Earl Joyce - DCI Hall of Fame

Earl Joyce

 

Inducted in 1988

Earl Joyce has often been referred to as the "father of modern judging." His contributions to the activity were numerous, and he helped to evolve the activity into what it is today.

In 1959, the Central States Judges Association was formed. Shortly after that, Joyce became involved as the marching and maneuvering caption head and was instrumental in the standardization of the judging system.

Previous to the Central States Judges Association, the scoring judging systems between the different regions of the United States and Canada were not uniform. With a foresight that the activity had never before seen, he organized all the different factions and developed the system that is the basis of drum corps judging today. His philosophy that the judges were on the field to serve the corps also led him to develop the after-show critique, which gave the corps directors and instructors an opportunity to discuss the corps' program and scores with the judges.

In addition, Joyce's early accomplishments set the stage for the formation of Drum Corps International and its DCI task force on competitions. His contributions to the drum corps activity and to DCI will always be felt and appreciated.

Joyce passed away on Sept. 3, 2014 at the age of 83.