GUARDLING Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 (edited) Love that disclaimer and may steal that line to use myself. It's interesting that I had this discussion with the _kid just last night when talking about his choices for tryouts next fall. He's at a great advantage than most in that he's been watching drum corps since he sat on my lap at finals at 9 months old. He knows styles, histories, reps, and staffs. He's been very deliberate in his process of choosing where to audition and, we think, he's made a very rational choice based on his experience and talent. I wonder how many kids have the same level of information about all the corps and use such a sound and honest analysis, and how many make their choice based on infatuation or "fan love". Many of those choices are not well-founded. As a result, a seeming mismatch could easily require a second or third call-back. I've also found that talent alone is not a good determinant. The _kid's hands were definitely ready to go last fall, but his ability to live the life on the road was not. Having a metric for talent would be easy but you can only guess if a kid is ready to live on the road. this is very true and another reason to really get to know a kid the best you could with personal connection when possible. There is nothing worse then putting time into a kid only to lose them during May camps because they didn't realize what they got themselves into or that they weren't ready to leave to comfort of Mom and Dad. Sometimes it's pretty easy to see if a kid is ready to be on their own After you do this a while body language tells alot. Edited January 8, 2015 by GUARDLING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandandl Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 this is very true and another reason to really get to know a kid the best you could with personal connection when possible. There is nothing worse then putting time into a kid only to lose them during May camps because they didn't realize what they got themselves into or that they weren't ready to leave to comfort of Mom and Dad. Really, Guardling? I would count such discernment as part of the process of maturity which is the goal of this or any youth activity and education. Wisdom comes from experience; Being human means that experience will include some mistakes, maybe a lot of mistakes. Here's an example where the instructor's goals at the auditions are sometimes far different from admin, members, and/or parents. It is also an example of where some unit's goals are far different from others...and competitive success is not the only goal when the admin. goes out seeking donors for the corps, believe me. Check the mission statements. Unfortunately in some units, the instructors have never read them. This dichotomy is one reason that certain units seem to have greater turnover than do others, again competitive success not being the only metric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 (edited) Really, Guardling? I would count such discernment as part of the process of maturity which is the goal of this or any youth activity and education. Wisdom comes from experience; Being human means that experience will include some mistakes, maybe a lot of mistakes. Here's an example where the instructor's goals at the auditions are sometimes far different from admin, members, and/or parents. It is also an example of where some unit's goals are far different from others...and competitive success is not the only goal when the admin. goes out seeking donors for the corps, believe me. Check the mission statements. Unfortunately in some units, the instructors have never read them. This dichotomy is one reason that certain units seem to have greater turnover than do others, again competitive success not being the only metric. I dont think you are getting what I said. It is better to know if a kid is ready for ALL that is involved. NOT EVERY KID who thinks they are cut it. Maturity is something one is ready for or not YES it can be learned in time but time is not a luxury we all have. There is also the money factor ( forget the corps ) BUT the money the kid or parent already put out only to see the kid blow up and run. It is very hard to watch a kid fold under the pressure or just not ready to be away from home. This has nothing to do with talent Goals at an audition can also be very different from place to place and someone holding an audition or part of the process MUST know that and work toward what a particular corps is looking for and what benefits a potential member in the entire process. I think we maybe have said almost the same thing. Edited January 8, 2015 by GUARDLING 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleran Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Guardling: You've referred a few times to the issue of hitting May, and finding that some of the kids aren't ready for the grind, and they bail on you. But in your experience, is that something you are able to discern at November to January camps? And I'm asking in seriousness based upon your history being involved with the audition process. If it is NOT discernible, of course, then it really doesn't apply to the discussion of how to reform the audition season, because in either scenario it doesn't hit the fan until May (when the temporal, emotional and financial commitments really kick in). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 (edited) Guardling: You've referred a few times to the issue of hitting May, and finding that some of the kids aren't ready for the grind, and they bail on you. But in your experience, is that something you are able to discern at November to January camps? And I'm asking in seriousness based upon your history being involved with the audition process. If it is NOT discernible, of course, then it really doesn't apply to the discussion of how to reform the audition season, because in either scenario it doesn't hit the fan until May (when the temporal, emotional and financial commitments really kick in). Sometimes YES it is easy to see if a potential member can take the pressure or is ready BUT often they do slip by because a weekend is far different from 2 or 3 weeks at every days. My point is mass or overhauling an audition IMO just thins out the process and makes the experience even less personal which in the long run makes it even harder to determine who is standing in front of you as well as are they getting a true insight as to the corps they want to be a part of. Edited January 8, 2015 by GUARDLING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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