Here are some of the questions received by Tom Allen
Q: What the heck IS OperationTaps?
It's an independent project designed to gather and share information on the process of providing Live Taps Buglers for US Military Vets, and how the drum and bugle corps
community can become more involved.
The intent is to encourage brass players who haven’t been involved to find a way to do so....another objective of this web site is to highlight and celebrate those who have been doing great work in this area.
Q: Why do this?
I'm a former DCA brass player and instructor who has TAKEN a lot of good things from the drum corps experience, and from the great leaders of the previous generation....
But over the past year or so, I’ve felt guilty about not GIVING enough back.
Once I started looking into what I could do, I found the whole process of volunteering to be a vague, undefined procedure. I just wanted to find a way for more of my colleagues in the drum corps community to help pitch in.
Q: Is this the same as Bugles Across America?
No, it’s a completely independent project…. But, BAA is a great organization that acts as a centralized point of contact for volunteer Taps players, and for those looking for a live Taps player. It is run by the legendary Tom Day (by the way, where's HIS Nobel Peace Prize?) who is also an advisor on this project. OperationTaps encourages individuals to sign up with Bugles Across America. I'm a member and many drum corps staff members and brass players are as well.
Q: Isn’t someone else already taking care of this?
Actually a lot of people are doing their part, but as I’ve looked into this, I’ve found it isn’t enough. For example, one of the leaders of the Monroe County, NY American Legion told me that they have one bugle player, and if he isn’t available, they just use an electronic bugle-like device. If Monroe County (as in Rochester, NY) thinks there is only ONE bugler, then we have a communication problem.
Q: What is the Operation Taps / DCA Challenge?
It is a friendly competition among the brass sections of Drum Corps Associates corps (Competing, Alumni, Mini-Corps, and Brass Ensembles) to quantify their involvement in their respective communities.
The corps are measured on:
- The number of organizations they have contacted to make themselves available to play Taps FREE of CHARGE, (a corps can also earn points for the number of members who are registered with Bugles Across America),
- The number of community or veterans related performances they’ve done, and
- The number of Live Taps performances any member of their group has performed. It could be a current member of their brass line, staff member, alumnus, support staff, or even a community supporter who wants that performance to count for that corps.
All I ask is that the corps members are respectful and professional at all times.
Q: How are you keeping track of all of this?
Representatives from the corps will voluntarily email me with their results for the month. For example, one corps has their brass caption head in contact with me regularly and will start reporting results after their January camp. Another corps has assigned a member of their Public Relations team to drive the process and will contact me on a regular basis. Another brass caption head has asked his people to go back into their local communities and cast as wide a net as possible. I’ll post a running total for each corps once a month.
Q: Is this sanctioned by DCA, and have you presented this to the DCA Executive Committee?
No. This is an independent project and they take no responsibility and provide no support for it. I will not ask them for any support, and this project will NEVER cost anyone a dime to be involved. If they want me to take the initials DCA off the site, I will…
I agonized over whether to put up a site like this at all. Once I put it up, I was overwhelmed by the support I received from my fellow DCA brass players.
Q: Who’s paying for all of this?
Nobody. Me, I guess. I registered the domain name and the hosting is free. Why should this cost anybody anything?
If one US veteran is honored by receiving Taps played by a fellow citizen instead of an electronic device, then that’s enough for me.
Q: What groups have told you they’ll do this?
Once I launched the site, I heard almost immediately from leaders of 3 of the last 4 DCA champions. Representatives from several other competing corps have told me that they are going to participate once their camps start. Several Alumni Corps, Mini-Corps, and Brass Ensembles are on board.
I have been absolutely amazed and blown away by some of the creativity and energy being put into this project by drum corps people all over the country. I’ll include more on this in a “Thumbs Up” page very soon.
Q: What if I can’t volunteer to play Taps because I work during the day?
That’s fine, but I’ve found that there are a lot retired guys who are doing great things, as well as teachers who volunteer during the summer, college students who have the ability to get away during the typical work day, and other professionals who have the type of job that allows them the ability to volunteer a few times a month. I also personally feel that workplaces should allow for, and support, this type of volunteerism.
Q: This seems like a great idea. How can I get involved?
If you’re part of a corps, ask your leadership or your brass staff if they are involved with this project. Even if they don’t necessarily want to be a part of this project but are doing great things in their community, let us know about it. This isn’t the kind of intense competition that most drum corps people are used to; it’s a friendly, casual thing. It would be great if all DCA corps got involved, but it’s completely voluntary. If you’re an individual not involved with a corps, or just a fan, find out how you can help in your community.
And keep the questions and comments coming...
Tom Allen
info@operationtaps.org
|
