It's marching season! Oh, the wonders of the sunrise rehearsals, football games, Saturday competitions...and, "Oh, I'm so sick of this show!" For inspiration for both you and your band, take the time to check out these groups for whom hard work and dedication have resulted in national, and sometimes, international recognition!

So, just what is a drum and bugle corp? The only major similarity between drum and bugle corps and "regular" marching bands is the marching.The instrumentation is vastly different. Drum and bugle corps do not have woodwinds, and the brass instrumentation differs. The horn line in drum and bugle is the largest section of most groups. It is mostly made up of bugles, although these bugles are not the ones of old, with no valves. Before 1990, bugles had two valves.In groups of many years ago, the bugles had no valves. Now, they have 3, and since 1999 (in Drum Corp International Groups), they can be in any key.

The drum line instrumentation is similar to that of a marching band. There is usually a snare line, tenor line, bass line, front line , and sometimes a cymbal line. The front line, or pit, is a non-marching section at the front of the field consisting of keyboard instruments such as marimbas and xylophones, as well as other non-marching percussion instruments such as suspended cymbals, gongs, and often other sound effects such as wind machines. The color
guard is also similar to that of a marching band. The most common color guard equipment consists of flags, rifles, and sabres, but often includes anything else that can be thrown, spun, or danced on, such as poles, bar stools, or other various props.

Marching bands are generally associated with schools, performing at football halftime shows,parades, and school-related competition. Drum and bugle corps are individual, competitive organizations.

The Concord California Blue Devils was founded in 1957 as a structured and positive learning environment for youngsters. The organization offers three levels of drum and bugle corps, two winter guard programs, baton twirling programs, a music school for children ages 4-9, and a wind symphony. As a completely community funded organization, the group is guided by a professional teaching staff and a parent volunteer committee. The Blue Devils have won at the following levels: 10 International Drum and Bugle Corps Championships:4 Winter Guard International Championship:12 National Team Twirling Championships:6 National Corps Twirling Championship:2 World Team Twirling Championships. As on the Madison site, this site offers video and audio clips of the group's accomplishments.

Want to really give your students a goal? Have them visit The U.S. Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps site. Founded in 1914, the Naval Academy Corps can trace its origins back to a "small group of musically-talented midshipmen attending a baseball game between the Naval Academy and its neighbor, St.John´s College. Have the students visit the pictures and sound clips section for good examples of disciplined showmanship. The site also has
information for high school students who aspire to join the ranks of this prestige group.

The list of fantastic organizations is too vast to include in a single webpage. A Northern Light search yielded over 8,000 hits! For a comprehensive list of the better sites, check this Google directory link to drum and bugle corps. These examples will hopefully show students the benefits of dedicated work and the pride of a job well done.