What’s in a name? What’s in a brand? What does it take for something to last in today’s world? These are questions that every person in business has thought about for decades, and in some ways, perhaps centuries. I am asked similar questions every year about the Drum Major Academy®: How has DMA been able to sustain such a leading role in the summer workshop industry for over 40 years? What’s your secret??
I found this article on the Forbes website this morning and I believe it helps one understand the framework that must be in place for any company to become a household name, a brand, a trusted leader in its specific market.
An interesting fact (albeit a scary one) within the article was–
“The average lifespan of a company on the S&P 500 is only 15 years.”
Ok—DMA has beaten that number more than twice over! (The company was founded in 1978 but the philosophy has been in place since 1973.)
But how??
Going back to the same Forbes article four key elements must be the top priorities:
- Content
- Consistency
- Persistence
- Restraint
Examining each element with regard to DMA almost becomes easy! Let’s take a quick look–
1. Content: The content of the DMA curriculum is a three-pronged approach that includes Leadership, Conducting and Teaching. All instruction is of the highest quality and presented by outstanding music educators from across the country.
2. Consistency: The content of DMA is based upon the same philosophy the company was founded upon over 40 years ago! Consistency in philosophical and educational values is fundamental to the DMA approach.
3. Persistence: In short, we’re not going anywhere! DMA is a strong as it has ever been due to the hard work, dedication and commitment of the people who run it. We are tireless in our efforts to meet the needs of band directors everywhere. In short, we LOVE what we provide and are resolute in providing YOU with the best quality instruction available!
4. Restraint: We know WHO we are and WHAT we do best–developing drum majors and student leaders. We focus upon ONLY this single area.
….maybe this is why our yearly average student enrollment is over 2000 every summer!
Summer is just getting started and there are 9 more workshops to go–we can’t wait to meet and work with you students!!
