Drum Corps World has previously published details of the Federation’s activities working with and for the 14 national youth organisations in the U.K. that involve their young members in all styles of the marching band activity. (Editor’s note: in this article, “band” refers to all youth marching groups, including drum and bugle corps).

After a national conference and subsequent consultation with its 14 member organisations, in 2006, the Federation published a two-year “whole activity” development strategy titled “MarchOn”. This established both the principles of our intended development and specifically how bands and corps might respond. Clearly, unless leaders at the local level actioned the strategy, then it would not be a success. In summary, the development strategy identified the following:

Vision: That regionally and nationally the youth marching band activity becomes an effective, accepted and valued performing art for young people.

Mission: That Federation member organisations work together to transform the youth marching band activity in the next decade.

Values: That we work with responsibility within the context of a youth activity, promoting inclusivity, achievement, understanding and enjoyment.

Partners: Federation member organisations, voluntary and statutory arts and educational authorities, community organisations; professional musicians,; funding organisations.

The document identified practical issues for bands to address within three broad areas:

Community: To encourage the sustainable development of bands in their communities so that they become valued contributors to social development and social cohesion through the involvement of young people in live music and physical movement, supported by their parents/carers and the wider community.

Education: To improve the performance quality of youth marching bands and of its leadership, and to develop an acknowledgement of our unique activity within the educational sector.

Recognition: To develop a wider acknowledgement of the educational and community benefits of the youth marching band activity. To develop different performance opportunities and  

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Many college-age students typically use this time of year to search for summer internships. Those with future plans in music, the arts or related career fields will find internship opportunities abounding for the right student in drum corps, with openings from among the touring corps, Drum Corps International and its corporate sponsors.

Through these positions, the intern gains valuable life and career experiences while building their résumés and developing professional contacts. The organization gains some high-energy, low-cost manpower to assist in managing the sometimes daunting tasks that often accompany the summer schedule.

But just like how drum corps isn’t for every musician, some of these summer internships require a special student, too. They may not have to practice in the hot sun for countless hours all summer, but drum corps interns can be the first ones up and the last ones to bed as they are literally asked to do just about anything.

They do so in a stealth fashion, often blending in with management, the corps members, the creative team, the drivers, the maintenance crew, the marketplace staff and the stadium operations team, among others.

Students who performed three very different internships last summer -- one with the Blue Stars, one with DCI and one with Yamaha -- told stories about their experiences at last summer’s DCI World Championships in Pasadena, CA. These stories may give this year’s applicants an idea of what they can expect this summer.

Blue Stars’ intern Alan Endler

Upon first glance, Endler looked like the regular salesmen, working the Blue Stars’ souvenir stand in the DCI Marketplace. But that was just one of the many hats he wore last summer.

He also drove the corps van to show locations, to the hospital when anyone from the corps experienced a medical emergency, and out  

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Young athletes and their coaches know where to find the latest advancements in equipment for their sports -- and it’s not usually in their local sporting goods stores. It’s in what the world class athletes use.

Looking for the next great basketball shoe that is lighter and more durable, but will make you jump higher? Check out what NBA stars LeBron James or Kobe Bryant are wearing this season.

Want the fastest swimsuit on the market today? Try Speedo’s new Fastskin FS-Pro swimsuit, which U.S. gold medalist Michael Phelps recently used to set new world records.

And when band directors and their musicians are looking for the latest innovations in marching instrument design, they also check out the stars of their competitive activity -- world class drum and bugle corps.

Those corps often get the opportunity each summer to debut some of the newest designs and product lines that major instrument manufacturers, like Yamaha, have to offer.

Nike puts its next great basketball shoe on LeBron James to get it noticed and show what it can do -- both live and now online through all the latest forms of digital communication. And Yamaha puts a certain  

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