Fresh faces will be on the field and in the press boxes of stadiums across the country in 2024, as the newest judges take their places to rank and rate corps as part of the Drum Corps International Tour.
The DCI adjudication administration team launched several enhanced judge training initiatives in 2023. These programs were designed to expand opportunities for more diverse perspectives and experiences to be expressed in the competitive evaluation process.
Leading up to the 2023 DCI Summer Tour, 15 individuals were selected through an extensive application process to participate in a comprehensive adjudication planning and preparation regimen. The program included Zoom training sessions, asynchronous learning modules, on-site trial judging experiences, and wide-ranging performance feedback from the judge administration training team.
These individuals are now eligible to join a team of more than 100 who make up DCI’s judging community, evaluating corps across the 2024 DCI Tour beginning in June.
“The new judging cohort is diligently working to master the DCI adjudication philosophy and we are excited about the fresh perspectives they will bring to our judging community,” DCI judge training coordinator Nola Jones said.
One of the new undertakings that contributed to the influx of training judges in 2023 was the Judge Diversity Initiative (JDI) established in January of last year. The effort has helped to engage communities which have been traditionally underrepresented in the ranks of DCI-trained and certified adjudicators.
“We know there are individuals involved in the marching arts who may not have actual judging experience,” Jones said. “The Judge Diversity Initiative has allowed us to provide support based on the specific needs of each candidate, including funding their specialized training in the art and science of adjudicating the teams of Marching Music’s Major League.”
Jones credited the JDI effort led by Lee Carlson, John Phillips, Mike Leitzke, George Oliviero, Jager Loyde, Beverly Brahan, and an entire DCI judge liaison team who helped to create and deliver the curriculum and provide ongoing mentoring throughout DCI’s summer season.
“Drum Corps International has previously provided field trial opportunities for experienced candidates and ongoing training for returning judges,” DCI judge administrator John Phiilps said. “The commitment to new candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities – including those with limited experience – allows for increased capacity to support judge training. We believe the drum corps activity will certainly benefit as a result of these fresh faces and new viewpoints.”
DCI’s judge administration team is currently recruiting interested individuals to apply for the 2024 DCI Judge Training Class as well as the 2024 edition of the Judge Diversity Initiative. Application windows will open November 1 with a registration deadline of January 1.