Cavaliers Cell Phone Question

[rockinbrass]

Go to most rehearsal sites (of any corps) and wait at the food truck for a meal to occur. WATCH the members during their time off the field. Most of them are buried in their phones, and do not interact with their fellow members... It is sad to see (having been involved before the cell explosion and after), but then again, this is how lots of people operate in public nowadays. What The Cavaliers are doing is unique (by not allowing personal cell phone use) and I absolutely love it. Armchair drum corps fans can proclaim to know what is best for the group, but the Cavaliers experience IS different from the other groups and I do not think it is rooted competitively, but more in the FRATERNAL aspect. They want their members to bond...and yes other groups DO bond, but not with the same consistency of interaction that is desired from those that are in charge of the Cavalier experience (staff, admin, and member leadership.)

[bernie_VKpit]

How is it that the Blue Devils, Garfield Cadets, & Carolina Crown can win DCI championships while allowing their members to use cell phones???

I hardly believe any of the members had cell phones back when the "Garfield Cadets" won their last championship (1987). Unless they had the Gordon Gecko mobile phone in their possession!

[Stu]

As for the members, there are already several posts in this thread from recent members detailing the benefits of the policy and the fact that most of the kids LIKE the policy.

This policy works well for the Cavaliers. It might not work for every kid in drum corps. For those kids, there are other options.

According to the original poster it is his issue 'as a parent' not an issue with his son. Here is a direct quote, "My son has no qualms with the no cell phone thank you very much! It is me, AS A PARENT, that is asking the question."

Some would say that parents with 18+ year old kids need to learn to let go.

Some would say that; but I venture to guess that the original poster disagrees.

[Stu]

Go to most rehearsal sites (of any corps) and wait at the food truck for a meal to occur. WATCH the members during their time off the field. Most of them are buried in their phones, and do not interact with their fellow members... It is sad to see (having been involved before the cell explosion and after), but then again, this is how lots of people operate in public nowadays. What The Cavaliers are doing is unique (by not allowing personal cell phone use) and I absolutely love it. Armchair drum corps fans can proclaim to know what is best for the group, but the Cavaliers experience IS different from the other groups and I do not think it is rooted competitively, but more in the FRATERNAL aspect. They want their members to bond...and yes other groups DO bond, but not with the same consistency of interaction that is desired from those that are in charge of the Cavalier experience (staff, admin, and member leadership.)

:worthy: :worthy: :worthy: :worthy: :worthy:

[shhmatt]

Go to most rehearsal sites (of any corps) and wait at the food truck for a meal to occur. WATCH the members during their time off the field. Most of them are buried in their phones, and do not interact with their fellow members... It is sad to see (having been involved before the cell explosion and after), but then again, this is how lots of people operate in public nowadays. What The Cavaliers are doing is unique (by not allowing personal cell phone use) and I absolutely love it. Armchair drum corps fans can proclaim to know what is best for the group, but the Cavaliers experience IS different from the other groups and I do not think it is rooted competitively, but more in the FRATERNAL aspect. They want their members to bond...and yes other groups DO bond, but not with the same consistency of interaction that is desired from those that are in charge of the Cavalier experience (staff, admin, and member leadership.)

When I visited Spirit during a lunch break, they were more interested in eating with their friends and showing off what had just arrived in the mail, than checking their phones. In fact, members were having such vigorous conversations, that it was hard to understand anyone standing more than a few steps away.

Edited September 18, 2013 by shhmatt

[JimF-LowBari]

So, you would you whine, complain, and throw a hissy at work; and this also implies that if you were a Cavalier member or a Cavalier parent you would you also whine, complain, and throw a hissy.

After 30 plus years of deaing in IT (including dealing with helpless Help Desk people) I've learned there are two ways to raise Hell. One gets you nowhere and the other is the art of questioning (no hissy or whine) the proper people in a way that they see the problem and not the person raising Hell. IMO at work if there is a real problem and it is being ignored it is my duty to make sure it isn't ignored. Doesn't really fit into the Cavliers discussion but making my opinion clear.

Just curious, who are you (or I) to determine what rules 'make sense' and what rules 'do not make sense' at our places of employment or in The Cavaliers, even if we were parents of Cavalier members? To me, I would just go work somewhere else or have my son go march somewhere else if it was that big of an issue because I believe it is up to the owner of the company or the Director and Board of the Corps to make the rules; and whether or not I agree with them or not is rather irrelevant because it is my job to agree to 'comply' not complain; but that is me.

I don't determine what rules make sense. But... I do have the ablility to talk to my supervisors and question why the rules are the way they are. And sometimes I do bring up good points and they are passed back up the chain. Sometimes management doesn't have the same info or viewpoint as the people in the trench.

Again not directed towards the Cavies discussion but in the evolving world of IT, it's easy for rules/policy/way we always did things to be OBE (overcome by events).

Edited September 18, 2013 by JimF-LowBari

[drilltech1]

Helicopter parenting is now considered by many mental health experts as a sickness, sometimes an addiction which like most addictions cannot be reasoned with or conquered until one admits that there is a problem.

And no the Garfield Cadets had no cell phones but could write a great letter and postcard, a skill that has gone the way of 8 minute prelim performances.

[7567BC]

I won't speak directly about the Cavies cell phone policy as I see you can be slapped by not being, nor ever having been a Cavie and so not having any standing in their policy or discussion about their specific policy. My own personal opinion is that MM's should be allowed to have and use cell phones on tour with specific restriction on their use. I am OK with cell phones because of the world we live in today. It is an electronic communicative world and it is our culture, and these days it seems a bit reckless to not allow cell phones as unfortunately many recent tragedies prove. There is a safety element to all this especially when a kid might be 2,000 - 3,000 miles away from home and in some out of the way town. I've been in some pretty scary places where having a cell phone wpuld have been of great help.

It's sad to see so much helicopter parenting these dasy too. and that is one reason to limit phone use but not ban it. I, like many DC parents, am trying to raise my kids to be self-sufficient and independent, not whiney little helpless people who can't do anything for themselves. I don't need a call every day, or several times a day, but I still want them to feel they can call just to say Hi. Just check in every once in a while.

I would want a phone in case of bad stuff that can happen on the road. A bus crash, severe illness, corps runs out of money and can't get my kid home safely etc., etc. It happens as we all know. I should think corps management and staff can create some rules about phone use maybe allowing free use only between final rehearsal and lights out and after performances. There are sensible and logical limitations that can be put together. My biggest concern however, would be video and photos and all the problems that aspect of cell phones can bring. I shudder to think I would experience some awful situation where I wished I had gotten to talk to my kid, one last time.

[Slingerland]

I would want a phone in case of bad stuff that can happen on the road. A bus crash, severe illness, corps runs out of money and can't get my kid home safely etc., etc. It happens as we all know.

Because having 150 kids grabbing their phones to spread 150 versions of whatever just happened to 200-400 people outside the organization is much better than one clear communication going out from the organization itself.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Slingerland

[JimF-LowBari]

Because having 150 kids grabbing their phones to spread 150 versions of whatever just happened to 200-400 people outside the organization is much better than one clear communication going out from the organization itself.

Honest question.... how would/how does a corps handle this if the stuff hits the fan?