Recent expert reports have projected that the aurora borealis may be visible in the United States for the next two years — a historically-significant rarity.
The dazzlingly-colorful sky-borne phenomenon, more commonly referred to as the “Northern Lights,” are most frequently viewed from nations close to the North Pole, but make occasional appearances in parts of the U.S.
If director Misty Olmstead’s projections are accurate, her drum corps organization of the same name will be visible to drum corps fans for far longer.
“We're just getting started,” she said.
Northern Lights Drum and Bugle Corps, a corps founded in 2022 and based out of Muskegon, Michigan, has spent the last two years performing as part of Drum Corps International’s SoundSport program.
A recipient of a gold rating at the SoundSport International Music & Food Festival in each of the past two years, Northern Lights has performed at a number of additional DCI Tour events since its founding, including the DCI Midwest Premiere this past June in the corps’ home state.
“We had fantastic recruiting numbers, wonderful collaboration and cohesiveness with the corps,” she said. “Just seeing everybody come together and build those relationships with one another, and lean in when things are tough, and celebrate each other when things are fantastic — it was very rewarding.”
But the corps has its eyes locked on new heights. If all goes according to plan, by 2025, the Northern Lights will be visible in a brand-new location — Lucas Oil Stadium. Olmstead’s corps is in the process of applying to join DCI’s All-Age Class, with the aim of earning the designation of “affiliate member” for 2025.
Learn more about the All-Age/Open Class evaluation process
“We are finishing our first year of evaluation,” Olmstead said. “The next step is that we will attend the DCI annual meetings in January and talk to the other directors, and if everything goes well at our site visit in early spring, then we would be approved to move into our all-age affiliate status for 2025.”
Of course, nothing is set in stone, and the approval process for corps to enter into DCI’s Open and All-Age Classes is meticulous in order to ensure organizational health and sustainability for all participating organizations.
While Northern Lights awaits official decisions on its All-Age Class status, for now, the organization’s focus is on continuing its momentum through the 2024-25 offseason.
This past summer, the corps saw its participant number more-than-double in size, from just over 40 in 2023 to just over 90 in 2024.
“When people started showing up, it was kind of like a wake-up call to those of us who were getting it started,” she said. “Like, holy crap, people want to be here. They want to be a part of this.”
Growth in numbers has required a growth in organizational capacity, something Northern Lights has faced head on in its first two years.
“Going from year one into year two, and just learning all those lessons we established, we expanded our staff,” Olmstead said. “We had a number of educators come and want to participate in what we were doing, and that was a fantastic start to being able to provide that higher level of experience and education to our members, which is very important to us.”
Ultimately, according to Olmstead, the organization's rapid growth in popularity is the direct result of a large, untapped appetite for drum corps in the Great Lake State.
“There are people who want to be a part of it,” she said. “There are people who want to help perpetuate it and help make it accessible here in Michigan and in the Midwest.”
And as she noted, it’s also the result of Northern Lights’ consistent mission to maintain accessibility for participating members, both financially and in terms of time commitment.
“We have worked hard to establish a scholarship program for our members,” she said. “Last year, we were able to fully fund tuition for members who had applied for the scholarship. We've begun fundraising for this year as well, and hope that that can be as successful.”
And if Northern Lights continues its positive trajectory, that mission can be fulfilled for years to come.
“The whole process, we were unsure what to expect, but just the support and encouragement that we've received from DCI has been incredible,” she added. “It really sets us up for optimism going into the future seasons that we have planned.”