The Cavaliers Color Guard Welcomes Three Dynamic Staff Additions

[Jeff Ream]

22 hours ago, greg_orangecounty said:

I’ll frame my argument from another perspective.  Blue Stars published how they spent their funding for 2022.  About 1/3 of their budget was spent on show production which includes staff salary, so I’ll assume that’s roughly the same percentage for all corps.  Take that 1/3 in spending for “show production” in 2022 and cut it by 50% for 2023.  Everything else falls into place accordingly.

Accountants exist for a reason and Drum Corps should listen to them more and the design people less.

Much less. 

not disagreeing there. props aint cheap. i'm sure the cannons weren't either. but staff dont collect a check sitting at home

[Jeff Ream]

14 hours ago, Hook'emCavies said:

I would bet on that too.

I have a gut feeling that there will be cuts in other areas.

What they could do is cut amps and electronics and add at least 20 contras lol!!!!

the contras would cost more

[cixelsyd]

8 hours ago, rjohn76 said:

While the advice of an accountant is important, it's also important to recognize that the marching members expect a much higher level of instruction now days compared to 20 years ago.  That's the reason why the bulk of the staff on tour are professional educators, professional musicians or in some cases aspiring educators/musicians.  Acquiring & retaining the services of those folks cost money, and drum corps honestly is paying out on the cheap to get them.  There's actually been a push on multiple fronts for staff members to be paid MORE... not less. 

If MMs expect more staff, better staff, and higher-paid staff, then MMs should also expect to pay more to get all that.

[Hook'emCavies]

8 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

the contras would cost more

Lol!!! Darn it Jeff! Lol!

Let me turn my brain off for a second and imagine every corps marching with 20 contras. 

[Sutasaurus]

20 minutes ago, Hook'emCavies said:

Lol!!! Darn it Jeff! Lol!

Let me turn my brain off for a second and imagine every corps marching with 20 contras. 

Speaking as a former contra, 20 contras is too much like herding cats.

Edited March 22, 2023 by Sutasaurus

[rjohn76]

2 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

If MMs expect more staff, better staff, and higher-paid staff, then MMs should also expect to pay more to get all that.

I think the bulk of the members are cognizant of the fact that the experience they want costs a significant chunk of change to provide.  Yes, they have a lot of questions about how to raise the necessary funds to participate, but they're usually not completely ignorant or blind to where the money is going.  It definitely helps when corps are more transparent about their costs, similar to what Blue Stars put out regarding their 2022 expenditures.

From my vantage point, the bulk of the hand wringing and consternation about the cost to participate comes from alumni who vividly recall paying substantially less than what it costs today.  I find myself in that same position at times, but then I remember some of the corners that were cut BITD to save money... and I'm glad that members today are getting much more well rounded & safe experience. 

I also have quite a few friends/co-workers with kids in other activities, and I constantly hear about the costs to participate in those sports/clubs/camps.  When the costs they're paying oftentimes dwarf what a member is paying to march DCI, it helps me put into perspective where things actually stand from a cost value standpoint.  

[LabMaster]

10 minutes ago, rjohn76 said:

I think the bulk of the members are cognizant of the fact that the experience they want costs a significant chunk of change to provide.  Yes, they have a lot of questions about how to raise the necessary funds to participate, but they're usually not completely ignorant or blind to where the money is going.  It definitely helps when corps are more transparent about their costs, similar to what Blue Stars put out regarding their 2022 expenditures.

From my vantage point, the bulk of the hand wringing and consternation about the cost to participate comes from alumni who vividly recall paying substantially less than what it costs today.  I find myself in that same position at times, but then I remember some of the corners that were cut BITD to save money... and I'm glad that members today are getting much more well rounded & safe experience. 

I also have quite a few friends/co-workers with kids in other activities, and I constantly hear about the costs to participate in those sports/clubs/camps.  When the costs they're paying oftentimes dwarf what a member is paying to march DCI, it helps me put into perspective where things actually stand from a cost value standpoint.  

You hit on a good point that seems to be overlooked or not considered.  What did you get for your money BITD?  Minimal number of staff which did not enable the ability to achieve maximum performance levels of vastly different programs.  PB&J sandwiches lots of times, or if at all.  No medical team.  No insurance.  MM’s  pushing busses down the road.  Sleeping in busses at truck stops.  Staying in filthy bug laden, hot, smelly gym’s.  We tend to look at costs today but don’t always look at the value.  There are ways to reduce costs.  It takes discipline, living within your means and always always looking for additional revenue streams.  Spend on the needs that you can support, not the wants that get you nothing but broke.

Edited March 22, 2023 by LabMaster

[musicteacher]

LabMaster and John make tons of sense. We tend to focus on what the activity hasn't done right, but the stability of organizations and concern for member and staff experience is so much better than it was back in the day. Everything LabMaster says about the member experience back then is spot-on.

[jjeffeory]

12 hours ago, rjohn76 said:

While the advice of an accountant is important, it's also important to recognize that the marching members expect a much higher level of instruction now days compared to 20 years ago.  That's the reason why the bulk of the staff on tour are professional educators, professional musicians or in some cases aspiring educators/musicians.  Acquiring & retaining the services of those folks cost money, and drum corps honestly is paying out on the cheap to get them.  There's actually been a push on multiple fronts for staff members to be paid MORE... not less. 

Members also expect to have a tech for their section present at all times.  All of those professional staff mentioned above have commitments & obligations that they need to tend to outside of the corps, which is why the staff is stacked several layers deep to allow people to rotate on/off tour as needed.  Gone are the days of only having one or two staff members on tour trying to cover an entire caption.

It's also important to keep member safety in mind.  Having someone on the full tour + spring training can lead to burn out.  When people are burned out, they're more likely to mishandle or completely miss a critical incident where member safety is at risk.

One last thing to keep in mind is that many corps now have full-time administrative staff (ex. CEO, director, etc...).  That's going to chew up a fairly large portion of that staff expenditure percentage.  You can argue whether it's necessary to have those full-time people in place, but reputable sources that the corps are being referred to use for guidance all suggest having that type of structure.

Members perhaps have too high of a level of expectation for most of these private organizations. They're not schools, they're private gigs.

Yes, I know they've been marketed as schools, but they're not.

[rjohn76]

13 minutes ago, jjeffeory said:

Members perhaps have too high of a level of expectation for most of these private organizations. They're not schools, they're private gigs.

Yes, I know they've been marketed as schools, but they're not.

Perhaps, but it's not much different than the kids I know that participate in traveling team/club sports where the coaches were (or still are) successful athletes at either the collegiate or professional level.  They pay the premium price for that level of coaching experience, and nobody thinks twice about it.  In fact, it's the expectation that the coaches are going to have credible experience and certain credentials.