NewToPosting Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 On 10/14/2023 at 9:10 AM, ContraFart said: How do you stay local without shows where you can perform? Parades. Community events (such as First Fridays, Art Walks, engagement with local symphony if there is one, Crown has done shows at Nascar events in Charlotte, I taught a corps that teamed up with a local rapper and did shows around town). Clinics with local bands. Summer sporting events. Soundsport. Clinics for just anybody who wants to learn. Start a winterguard. Start an indoor drumline. Start a Winds group. Local theater group engagements. Most corps have food trucks and there's a WHOLE foodie scene in pretty much any medium-sized town nowadays, utilizing *gasp* food trucks!!!! Nobody goes to a circus and says, "Gee, I really hope the circus can make it down the road". It's in the town and then it's gone, just like modern drum corps. Yes, the local engagements cost money, but they also bring in revenue...and eyeballs...and engage with potential future members (that, unfortunately, most likely WON'T become the activity's "elite" performers). The top of our activity is incredibly esoteric. There's a LOT more "popular" things, in the sense of being "in the population", that a regional schedule could look like. A drum corps can do a lot more than just be competitive for competition sake. I wish the activity would move in that direction to maintain the competitive aspect. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabMaster Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 22 minutes ago, Land_Surfer said: Moving their base of operations far away from their core region of supporters, with whom they have the most history and support from, was a terrible idea!!! You can’t expect folks, unfamiliar with any new-to-the-area organization, especially an arts & entertainment NPO, to automatically start donating. What have the Cadets done for Erie? Drum corps are actually more of a burden than a benefit, if you think about it. Always asking for money. I know the modern drum corps community can’t stand “tradition and nostalgia” but, they have likely been the most significant keys to maintaining drum corps since their beginning and likely always will. Therefore, I am not surprised to hear about their hiatus. They have let down their supporters and are paying for it. I think you got it wrong. Cadets didn’t let down supporters as much as supporters let them down. And the CEO let them down by not being open and honest with the BoD about finances. There are corps who have expanded their base of op’s that still have supporters who enjoy the corps and support it well. Maybe Cadet alums could help more, but it seems there are conditions with their support. Like going to Erie is a problem (because Allentown needed to be in the rear view). Could they have returned to Garfield? Would the alums empty their wallets then? I get, to an extent, the restraint, but imo, if you truly care about the org, you let some things be and provide support. Holding back has the corps in the position they are in. What seems to be a most significant element of the decision to suspend is a lack of incoming revenue. In any way. Lots of contributing factors, but no plan to generate revenue is crippling. Hopefully they can be back at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 28 minutes ago, Land_Surfer said: Moving their base of operations far away from their core region of supporters, with whom they have the most history and support from, was a terrible idea!!! You can’t expect folks, unfamiliar with any new-to-the-area organization, especially an arts & entertainment NPO, to automatically start donating. What have the Cadets done for Erie? Drum corps are actually more of a burden than a benefit, if you think about it. Always asking for money. I know the modern drum corps community can’t stand “tradition and nostalgia” but, they have likely been the most significant keys to maintaining drum corps since their beginning and likely always will. Therefore, I am not surprised to hear about their hiatus. They have let down their supporters and are paying for it. What facilities did Allentown or Garfield have to offer for the corps and at what cost? Get the Erie corps group newsletter and sounded like Erie area had a lot to offer. IIRC it all started because the corps did their camp at Erie one year and was a good experience all around. And Erie has had a corps presence for decades with all different types of corps. And with members coming from all parts of the country. What percentage of Cadets alumni live near Allentown or Garfield. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keystone3ply Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 24 minutes ago, denverjohn said: You are actually not too far off. Lots of "woke" messaging ever since "narration/preaching" overlaid music books. 👀 Oh my lord, it was a joke*. I just can't... *See laughing emoji. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Schehr Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 16 minutes ago, NewToPosting said: Parades. Community events (such as First Fridays, Art Walks, engagement with local symphony if there is one, Crown has done shows at Nascar events in Charlotte, I taught a corps that teamed up with a local rapper and did shows around town). Clinics with local bands. Summer sporting events. Soundsport. Clinics for just anybody who wants to learn. Start a winterguard. Start an indoor drumline. Start a Winds group. Local theater group engagements. Most corps have food trucks and there's a WHOLE foodie scene in pretty much any medium-sized town nowadays, utilizing *gasp* food trucks!!!! Nobody goes to a circus and says, "Gee, I really hope the circus can make it down the road". It's in the town and then it's gone, just like modern drum corps. Yes, the local engagements cost money, but they also bring in revenue...and eyeballs...and engage with potential future members (that, unfortunately, most likely WON'T become the activity's "elite" performers). The top of our activity is incredibly esoteric. There's a LOT more "popular" things, in the sense of being "in the population", that a regional schedule could look like. A drum corps can do a lot more than just be competitive for competition sake. I wish the activity would move in that direction to maintain the competitive aspect. Someone is using the old Raiders trailer as a food truck in Englewood close to where I live. They have a food truck Monday in the community I live in. When I went to a OSU game, there were food trucks lined all around the tailgate. This is a great idea to utilize the food trailer in the off season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ContraFart Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 19 minutes ago, JimF-LowBari said: My point is you bring nothing to the table but downing others comments. Beginning to appreciate my one boss who said “if you come to me with a complaint also bring something you might think will help”. And wasn’t asking you to “solve” anything, just wanted to know if you had anything positive to contribute Well if you read my other comments, I suggested prioritizing staff that can do longer stretches on tour to save on air fare and payroll. But I am also not complaining. I am saying that corps are smart enough to know what is going to break them and the suggestions I am hearing, while mostly with good intentions are half measures that really do not solve the problem and only devolves the activity. But if you actually engage with my premise, you would know that my point is that no corps is going to fold because of props and an extra truck. The problems Cadets and SCV face are much larger. If the one truck was the difference, they wouldn't have brought it on tour. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HockeyDad Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 2 hours ago, dbc03 said: The issues are complex and a bunch of armchair drum corps directors that are convinced everything will be fine if we just do what worked 40 years when they marched aren't going to solve the problem. Dinos!!!!!!!!!! Yes it’s just too complex and nuanced. I could never understand. Here’s the thing - neither you, nor anyone else, knows if changes would solve the problem. Would you rather sit frozen in indecision because it’s complex? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewToPosting Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 2 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said: Someone is using the old Raiders trailer as a food truck in Englewood close to where I live. They have a food truck Monday in the community I live in. When I went to a OSU game, there were food trucks lined all around the tailgate. This is a great idea to utilize the food trailer in the off season. The strategy should be in identifying which aspects of drum corps have commercial appeal. If you have a group of people who can run a mobile kitchen, those things can make a lot of money (of course, legalities, food preparation standards, money-handling, a go-to-market plan all need to get worked through). It might somewhat go against the "not-for-profit" classification, but can a supporting body utilize corps assets to generate money? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HockeyDad Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 2 hours ago, ContraFart said: If an idea is dismissed out of hand it's because it's not feasible or not the actual reason behind a corps folding. In a 1.7 million dollar budget, is 50k the difference between touring and not touring? Regional models won't work 1. Because we don't have the corps and 2. We don't have the shows. There are too many corps on geographic islands so even a regional model will not cut the costs you think they will. If you think those are ideas are just being dismissed out of hand, you are wrong. They are being dismissed because they are half measures that will not change the root cause of the situation. You don’t know that. You assert that. Not sure why I bother trying to engage, all you do is say no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ContraFart Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 1 minute ago, HockeyDad said: Dinos!!!!!!!!!! Yes it’s just too complex and nuanced. I could never understand. Here’s the thing - neither you, nor anyone else, knows if changes would solve the problem. Would you rather sit frozen in indecision because it’s complex? Do you think every WC drum corps is frozen in indecision? There are organizations that struggle in this system and others that thrive. The system is challenging, but it is not broken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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