corps.

How about these other cost-saving ideas, for starters?

Kill the electronics, kill the unnecessarily huge pits (why in the h*ll are there still 6 and 7 full size marimbas being used when amplification was supposed to "solve" the project problems?), kill all the superfluous junk that requires 2 or 3 semis trucks. Kill replacing entire hornlines every other year (having members provide their own trumpets and mellophones and purchasing only baris and contras would provide a substantial savings). Kill hiring endless caption heads and "techs" whose jobs could be done by age-out volunteers. Buy a set of uniforms and make them last for more than a season. Flags--see the uniform suggestion.

Get back to basics. Kids, horns, drums, flags and rifles.

Feel free to flame as you see fit.

This here answers my question as to why corps need millions and millions to keep themselves running. At first, I didn't understand.

Edited January 8, 2013 by En929

[MikeD]

That’s exactly what I was thinking. I don’t get why corps don’t follow this model and-or got away from it so much. I’d like to add, there’s all kinds of talent going in and out of the Glassmen and DCI itself by the thousands. So thus, why not tap into some of that talent and-or expand on it. I have a problem believing that the ones who get the biggest salary to teach drum corps are the only talented people out there that can make the corps do what they do. There are a lot of talented people out here!!!! And some people would love working with the Glassmen just to keep that corps a float and because they love the Glassmen and drum corps itself and yes, volunteer. That would be a huge honor for some people and not just for their enjoyment of drum corps, heck that could be a good spot on their resume and bragging rights too! Just think how that would sound: “I taught for the Glassmen’s Drum and Bugle Corps!!!”

I think you'll find that hands-on tech staff are working pretty cheap. Very few make anything close to 'Big Bucks'.

[Michael Boo]

Actually Michael, there are some people who would take that offer lol. One gets to eat, sleep, travel, watch drum corps and participate in music and all of the other great stuff that goes along with it for free??? That's a great deal!!! I can see some people jumping on that bandwagon especially if they don't have anything else going on at the time lol.

That's why I mentioned the "top people." Personally, I wouldn't want someone to instruct for free who was just a super-fan . Why? Because they'll quickly become disillusioned when they discover how much hard work it is...and teaching a drum corps is tremendously difficult and challenging...especially doing the same thing day after day after day for some 11 minutes of show. I especially wouldn't want someone who had nothing else to do at the time, because once they're disillusioned and find something else to do, they're gone.

This is why members and staff should be genuflecting to those volunteers who work the food truck, sew up uniforms, etc. They are the true heroes of drum corps.

[ibexpercussion]

Many years ago a business partner said to me, "I like to hire people who work for things other than money."

What she meant is that no matter how much a person is paid, sooner or later it won't be enough. Ask yourself that question, am I being paid enough? Unless you are a CEO of some fortune 500 company I'll bet that the answer is "no".

As demostrated by the 990's thread, typical drum corps operators must raise $500,000 to $2,000,000 anually. This is a tremedous burden on any organization and it doesn't go away. It is year after year after year. Is it time to move to an all volunteer activity? Is it possible to have an all volunteer administration, an all volunteer staff...bus drivers, truck drivers, seamstresses, cooks, fund raisers, etc.? Clearly some of these positions are and have been all volunteer and some used to be. Does a competent business manager have to be paid? Can one find talented and dedicated instructional people who do not require salaries? Do administrators need 401K and health care packages along with a salary? Do bus and truck drivers need to be paid. At one time, none of these postions was paid, they all volunteered. People worked for other thngs than money. They did it for the love of the activity and for the benefit of the youth.

I encourage the Glassmen to restart the organization as an all-volunteer corps, no pay to anyone. There will be dedicated, hard working and caring people show up and they will show up because the activity and not the paycheck is most important.

I'd do it! But I have my summers off already, so...