Be part of a great history making moment!!!

[DrumCorps]

I want to start a drum and bugle corps. Will someone pleeeeaaaase help? I mean, lot's of people love DCI right? So wouldn't they love to be part of staff (STAFF!) on a drum corps? I know I would...

[Beatz]

I would help but I can't keep us posted on how you're doing.

[DrumCorps]

Okay. But there HAS to be some other people willing to help =/

[NinjaBaker]

considering the relative youth of the people on this board, I'm not sure what kind of luck you'll have.
I, unfortunetely do not have the time to devote in being part of a drum corps, but I wish you the best of luck.

[DrumCorps]

Thank you...

[noxcuses]

You said in your other post that you're only 18. Why don't you finish your years with a current corps in the area, then apply to be an intern or on staff after you age out? Then you will gain more experience and BUILD CONNECTIONS (hello), and start your own corps after that.

[DrumCorps]

The nearest corps to me is two hours away, and last season, no one was willing to house me. I spent more money on gas than the tour fee!!! Lol

[noxcuses]

Oct 8, 2008 12:32:26 GMT -5 DrumCorps said:

The nearest corps to me is two hours away, and last season, no one was willing to house me. I spent more money on gas than the tour fee!!! Lol

Take that, and multiply it by who knows how much. That's what you'll be spending to start a corps. The budget for most corps is in the thousands, and in six figures even for some corps. Just think. You have to have gas for buses (ain't cheap, even if you only do weekend shows and a short tour), food to feed all your corps members, staff, and volunteers (average meal costed 5 dollars per person in 2006, which was the last year I marched), gotta PAY YOUR STAFF, pay other miscellaneous fees which may or may not be associated with shows, uniforms, instruments (you can't expect your corps members to buy their own contras or marimbas), equipment trailor, food trailor (these can't be rented, as you literally have to convert them to fit the needs of the corps), dry cleaning of uniforms, and the list goes on and on and on. Corps dues generally only make a slight dent in this. Other ways corps make money are through fund-raising, but even that is not a big profit. Often corps will get paid for placing well in shows, but even that is not very much, and a first year corps cannot count on that. A lot of your expense would most likely be initially out of pocket. This is why corps fold, because they go into debt. The only reason Pioneer is still around is because Roman is a multi-millionare and can afford to keep the corps going with his own money (sorry...just using them as an example...Pioneer is a very nice drum corps ;D) (You should be laughing if you have ever marched drum corps before, as that is somewhat of an inside drum corps joke)

What I'd suggest you do if you are really set on this, is get a few friends from your high school or college to form a parade band for the summer (yes, I said BAND, include woodwinds to boost your membership). Form it as a group of friends getting together to have fun and play music. When you have something worked up, start looking around for various parades...lots of times neighborhoods will often have a parade to celebrate some event, such as Founders Day or something, and of course there are many parades to be found around the 4th of July as you probably know, having marched drum corps. This in itself will be challenge enough, but it is budget-friendly and will give you practice in running something like that. Then, as your group is exposed to the public, hopefully interest will grow in a few years, and then you can think about doing away with the woodwinds (unless woodwinds are allowed in drum corps by then...) and turn it into a drum corps.

[DrumCorps]

Oct 8, 2008 23:25:07 GMT -5 noxcuses said:

Oct 8, 2008 12:32:26 GMT -5 DrumCorps said:

The nearest corps to me is two hours away, and last season, no one was willing to house me. I spent more money on gas than the tour fee!!! Lol

...gotta PAY YOUR STAFF...

Some corps have volunteer staff; like the one I was in last season, Impulse!

[altoclarinets]

Yeah but pay is just the tiiiip of the iceberg. There's uniforms, big instruments/ equipment, guard stuff and travel/ entry fees just to get started. I can see how you would want one that's closer. Considering you're 18 though, you might go to college in a town that has one? Most colleges will rent dorms over the summer... although you may have to take a summer class or two... However, if it is something that you really want to do, yes, I would go with Noxcuses suggestion and as far as pecussion equip is concerned either borrow from a local school or marry rich. Lol.

[noxcuses]

Oct 10, 2008 12:16:06 GMT -5 DrumCorps said:

Oct 8, 2008 23:25:07 GMT -5 noxcuses said:

...gotta PAY YOUR STAFF...

Some corps have volunteer staff; like the one I was in last season, Impulse!

LOL Altoclarinet covered what I bit my tongue to say...you only addressed one aspect I mentioned of the finances.

And to be honest, if you want the BEST staff for the most successful drum corps, you will have to pay them. I know that you're going to get all defensive and say that your staff was good at Impulse and all, but odds are you're not going to get a good staff if you don't pay them. Just speaking from a working musician's point of view...I teach private lessons at a high school 30 minutes away from where I live and go to school. I get really annoyed if even one student doesn't pay me. If I have enough students cancel ahead of time that I will be teaching 2 or fewer students in a day, I do not even drive out there because what I make is not worth the drive (and I don't necessarily mean the gas prices here...more of just my time to drive out there, teach those two students who's lesson times are most likely somewhat spread out, and then drive back). This is just one day of my life. If someone asked me to teach a drum corps, but I wouldn't be getting paid my answer would be heck no. AND I'M STILL IN COLLEGE. Think about someone who's already graduated, they are going to be expected to get paid much more than I. Now, with established corps, your staff base often comes from alumni who have a tie to the corps (which probably explains your staff at Impulse). But with a new corps, you are not going to get that alumni base who are willing to teach all summer for free.

[84bdsop]

You can't form a performing group of any type on guts and enthusiasm....I did that with Nightfire in 94...and we were lucky to field even the one season in 96.

In the past it may have been possible to a certain extent, but the Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland "Hey kids....let's put on a show!" mindset will not work today.

There are certain legalities you have not addressed....you may not be aware of them...and those are some of the things you MUST take care of...above and beyond staffing, recruiting, and instruction.

Since the demise of Esperanza, your area has been lacking a corps (West Coast Sound moved out of Chula Vista years ago and have since folded). I believe Alan Cox still has all of E's equipment, but has no plans to get rid of it. That MAY mean he plans to restart a corps in San Diego County at some point in the future, but he has some baggage attached to his name, so he might have to wait for the memory to fade.

The closest corps to you is either Yamato in Riverside, or one of the 8 OTHER operating corps in Los Angeles County (World Class: Pacific Crest. Open Class: Impulse, Velvet Knights, Incognito, Gold, Mystikal. Senior: SoCal Dream, and Kingsmen)

There are plenty of places to go...plenty of choices.

I will probably be trying to restart En Garde (Sr) in 2011...giving the economy time to recover...that will be in LA as well.