Dedicated to musicians and performers of diverse styles and backgrounds, Marching Music Day celebrates all varieties of the art forms bringing us “music on the move.” 2025 marks the ninth anniversary of the annual occurrence.
Drum Corps International founded Marching Music Day to celebrate and spotlight marching music as an engaging and ever-expanding art form around the world, and to help celebrate Music In Our Schools Month. As an ideal play on words, March Fourth was chosen.
Beginning in 2017, the registrar at National Day Calendar declared the day to #MarchForth into celebration annually.
One of the focuses of Drum Corps International’s annual #MarchForth outreach is the #MarchDrumCorps project. The fourth-annual initiative being coordinated by Drum Corps International focuses on matching prospective performers with open positions in corps nationwide.
Underway since mid-February, DCI has been working directly with its participating organizations to compile a bi-weekly list of current openings in every section of their corps and is sharing inquiries from interested performers for follow-up as the summer of 2025 continues to come into focus.
Now’s the time to #MarchDrumCorps in 2025
Other simple activities you can follow to celebrate March Fourth:
1. Support DCI and your favorite marching music groups
Whether you’re supporting DCI, your favorite drum corps, or a local marching ensemble, your generosity is making a major impact in the marching arts. Every gift helps provide opportunities for scholarships, professional development, or healthy resources for drum corps performers and staff. Considering making a gift today and joining DCI as we “March Fourth” to foster future generations of marching performers.
2. Complete the Marching Music Day Activity Book
A brand-new addition to Marching Music Day festivities, download and print the March Forth! activity book for a variety of fun coloring pages, games and more.
Download the activity book (PDF)
3. Rep your favorite drum corps or marching music swag
Dust off those corps jackets or break out your favorite marching group's T-shirt or sweatshirt. Take a selfie and post it to your social media profiles tagging your posts with #MarchForth and #MarchingMusicDay!
4. Get the band back together
From drum corps and marching bands, to SoundSport teams and winter guards, to military music groups, Mummers string bands, fife and drum groups, drill teams and step teams, marching musicians fall into a remarkable array of different styles, classifications and organizations. No matter your performance style, coordinate a group message string to get your friends together to make music today, tomorrow, this summer or whenever you see fit! DCI’s SoundSport International Music & Food Festival presented by Jazz Wealth coming this August to Indianapolis may just be the perfect place for you to do so.
Get your ensemble on board for the summer of '25
Get help getting your team off the ground
5. Make your plans to be on the field or in the stands this summer
Summer is just four months away! With all eyes ahead to 2025 DCI Tour, a huge number of drum corps are still recruiting prospective corps members to join them on the field this summer.
Learn more about open positions in 2025 drum corps
For those more interested in witnessing the 2025 DCI Tour from the stadium grandstands, tickets to an impressive number of shows on the more than 80-event DCI Tour schedule are now on sale including the three-day DCI World Championships August 7-9 in Indianapolis.
View the complete 2025 DCI Tour schedule
6. COMING SOON: Share your marching music story!