cost of starting corps

[weedyweidenthal]

Ever since I started getting into drum corps, I thought it would be cool to be in charge of a new drum corps. Being realistic we would have to start Div. 3. I'm only 16 so obviously this wouldn't be any time soon that I would start the corps, but how much do you think it would cost to start a Div. 3 DC and work our way up to Div. 1 after a 7 or 8 seasons?

-Weedy

[MelloHorn13]

Ever since I started getting into drum corps, I thought it would be cool to be in charge of a new drum corps. Being realistic we would have to start Div. 3. I'm only 16 so obviously this wouldn't be any time soon that I would start the corps, but how much do you think it would cost to start a Div. 3 DC and work our way up to Div. 1 after a 7 or 8 seasons?

-Weedy

It's hard work. I got some stuff for bands here in my home town....and it's a pain, but I love it.

But if anyone got any info on this let me know. I'm aging out, and I'm highly interested in getting a corps started in the chicagoland area. I got the kids to fill out a decent size div 3 corps for sure, can get equipment, can get small sponsors, just need to know how to get the major things like insurance and fundraising going.

[Galen]

I'd recommend Bill Cook's "So You Want to Start a Drum Corps", available in convenient internet format:

http://www.cookgroup.com/star/drum_corps/starting.html

I can also tell you from personal experience that unless your name is Bill Cook (or you at least have his money), you're not going to be successful trying to put a corps on the field in one year. It takes TIME to establish the foundations of a unit. Even though they're inactive this year, Rick Bays used a VERY good model to start up Capital Regiment (basically he did nothing but host bingo and fund-raise for about 5 years before he put the corps together)- I'd suggest doing the same.

[Michelle]

If you're really serious about it, I think having some sort of business degree might at least help. I've vaguely contemplated this before after attending a colloquium about FSU's Arts Administration degree that is specifically offered by the College of Music.

http://music.fsu.edu/arts-administration.htm

You can enter it with any undergrad music degree, as far as I know. The people that I spoke to have degrees in music performance, education, and therapy. It's just something you can put on the back burner for a while because you and I have many years ahead of us.

[supersop]

There are ways to lower costs of startup ... but I did a cost analysis about 6 months ago. I figured to field a corps of 85 members would take approximately 800K-1mil. Food, staff, design, travel, housing, horns, battery, pit, guard equipment, insurance....... it all adds up.

I figure keeping the corps under 100 members for the first 3 years and doing a shortened tour was the best plan. After initial costs, the annual operating costs would be about 400K-500K. I also planned on 3 yrs of financial infrastructure and fundraising before even thinking of recruiting to field a corps.

There are foundations out there that can help with instrumentation in the beginning, but you would be required to give it back in 3 yrs or buy it. I would also say that you shouldn't rest on a budget of 500K per year ... you'll need to keep raising an extra 200k+ per year. This will help you to buy more equipment, bus maintenance, facilities (real property) etc.

Btw, that 1 million dollar startup cost included a rolling kitchen and equipment trailer ... souvies trailer/truck and merchandise. I would advise buying used to start when it comes to horns and drums ... and keep saving for a new set in 3-5 years.

Good luck! :)

[2CoolVK]

If you want to run a corps, go on tour as a tour manager, volunteer, something that exposes you to bus breakdowns, food mishaps, scheduling, housing sites, hospital runs, laundry days, etc. There are many corps that would welcome that help and you'd benefit greatly from the experience.

[shostahoosier]

I recommend doing a search of this forum also.

This topic has been started numerous times before and there were some excellent, insightful responses.

If I were to start a corps...I would probably start a senior corps...

[silvertrombone]

March. In multiple different corps. Better exposure to the activity and how things are done. There are well-managed corps, there are others. Do both. I have mixed emotions in saying that b/c one of my favorite sayings is, "you'll never learn to soar with eagles by hanging out with turkeys." Seeing how things are done poorly can be just as good of an introduction into how to do things right as learning from the best.

Bachelors in music, for this pursuit anyways, is a complete waste of time. Unfortunately, learning about music will do next to nothing for teaching you how to run a business--and a not-for profit one at that! I would recommend talking to George Hopkins and getting his input on the Arts Administration thing. I think this is a fluff degree like many at universities today are. I would very strongly recommend a bachelors in accounting and an MBA in Finance. But I pretty much tell that to everybody. Funny thing about hindsight.

Accounting teaches you what the money is doing/has done. It is historical and present in nature. Finance is forward-looking--what will the money be doing in the future. Both are essential to business, although it will take you a while to get to where somebody will hire you in the finance realm. They want people who KNOW accounting.

Get a bachelors in business. The better the name on the degree the better. Prestige garners attention. If you ask for people to help you start a non-profit and you have a bachelors from Harvard or Stanford, it helps. MBA is the same. And to get a Harvard or Stanford MBA, you really need a Harvard or Stanford-type bachelors. And I can't stress grades and academic achievement enough!

Work for a drum corps if you can. Chicago has a number of fine universities. So does Boston. It may be more realistic to get a job with Boston Crusaders than the Cavaliers. The thing about championships is that they attract a large bandwagon. Another route to go would be Stanford or Berkeley and the Bay area corps. Like someone else said, go on tour, deal with broken down buses, deal with facilities you can't get into because the school district didn't announce that they would be doing maintenance to the gym and locker rooms, etc. I think I'm accurate, since I'm quoting people who would know, that running a drum corps is about 90% non-fun stuff--which means, payroll, dealing with staff, ordering the inventory for the food truck, dealing with broken-down equipment (not instruments--trucks, ovens, etc), fundraising, etc. All that junk that work and a business background may teach you where a music degree teaches you how to teach 6th graders how to play drums, etc.

Oh, and if it just sounds like a sexy idea or a, "gee, I'd really like to do that!" don't do it. Hopkins and Cook will probably tell you don't do it--straight out. I hate to put words in peoples' mouths, but I think that's pretty accurate. Those are the guys to talk to about starting a group. Even better would be to go in with a group already in existence and work with them. Corps fold every single year. Go work with them and hopefully keep one from doing so. If you're that rare Hopkins type who goes in with, say, The Cadets, and pours his life into that group, that's special. That's admirable. And that's what this activity needs more of.

And the nice thing about that bachelors and MBA in business??? Even if the DC thing doesn't work out, you will be very gainfully employable--even if the name on the paper is NIU or UNT and not Harvard. Follow your dream! But be prepared if you wake up one day.

[shostahoosier]

Actually a degree in non-profit management teaches you a lot of the same skills that a degree in business administration would. I have a friend that minored in this at Indiana University and she is working on a start-up that has been doing quite well in Indianapolis...she got her undergrad at IU which is a top 20 school of business.

They're not fluff degrees by any means...you learn about managing resources, accounting and bookkeeping, finance, etc.

I think getting such a degree is limiting though...as many people might assume that you can only run a non-profit.

In the sense that a "regular" degree in accounting, finance or business administration opens more doors, silvertrombone is very much correct. You can use these degrees anywhere (accounting graduates are highly sought after in almost every field) and make good money too.

DCI could use more non-music majors to help behind the scenes...since that is where so much of the work for putting a corps on the road happens.

I think a liberal arts degree coupled with some management experience and people skills can be just as useful. Jeff Fiedler has a degree in Journalism...(from Northwestern) and look at the job he has done in Rosemont!

I doubt that corps are picky as to where you get your bachelors from though....but what I have been discovering is that where you get your degree from can make it easier to get your foot in the door. If you live in the midwest...ANY big ten school will do.

Running a corps IS running a business...and non-profit business can be a very difficult one to keep afloat so whatever you do....learn your stuff...both inside and outside of the classroom.

[VKMello84]

There are ways to lower costs of startup ... but I did a cost analysis about 6 months ago. I figured to field a corps of 85 members would take approximately 800K-1mil. Food, staff, design, travel, housing, horns, battery, pit, guard equipment, insurance....... it all adds up.

Have you thought about what a hardship it is going to be for some of these eastern corps to have to travel to the west coast this year with the fuel costs being so high? I was just thinking about this today. DCI gave them a large lead time to try to get their funding in order, but most could not have budgeted for the fuel cost they will end up with.