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Which drum corps cuts vets most often during tryouts?


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There is a lot of talk about corps loyalty and branding success. One year, a certain corps may win accolades and congratulations on its season. Sales of merchandise rise and status is gained. Heads and egos inflate.

It's audition season...and vets are cut.

The very people who worked the hardest ... The ones who paid to be there... The ones who tolerated lack of sleep, attacks of corps flu, sunburns, rashes, howling techs, and still performed beyond expectations...

Why would you EVER expect loyalty when you don't give it?

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I do believe corps should be loyal to members, vets should have priority at auditions, etc. I hear about auditions where vets are cut from top corps, but I also hear that the same corps have a fair number of members who march three, four, sometimes even five years with a given corps and some of these kids were not the best when they auditioned but had potential. While it may be fair to question whether corps should be loyal to vets, the question may also have to be asked "Is this vet what the corps needs?" I'm not just talking talent and dedication here. I almost 40 years of following drum corps, I've talked to tons of kids who have marched. Some, actually the majority, are great, down to earth, fun to talk with, and love the activity. Then there are some that think they are God's gift to drum corps and let you know it. We've all read in other threads about huge egos that interfere with the success of the corps and we probably all know from work, social settings, other activities there are people who are more "special, wonderful, and gifted" than we'll ever be and we know what it's like to work or be with them. Imagine spending an entire summer in close confines with these people.

So to the person who truly gave their blood, sweat, and tears to a corps and ended up getting cut, it should not have happened, and there are corps that are more deserving of your efforts, but if you're the only one holding that opinion, a lack of loyalty may not be the reason for being cut.

Edited by Tim K
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I do believe corps should be loyal to members, vets should have priority at auditions, etc. I hear about auditions where vets are cut from top corps, but I also hear that the same corps have a fair number of members who march three, four, sometimes even five years with a given corps and some of these kids were not the best when they auditioned but had potential. While it may be fair to question whether corps should be loyal to vets, the question may also have to be asked "Is this vet what the corps needs?" I'm not just talking talent and dedication here. I almost 40 years of following drum corps, I've talked to tons of kids who have marched. Some, actually the majority, are great, down to earth, fun to talk with, and love the activity. Then there are some that think they are God's gift to drum corps and let you know it. We've all read in other threads about huge egos that interfere with the success of the corps and we probably all know from work, social settings, other activities there are people who are more "special, wonderful, and gifted" than we'll ever be and we know what it's like to work or be with them. Imagine spending an entire summer in close confines with these people.

So to the person who truly gave their blood, sweat, and tears to a corps and ended up getting cut, it should not have happened, and there are corps that are more deserving of your efforts, but if you're the only one holding that opinion, a lack of loyalty may not be the reason for being cut.

Anyone who plays or tosses knows that, if you take several months off, you get rusty, and obviously auditions are no time to be rusty. While I appreciate the tone, and especially at a corps that has several hundred kids auditioning, if a kid gets rusty while another kid shines well above expectations, I'm not convinced that "earning" a spot just because you're a vet meets the high level of expectations that the activity promotes.

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So how many points do corps that did good in 2014 get in 2015....

DCI doesn't "owe" corps for doing good the year before and corps don't "owe" their members for helping them do good before either.

Clean slate applied evenly... IOW no "you owe me" mentality allowed...

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Sounds like someone was unprepared and got cut. Two threads on DCP to vent? Very professional.

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At the sharp end of the spear in any musical discipline, if you show up at the first audition unready to bring your best, it's lights out. Why would DCI be that much different?

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It's not a "lifetime achievement" award.

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Why would you EVER expect loyalty when you don't give it?

Why would you EVER expect to get into a corps if you're less talented than someone who put in much more work for auditions?

Achievement and effort come hand in hand in any type of performance activity. If a vet decides to not put the effort into maintaining excellence, they will not achieve in their auditions and rightfully get cut.

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