Gary Markham, a steadfast voice in the development of DCI judging, dies at 75

Gary Markham, a career music educator and integral part of the development of the Drum Corps International judging community for decades, passed away early this week. He was 75.

The late DCI Hall of Fame member Jim Ott brought Markham to the staff of the Blue Devils in the mid-1970s. After the untimely passing of Ott in 1980, he joined the staff of Spirit of Atlanta as music arranger and program coordinator.

Markham continued within the drum corps arena, becoming a DCI adjudicator in 1985. Through his background in music education, he quickly became one of the most respected and sought after judges, tapped for his experience on a number of committees and subcommittees. Eventually, Markham was named the education advisor to DCI’s Rules and Systems Task Force.

“It is obvious that the wisdom and expertise he imparts has helped lead our activity to the highest standards in musical production and achievement,” DCI judge administrator John Phillips said in a 2022 letter nominating Markham for induction into the DCI Hall of Fame. “The complexity of contemporary corps requires a more sophisticated musician to evaluate and elevate the standards and Gary is, without question, one of the finest educators and adjudicators we have on the roster.”

For decades Markham served as a steadfast voice on the refinement of the DCI adjudication system, continually focused on the education, improvement and enrichment of the art form, for the benefit of judges, designers, educators, performers and fans alike.

In a judging system that is created by and continually refined by members of the DCI instructional and design community, he regularly served as a voice that bridged groups of people and different viewpoints to arrive on common ground as Drum Corps International progressed and evolved over many years.

“His educational forethought and vision were invaluable as we moved to new instruments in 2000 and later amplification and electronics,” 2009 DCI Hall of Fame inductee Jay Bocook said. “In heated discussions, his demeanor was always calming and reassuring. He always made it clear that making great music was our ultimate goal, and it would always be rewarded.”

That composure is something many colleagues remember on a personal level as well.

“I’ll never forget the time I was driving a DCI rental car in the Dallas area and I got us lost,” DCI adjudicator Chris Church recounted in a tribute to Markham posted on Facebook. “(Gary) is sitting next to me and with his wonderful smile exclaimed, ‘I’ve never seen this part of Dallas before. Thank you for the adventure.’”

 

First and foremost an educator, Markham spent his career as a proponent of continued judge training, again bridging the adjudication and instructional drum corps communities for the mutual benefit of the marching music art form.

“I personally witnessed the change in philosophy and educational training for judges from that of ‘critic’ to one of ‘educator,’" said David Starnes, a former DCI judge and close personal friend of Markham. “Gary steered this adjudication process into a clearly defined model where judges and staffs worked in collaboration more than ever.”

Phillips said that one of Markham’s greatest assets was in his ability to cultivate, mentor and nurture young instructors and judges with the ultimate goal of that development trickling down to the performers those individuals served. Phillips noted that Markham’s personal philosophy had long been “Improve the judge and improve the instructor; that will improve our student.”

And it worked.

“Drum Corps International and Bands of America performances are both at their level of proficiency and musicianship today due to (Gary’s) relentless standards and ability to define the seemingly undefinable,” DCI adjudicator Susan Smith wrote on Facebook.

Working more than four decades in the field of music education and as the retired supervisor of instrumental music for the Cobb County School District in Marietta, Georgia, Markham had a lengthy career full of numerous accolades and honors.

Presented as part of the 2007 DCI Southeastern Championship in Atlanta, Markham received the first-ever Coltrin & Associates and Drum Corps International Excellence in Music Education Award, presented by Stephen H. Coltrin, founder and CEO of the public relations and strategic communications firm.

"It's absolutely flattering," Markham said after accepting the award on the field of the Georgia Dome. "My career has been mostly behind-the-scenes and dedicated to advancing the activity forward. I asked Steve Coltrin how they found out about me and he jokingly said, 'We've got spies.'"

In 2010 Markham helped lead a Blue Ribbon Panel tasked with creating the National Standards for Marching Music, a joint project of NAfME and Drum Corps International that was developed to support teachers throughout the country in the overall alignment of their music programs with NAfME’s National Standards for Music Education.

Markham received a happy phone call in April with news that he'd been elected to the Drum Corps International's Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2022. In the week before his passing, he recorded his video induction speech in preparation for the virtual ceremony that will take place Sunday, August 7.