Santa Clara Vanguard 2023 Announcement Thread

[scheherazadesghost]

.

Edited June 13, 2023 by scheherazadesghost

[C.Holland]

18 minutes ago, MarimbaManiac said:

...and that is where you are wrong. It is 100% an education and service organization, as it has been since its inception. The mission statement states "Our mission is to inspire communities and enrich lives by increasing opportunities for participation, education, and excellence in the performing arts."

It's about providing students with educational and performance opportunities focused in the bay area. The problem is that they were getting their butts kicked throughout the 2000s, and tried everything to throw money at the problem instead of dealing with their own internal disfunction, which pulled them further and further from their main missions. 

Unless you've sat in that hall and participated in "tradition moments" with the staff, and really BREATHED in the soul and history of that organization, you really have no idea what you're talking about. 

 

 

They can have both occurring at the same time. There is plenty of outdoor space and the weather is always mild, even in the winter. 

Just because it on the website, doesnt mean they read it or follow it.

if World Class as an industry was about education, you wouldnt see corps posting "We need YOU lead trumpet player or featured dancer"  they would be training them to do these things, not searching for them instead.  Open class is service oriented.  taking what they get, training them to perform AND training them in the show.  because they dont have a choice.  they need the bodies, and the tuition money.   

There's no shortage of top 6 corps who've paid for their featured performer to participate in a season.  Waiving fees simply because "we need that performer".  The less time they spend training performers, the more time they can spend on the show.  

the sheets would also be weighted for performance, not design.  Hence you won't see an Achievement Score of 20 on a Content score of 14. Doesnt happen.  Its not the activity right now. 

Edited December 13, 2022 by C.Holland

[MarimbaManiac]

2 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

I was just looking for proof that they're still focused on the Bay area recently and couldn't find any. I wonder when they dropped it.

😭 Ouch. Do you know how badly I wanted to be around to help? How many of us there were that wanted to help? Locals and alum from other parts of the country?

For better or worse, 04 was the last crew to beat BD until 2018. One of two corps in this millennium so far. I'll never forget Myron's face.

Tell me where you think it started, amigo.

Sorry, not trying to come down on the alumni for that period. 

Frankly, getting rid of JW was the start of the downfall. The corps never really gained their footing after 2004 and really struggled with finding their identity. Poor show design and mismanagement, where half the organization was trying to pull the corps in a new direction meant they were never able to have a focused vision of what the corps WAS. The people who carried the torch for Gail and his vision were drummed out in the name of progress.  

The Rennicks accelerated this, basically severing the tie with the Cadet Corps, and trying to move their recruitment base out of the bay area. I had hoped they had found their stride in the last 5 years or so, but I think the damage has been done, and without a solid local base to draw from, they just don't have the support necessary. 

On the other side of the coin, Blue Devils are ALL ABOUT building local support. Their staff are in the local HS programs teaching their technique and training students. They have training programs for students as young as 5yo, they build their relationships with the local programs and generate excitement and loyalty within the community. It's why they have been so successful.

[perc2100]

13 hours ago, C.Holland said:

1. Go dig up that tax stats and look at losses over the last 3 years. 
 

2. admin, show costs, are maybe 10% of the operating budget. The rest is housing/facilities, travel, food. In that order. 

gaming operations costs money to run. When you’re not allowed to run it, there are still costs piling up. 

DCI being in Indiana for the last decade+ does not benefit CA corps who have to travel across the country for big regionals & finals, then all the way back, _EVERY_ year.  Same with WGI.

There's a WGI model for units that take a year off to fundraise, then go back and compete for a year or two or three, then take a year off to fundraise, etc.  When I was following WGI a lot more than I do now, I remember even Pride of Cincinnati, located about an hour's drive from UD Arena where WGI Finals is, have taken a year off here and there to remain financially solvent.  Perhaps that'll be the 'new' trend in DCI, especially for corps who have to travel significant amounts across the country every year. 

[scheherazadesghost]

.

Edited June 13, 2023 by scheherazadesghost

[MarimbaManiac]

4 minutes ago, C.Holland said:

if World Class as an industry was about education, you wouldnt see corps posting "We need YOU lead trumpet player or featured dancer"  they would be training them to do these things, not searching for them instead.  Open class is service oriented.  taking what they get, training them to perform AND training them in the show.   

There's no shortage of top 6 corps who've paid for their featured performer to participate in a season.  Waiving fees simply because "we need that performer".  The less time they spend training performers, the more time they can spend on the show.  

the sheets would also be weighted for performance, not design.  Hence you won't see an Achievement Score of 20 on a Content score of 14. Doesnt happen.  Its not the activity right now. 

Your opinion on the state of the activity doesn't negate the actual stated goals of these organizations, nor what they were built upon. Just like anywhere else, the organization teaches how to do things THEIR way. The difference between Blue Devils and SCV is that BD is teaching students throughout the bay area how to do it THEIR way at a young age, while SCV has outsourced the bulk of their training programs to UNT. 

 

They betrayed their mission statement, and their community, and they are reaping what they've sown. 

[perc2100]

12 hours ago, C.Holland said:

A school cost nothing to use in 1971.  That cost is not even close to nothing in 2022 

And hard to come by in 2022.  SCV, in fact, was having problems finding housing for the San Diego show three days out last summer

[C.Holland]

1 minute ago, scheherazadesghost said:

Thank you for emphasizing this.

Words cannot adequately express what I have given to SCV. But I did so because despite the worst of what I went through, I still feel so relentlessly indebted to several very specific alum (and the corps that united us) who took the time to teach me the most poignant lessons this activity has to offer.

To name a few: "S" (who genuinely nothing-burgered this news earlier this morning, they have much bigger fish to fry,) Erin, Johanna, Chief, Brandon, Omar, Leo, Micah, Fred, Marcus, Jay, Myron, Jim, Murray (note the lack of female alum on staff). They all helped make me the educator and human I am today. There are others.

So if I get snippy at folks who are outside of the alum/staff/donor/insider circle, I hope they understand a little better why.

here's the thing. most of us here are alumni. we've had those moments.  i'm still a dues paying alumni to my own team. 

however, i dont for a second believe they're built for teaching as a service and instead are trying to find the student they need to teach the least.  so they can spend more time on the show.  They've even put up the "we need you amazing trombone players, synthers, dancers...etc" post.  It they were gears towards service, they'd teach one of the audtionees to do this. 

Its not a service industry in world class.  its a sold tour experience to high level band students.  

[C.Holland]

2 minutes ago, MarimbaManiac said:

Your opinion on the state of the activity doesn't negate the actual stated goals of these organizations, nor what they were built upon. Just like anywhere else, the organization teaches how to do things THEIR way. The difference between Blue Devils and SCV is that BD is teaching students throughout the bay area how to do it THEIR way at a young age, while SCV has outsourced the bulk of their training programs to UNT. 

 

They betrayed their mission statement, and their community, and they are reaping what they've sown. 

BDC is service.  BDB slightly less.  BDA... less so.    

[jjeffeory]

This is terrible news.  

It could, however, benefit Pacific Crest, Troopers, Blue Knights, Cavaliers, Gold, and especially Mandarins.

Of course those corps could be under similar constraints, who knows?