Gary Markham - DCI Hall of Fame

Gary Markham

Inducted in 2022

A career music educator and part of the Drum Corps International judging community for decades, Gary 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.

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.

For the next stop in his journey in the Drum Corps International arena, Markham became a DCI judge in the 1980s. Through his extensive 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. “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.”

Often referred by colleagues as a “natural organizer” and in a judging system that is created by and continually refined by members of the DCI instructional and design community, Markham has regularly served as a voice that bridges groups of people and different viewpoints to arrive on common ground as Drum Corps International has 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.”

First and foremost an educator, Markham has been a proponent of and spearheaded continued judge training, again bridging the adjudication and instructional drum corps communities for the mutual benefit of the marching music art form and those who are fortunate to create its performances.

“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. “Gary steered this adjudication process into a clearly defined model where judges and staffs worked in collaboration more than ever.”

“There have been many leaders in our activity, but Gary has been a constant beacon of quality and clarity in the development of the current adjudication system,” Phillips said. “He continues to have an impact on DCI by cultivating, mentoring, and nurturing young instructors, judges, and participants who share a similar character of understanding and integrity. Gary's personal philosophy is, ‘Improve the judge and improve the instructor; that will improve our student.’”

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 has been honored with a number of prestigious awards throughout his career including the Sudler Order of Merit from the John Philip Sousa Foundation (1992), Music For All Hall of Fame (2006), Georgia Music Educators Administrative Leadership Award (2006), DCI and Coltrin & Associates Excellence in Music Education Award (2007), Music Educators’ National Conference Excellence in Marching Music Education (2009), and Conn Selmer Institute Hall of Fame (2015).

Markham died July 11, 2022 at the age of 75.

Hall of Fame Induction Speech