A follow up message from CA&E's Board Chairperson

[dbc03]

40 minutes ago, LabMaster said:

Then you don’t understand my point if you think I’m agreeing.

My original point is that nobody is doing drum corps to become a professional marcher. DCI is not filling the nonexistent niche of creating professional marchers.

You said "DC was just a fun thing to do and helped them with their future endeavors"

This is my point! It's a fun thing to do, not a professional development program. Yes, for band directors or musicians or dancers it's somewhat related and they can learn things that they apply to their profession, but that is not the point of the activity. If DCI goes away people will still be successful musicians, band directors, and dancers, it is not a requirement for any profession.

If DCI goes away people will find other fun things to do instead and that probably won't be some new summer marching band circuit, which is what the post I was originally responding to was proposing. There is no fundamental void that DCI is filling that will be filled by some other similar activity if DCI goes away.

[IllianaLancerContra]

48 minutes ago, LabMaster said:

My point was that you have a better chance, through dc or band, of being a “pro” musician or dancer, than making it to the “Pro Athlete” level through athletic programs  in towns or schools. The number of people making it as a pro athlete are less than one half of one percent, if even that much.  

 

35 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

And respectfully, my point, as someone who pursued the professional dance career route, is that finding a successful career in dance is just as bleak for most. Precious few make it to a professional dance company, and those that do find that such roles don't include benefits that even remotely cover damage done to the body. The vast majority of us have side gigs. And the vast majority of us don't last in the field. It's not a viable career direction for most, especially if you don't come from money or pedigree. Drum corps, if anything, would hold most back because the dance training in drum corps is far less developed than college programs; it's a big reason for so many injuries actually. I had to unlearn so many bad drum corps dance habits and Isee it every season when I watch shows.

Thus, my experience might disprove your theory that becoming a pro dancer is more straightforward than either athlete or musician via drum corps or otherwise. It's simply not, and arguably more difficult because the underlying dancer industry infrastructure is so flimsy. And in turn, it's not often the best route for young people to rely on. Again, all based in the lived experiences of myself and others in my career cohort.

Professional athletes as well as pro musicians & dancers are all part of the entertainment industry, and it is not easy to succeed in the entertainment industry, especially on the performing side.  

[scheherazadesghost]

17 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

Professional athletes as well as pro musicians & dancers are all part of the entertainment industry, and it is not easy to succeed in the entertainment industry, especially on the performing side.  

Drum corps competes against other activities like internships, apprenticeships, the military, early careers, and college for the time, commitment, and money of young people though. I'm concerned that the value it brings to young people, especially those in colorguard, 1. doesn't translate to sustainable careers in the industry bc legacy instructors aren't giving up their roles,  or 2. also doesn't translate into career skills that employers want. This means sacrificing career potential for a niche. Some (most?) simply can't afford to do that. And if most can't, that means the industry is pulling from a shrinking pool of candidates.

Even in my time, I remember at least two other featured soloists, very strong performers, who didn't return to the activity after our year together so they could prioritize one of these other career-building paths. Yes, they got their value from drum corps for a time, but they were the beginning of a trend that I'm not sure helps with the sustainability of the industry. It like some strange mill that eats up new young people every year but potentially saps them of a summer that might've actually contributed to a future career more directly. This is why clarifying this type of value is so important. Especially if corps isn't the kind of activity that pulls young people out of a hard knock life anymore.

[Brian Tuma]

41 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

Only professional marchers I am aware of is USMC D & BC.  They are paid to march Drum Corps, and that makes them professional.

If you asked them their profession they would respond, Marine. 👍🏽

[scheherazadesghost]

4 minutes ago, Brian Tuma said:

If you asked them their profession they would respond, Marine. 👍🏽

We shared warm up space with them once. I felt like a silly tinker toy by comparison to duders tossing and catching bayonets. 🤷🏽‍♀️ They still give me chills to this day.

[Jeff Ream]

6 hours ago, ykw said:

I'm guessing that "short list" has been tapped every year since 2018.   And it's now "tapped out."

in more than a few ways

[IllianaLancerContra]

32 minutes ago, Brian Tuma said:

If you asked them their profession they would respond, Marine. 👍🏽

Semper fi 

[IllianaLancerContra]

27 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

We shared warm up space with them once. I felt like a silly tinker toy by comparison to duders tossing and catching bayonets. 🤷🏽‍♀️ They still give me chills to this day.

I had a student who had been part of silent drill team.  He looked like he had stepped out of a recruiting poster. 

[KVG_DC]

We had a pack of incredibly young looking Midshipmen from Naval Academy on our campus for a tour today.  They were all up in uniforms looking somewhere between a recruiting poster and goggle eyed kids looking around at all the Deaf people. 

I was suitably amused.  

[HockeyDad]

1 hour ago, scheherazadesghost said:

Drum corps competes against other activities like internships, apprenticeships, the military, early careers, and college for the time, commitment, and money of young people though. I'm concerned that the value it brings to young people, especially those in colorguard, 1. doesn't translate to sustainable careers in the industry bc legacy instructors aren't giving up their roles,  or 2. also doesn't translate into career skills that employers want. This means sacrificing career potential for a niche. Some (most?) simply can't afford to do that. And if most can't, that means the industry is pulling from a shrinking pool of candidates.

Even in my time, I remember at least two other featured soloists, very strong performers, who didn't return to the activity after our year together so they could prioritize one of these other career-building paths. Yes, they got their value from drum corps for a time, but they were the beginning of a trend that I'm not sure helps with the sustainability of the industry. It like some strange mill that eats up new young people every year but potentially saps them of a summer that might've actually contributed to a future career more directly. This is why clarifying this type of value is so important. Especially if corps isn't the kind of activity that pulls young people out of a hard knock life anymore.

Well, don’t sell yourself short. Maybe drum corps taught us things such as:  How to be on time, how to keep going when you want to quit, how to help a teammate, how to deal with people who are jerks, how to lead, how Not to lead, etc.  I think these are all skills that help in all professions.