Drum Corps International
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Drum Corps International (DCI), formed in 1972, is the non-profit governing body operating the North American drum and bugle corps circuit for junior corps, whose members are between the ages of 14 and 22. DCI consists of only a small full-time executive and administrative staff in Addison, Illinois. Policy is created, carried out, and enforced by the Board of Directors, which is primarily composed of the executive directors of its member corps. The board meets several times a year to discuss the issues facing the activity. The primary purpose of DCI corps is their competitive summer tour, consisting of DCI-sanctioned competitions throughout the United States and Canada, culminating in August with the week-long DCI World Championships.
Many other drum corps associations around the world are based upon DCI. It continues a tradition of exceptionally high quality drum corps, with membership in the top corps highly sought after and extremely competitive, attracting the interest of potential members from many countries.
DCI splits corps into 3 divisions:
- Division I (formerly Open Class) corps are the elite corps in the activity, with more than enough applicants to fill out their 135 member maximum. The top 12 corps as determined from the previous season are given voting rights to help govern the DCI circuit as well as increased performance purses and preferential touring schedules.
- Division II (formerly 'A' Class) and Division III (formerly 'A-60' Class) corps are generally less competitive as far as gaining membership. Since horn players comprise about half of all needed members, there are often inadequate numbers of them in II/III corps. Drummers, avid and in abundance, can still be quite competitive for spots even at the "lower" levels. Division II corps can have up to 135 members; Division III corps have up to 60 members.
The DCI circuit is highly competitive and rehearsal schedules are significantly more intense than those in other circuits. Beginning in late fall or early winter, corps hold weekend-long rehearsal camps once each month. The first two or three camps are primarily to audition members, though the audition process is not necessarily formal.
At the end of the college school year in May, winter camps cease and members of full-time corps report for move-in, that is, move to the locality where the corps rehearses. Corps then spend 12- to 16-hour days refining the music and movement of their show, as there is little time remaining before the beginning of the competitive season in June.
Some corps (mostly Division II/III corps) cannot tour the entire summer. Such corps are called weekend-only corps. In late April or early May, they typically up the frequency of camps from monthly to weekly. A few weeks before DCI Championships, members will typically move-in for an abbreviated tour. However, some corps—especially feeder corps associated with a Division I organization and relatively new corps—will not travel to championships at far away locations, only attending local competitions.
For members of most corps, the activity is a full-time summer commitment—members are on the road performing in competitions and parades across the U.S. and Canada virtually non-stop until the DCI Championship week in mid-August. Corps travel by over-the-road buses in convoy with tractor trailers holding equipment and field kitchens. Once on the road, members generally sleep on the buses as the corps travels at night, and in sleeping bags in school gyms once the next destination is reached. They practice their show for as long as schedule allows during the day, and then load up for the evening competition nearby. After the show is over, the cycle repeats.
The DCI Championships are the epitome of the drum corps activity in North America. They are held the first or second week of August at a variable location each year; sometimes they are held at the same location for more than one year in a row. The Championships last for the better part of a week. Division I quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals are held at a professional or large college football stadium. See the DCI Division I World Champions article. Division II/III prelims and finals are held at a nearby, smaller facility.
During championships week, here is also an Individual & Ensemble (I&E) competition, which is typically held at an indoor facility such as a convention center. There are categories, called captions, for every individual brass and percussion instrument, individual auxilary members, brass ensembles, percussion ensembles, auxilary ensembles, and mixed ensembles.
Division I Drum Corps
1 These corps are members of Youth Education in the Arts (YEA) and have no traditional home location. YEA is headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania.