Talent Pool--members who got cut.

[OldBones]

What's wrong with the picture is the fact that people aren't doing what they need to do in order to march drum corps. Then you have to look at the fact that a good number of kids don't want to march "drum corps", they want to march Cadets or Devils or any other top corps. So telling them about other corps will be wasted energy, they'll simply wait until next year and try out for the same corps.

Also, and this one nearly pisses me off every time I hear it: I had a student I was instructing tell me how much he loved drum corps and went to as many shows as he could and even followed it on the internet forums. And in the same breath told me he didn't know there was such a thing as D2/3 corps.

Now either he is an outright liar, or he is the perfect example of why Georgia ranks near the bottom in most standardized testing. But my point is this: Most auditioners (and drum corps fans) know there are three divisions in drum corps. They simply choose to ignore them when they make their choices as to where they want to march. That's not drum corps' fault and no website or large amount of coaxing is going to change that fact. You know how I know? Easy. With all the females marching drum corps today, why do the Bandettes STILL have problems finding 30 of them to field a corps?

People go where they want to go. If they do go march elsewhere after getting cut, then that was already in their minds to do so.

I believe no truer words have been spoken.

Add to this, at least where I am from in North Jersey, the student gets to pick which corps to go to from the following list: The Cadets, Crossmen, Surf, Raiders, Reading, Cabs, Bushwackers, Vision Elite, Spirit of New Jersey, Sky (before they went inactive), Core Fusion, and Network. And pretty much in that order. Thats 12 corps within 100 miles. Add the fact that quite a few bands in New Jersey and Pa do full summer band programs, and the numbers get quite small in a hurry, especially if you are one of the last 5 corps on the list. In order to attract the talent, you have to have won a championship, have an extremely solid staff, be very creative and offer something really special.

We have actually approached other corps about cut lists. Not the best idea we ever had. All the corps will share a wealth of info. We help each other out in other ways where and when we can. But not by giving a cut list. Lets face it, directors of a corps do not know the inner workings of other corps. They are taking a chance if they were to recommend kids to another corps. I have heard quite a few horror stories over the years from what people thought were excellent corps to go to, and recommending someone where a situation might not be the best is very risky.

[MARK74]

I believe no truer words have been spoken.

Add to this, at least where I am from in North Jersey, the student gets to pick which corps to go to from the following list: The Cadets, Crossmen, Surf, Raiders, Reading, Cabs, Bushwackers, Vision Elite, Spirit of New Jersey, Sky (before they went inactive), Core Fusion, and Network. And pretty much in that order. Thats 12 corps within 100 miles. Add the fact that quite a few bands in New Jersey and Pa do full summer band programs, and the numbers get quite small in a hurry, especially if you are one of the last 5 corps on the list. In order to attract the talent, you have to have won a championship, have an extremely solid staff, be very creative and offer something really special.

We have actually approached other corps about cut lists. Not the best idea we ever had. All the corps will share a wealth of info. We help each other out in other ways where and when we can. But not by giving a cut list. Lets face it, directors of a corps do not know the inner workings of other corps. They are taking a chance if they were to recommend kids to another corps. I have heard quite a few horror stories over the years from what people thought were excellent corps to go to, and recommending someone where a situation might not be the best is very risky.

We as an activity MUST DO SOMETHING ! I don't have the answers to all the problems either. HERE I know the cost of being a member in a "smaller" corps has gone through the roof. We have fewer kids,fewer parents to help carry the workload, higher incidence of "volunteer burn out" , AND whether you have 60 kids or 90 kids your transportation costs don't change that much. You still need 2 busses . If your corps is larger like 108 - 135 you still need 3 busses .Fewer people are there to divide the costs . We need to build our finances so that more kids can play for less money. This cannot turn into a "rich guys sport" . BIG CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP is not the answer either. sooner or later the sponsor goes away the MORE you depended on them the tougher it is to replace them. Ask Suncoast Sound, or Magic.

Bingo isn't possible in many areas,long a form of major fundraising. East Coast Jazz lost their bingo game and needed so much they were put out of business instantly.We need to share SOLUTIONS with each other,if there are any.

Edited June 12, 2007 by MARK74

[MikeD]

Of course a Div I corps doesn't have to pass on the info for members that didn't make the cut to the nearest Div II/III corps... but wouldn't it be the best thing to do to help ensure the survival of the activity?

I am thinking there would need to be some sort of checkoff on the application a prospective member fills out for the div I corps to permit that corps to pass along the info to a different corps...that the person had no interest in originally.

[MikeD]

All the corps will share a wealth of info. We help each other out in other ways where and when we can. But not by giving a cut list. Lets face it, directors of a corps do not know the inner workings of other corps. They are taking a chance if they were to recommend kids to another corps. I have heard quite a few horror stories over the years from what people thought were excellent corps to go to, and recommending someone where a situation might not be the best is very risky.

Gee...I hadn't thought of the liability issue for the original div I corps in that situation...but in this day and age it's a real concern.

[Piper]

Until DCI establishes a bonafied database that directors, instructors and candidates can effectively use, this problem is just going to continue. Many times kids get cut at the D1 level not because of a lack of talent, but because there simply isn't enough room. Most D1 corps' have the same "everyone must audition every year" policy. But that's intended mostly to keep the vets on their toes. In reality, vets rarely get cut at that level unless they screw up, so in the meantime you've got a ton of kids auditioning for a few spots left by age-outs and some members who aren't returning for various reasons. Some kids even check out a corps' retention rate and age-out stats before they even bother to audition. The end result is that we wind up with a whole bunch of talented kids who end up sitting home for the summer instead of marching corps like they wanted to. I for one think that DCI is really dropping the ball on this.

Edited June 12, 2007 by Piper

[EKBari]

Until DCI establishes a bonafied database that directors, instructors and candidates can effectively use, this problem is just going to continue. Many times kids get cut at the D1 level not because of a lack of talent, but because there simply isn't enough room. Most D1 corps' have the same "everyone must audition every year" policy. But that's intended mostly to keep the vets on their toes. In reality, vets rarely get cut at that level unless they screw up, so in the meantime you've got a ton of kids auditioning for a few spots left by age-outs and some members who aren't returning for various reasons. Some kids even check out a corps' retention rate and age-out stats before they even bother to audition. The end result is that we wind up with a whole bunch of talented kids who end up sitting home for the summer instead of marching corps like they wanted to. I for one think that DCI is really dropping the ball on this.

People keep saying DCI needs to do that and DCI needs to do this. DCI is a circuit that who's governing body consists of the directors of its member corps. And while it may exert some control over what happens on the field, it has absolutely no control over what happens with people that can't make the cut. If anything, it will use the lists to make sure that its member corps are all marching 150 people. And for those saying this is good for the "activity", does sharing the lists include DCA and MCA? Because as we should all know DCI is not the "activity".

Edited June 12, 2007 by EKBari

[audiodb]

I am thinking there would need to be some sort of checkoff on the application a prospective member fills out for the div I corps to permit that corps to pass along the info to a different corps...that the person had no interest in originally.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Similar to online account registrations that have a check box for sending related solicitations.

[FUGI]

Until DCI establishes a bonafied database that directors, instructors and candidates can effectively use, this problem is just going to continue. Many times kids get cut at the D1 level not because of a lack of talent, but because there simply isn't enough room. Most D1 corps' have the same "everyone must audition every year" policy. But that's intended mostly to keep the vets on their toes. In reality, vets rarely get cut at that level unless they screw up, so in the meantime you've got a ton of kids auditioning for a few spots left by age-outs and some members who aren't returning for various reasons. Some kids even check out a corps' retention rate and age-out stats before they even bother to audition. The end result is that we wind up with a whole bunch of talented kids who end up sitting home for the summer instead of marching corps like they wanted to. I for one think that DCI is really dropping the ball on this.

I really don't see how DCI is dropping the ball on this one. It isn't their responsibility to do this type of service. WGI and DCA do not do anything similar to what you propose.

If kids don't want to march DIV II/II or they are ignorant to it's existence that's not DCI's fault.

[Piper]

I really don't see how DCI is dropping the ball on this one. It isn't their responsibility to do this type of service. WGI and DCA do not do anything similar to what you propose.

If kids don't want to march DIV II/II or they are ignorant to it's existence that's not DCI's fault.

It might not be their fault, but it had darn well better be their concern. While DCA has been expanding quite rapidly over the last several years, Jr. Drum and Bugle Corps' have been going inactive or perishing altogether at an alarming rate, and it's not just D3 and D2 either. D1 can't even fill out it's top 25.

[WWonka]

Because as we should all know DCI is not the "activity".

A lot of people forget that. DCI are the member corps for the member corps.