Five new or reemerging ensembles have applied and been accepted to begin the evaluation process for consideration as a future participant in one of two different competitive classes, starting with the 2024 Drum Corps International season.
Three corps including the Minnesota Brass, Northern Lights and Steel City Ambassadors are seeking All-Age Class distinction, while two additional corps, Zephyrus and Memphis Blues, are seeking Open Class status. All five ensembles currently participate in DCI’s SoundSport program.
Drum Corps International’s evaluation process is a progressive three-year plan, with year one establishing a collaborative relationship between the corps and DCI that will ensure a strong start and continuing success and sustainability. DCI Open Class/SoundSport coordinator David Eddleman says that the program has been further developed and refined since 2020’s shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the recent cooperative effort joining DCI and Drum Corps Associates to form DCI’s All-Age Class.
Once groups begin their evaluation period, highlights of the performance and competitive portion of the plan include:
Year 1:
Ensembles perform as part of DCI’s SoundSport Class with the respective distinction of “All-Age Class Candidate” or “Open Class Candidate.” Productions are evaluated/judged under DCI SoundSport guidelines.
Year 2:
Assuming the successful completion of year-one requirements, candidates advance to “All-Age Class Affiliate” or “Open Class Affiliate.” Performance duration guidelines are based on the minimum/maximum of the class pursuant to the DCI rulebook. Adjudication is under the All-Age/Open Class system in effect.
Year 3:
Assuming the successful completion of year-two requirements, affiliates advance to become full members of the All-Age Class or Open Class. Length of productions are based on the respective minimums/maximums of the individual classes pursuant to the DCI competitive rulebook. Adjudication of performances occurs within the current All-Age/Open Class system.
In addition to the outlined performance procedures, ensembles working through the evaluation process will also undergo an extensive organizational review led by DCI officials. This process includes IRS status compliance verification, a board of directors roster review, examinations of financial statements and overall fiscal health, and a review of instructional and performer rosters. The review also considers adherence to health and wellness standards, other administrative policies put in place to ensure a solid operational foundation, well-established business practices and an unquestionable focus on participant safety.
“With a focus on sustainability, we feel strongly that ‘slow and steady’ is our best approach to assisting organizations to establish themselves, grow, and be as successful as possible for years to come, regardless of the class or format they envision for themselves,” Eddleman said.
“Our goal is to use proven success strategies and best practices as the scaffolding which ensures the strong and resilient foundation that upstart and reemerging organizations need in order to thrive; serving their participants, volunteers and staff at the highest level,” DCI All-Age Class coordinator John Carr added.
Throughout the evaluation process, corps are invited to all relevant DCI virtual and in-person workshops and functions including the annual winter business meetings each year. The intent is for the evaluating corps’ leaders to get acquainted with DCI personnel, operations, and to interact with the current participating organizations. Those established corps also play a key role in the evaluation process. They often serve as on-call knowledge bases for fledgling groups, helping to steer them through challenges their own organizations may have already overcome, and they ultimately approve the affiliates for membership in All-Age or Open Classes.
Eddleman says that this latest set of evaluating corps in addition to several more corps planning to apply in the fall of 2024, is a strong sign of growth in the Drum Corps International activity, especially in the wake of 2020’s COVID shutdown.
“To date we have 55 registered SoundSport teams for 2024 which brings our total number of performance ensembles for this summer’s DCI Tour up over 100,” Eddleman said. “This underscores our strategic focus on the continued growth and sustainability of our participating groups.”
Meet the 2024 evaluating corps
Open Class Candidates
Memphis Blues – Memphis, Tennessee
A name with historic ties to the Drum Corps International activity, Memphis Blues is a reboot of the Memphis Blues Brass Band of the 1980s. The corps made its return to the DCI stage in 2023 performing as part of events in Tupelo and Little Rock and is set to expand its reach in 2024.
2024 Tour Stops
July 8, Sevierville, TN
July 9, Newnan, GA
July 11, Muscle Shoals, AL
July 13, Little Rock, AR
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Zephyrus – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Zephyrus Arts Institute is an Oklahoma-based nonprofit organization devoted to providing life-changing experiences to performers and audiences alike in northeastern Oklahoma. The organization includes the Zephyrus Drum & Bugle Corps, the Zephyrus Independent Winter Guard, the Zephyrus Marching Academy, and the Tulsa Winds community band. The corps made its debut on the DCI Tour in 2022.
2024 Tour Stops
July 13, Little Rock, AR
July 15, Olathe, KS
July 16, Broken Arrow, OK
July 18, Denton, TX
July 20, San Antonio, TX
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All-Age Class Candidates
Minnesota Brass – St. Paul, Minnesota
Founded as an American Legion corps in 1946, as an all-age drum and bugle corps Minnesota Brass has earned a number of accolades throughout its history. The group was a Drum Corps Associates (DCA) medalist from 2008 to 2016, and won the DCA championship title in 2011. Most recently the corps was named "Best of Show" at the 2022 SoundSport International Music & Food Festival. The drum corps is just one part of the performing arts organization Minnesota Brass Inc., which also includes winter guard, indoor percussion and winter winds ensembles.
2024 Tour Stops
July 7, La Crosse, WI
July 9, Mankato, MN
July 31, Champlin, MN
August 10, SoundSport International Music & Food Fest presented by Jazz Wealth
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Northern Lights – Muskegon, Michigan
After marking its inaugural season in 2023, Northern Lights Drum & Bugle Corps mission is to provide marching arts experience to all those who seek it in the Midwest. They aim to remove social and economic barriers that would otherwise keep musicians from choosing to participate in a summer of drum corps, ultimately serving as a springboard for junior drum corps careers and as a landing place to come home to after aging out.
2024 Tour Stops
June 26, Rockford, MI
August 10, SoundSport International Music & Food Fest presented by Jazz Wealth
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Steel City Ambassadors – Gibsonia, Pennsylvania
Dedicated to “bringing the sound of drum corps back to Pittsburgh,” the Steel City Ambassadors date back to the 1980s and early 1990s as a force in Drum Corps Associates competition. Proud to play on G-keyed bugles, the Ambassadors are active throughout the year performing in local parades, and were even named as the “Best Drum & Bugle Corps” of the 2024 Pittsburgh St. Patrick's Day Parade.
2024 Tour Stops
July 27, Sheffield, PA
August 5, Pittsburgh, PA
August 10, SoundSport International Music & Food Fest presented by Jazz Wealth