Sophomores Jamen Hicks and Adilyn Osbourn had the opportunity to perform with Drum Corps International for the summer. They practiced and rehearsed for hours until they went on tour, where they then rehearsed and put on a collaborative show with different groups of people from all over the world.
“Man, it was super super cool for me,” Hicks said. “It was such a big opportunity to be able to do it. It was just a big moment for me. There was an opening and they were like, do you want to fill it? And I was like, of course. I was nervous. I was really scared I was going to get cut, because I didn’t think I was going to be good enough, but I was good enough.”
Drum corps travels to competitions all over the country and have people come from all over the world to collaborate and learn a certain style in order to compete in a certain group. There are different groups that you can audition for at various different levels. During the fall there are mini camps as well as during spring break. Then as soon as the summer hits they are off touring.
“They marched at World Championships and Lucas Oil Stadium, which is amazing and a huge experience,” band director Bre Osbourn said. “And it’s a really, really good college scholarship opportunity for all the kids that participate in it. It’s basically the Super Bowl for band nerds.”
Bre Osbourn has now had both of her kids be a part of Drum Corps International, and she herself has been able to be an instructor at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis where the championships are normally held. Ean Osbourn was part of the program in 2023. Adilyn Osbourn marched this year in color guard.
“What you do is, of course, you make a show but what you really do is just build a bond with people, and you really carry that bond until the end of the season” Adilyn Osbourn said. “It’s really fun. It’s definitely an experience. No one else is experiencing this with you. You know? It’s been amazing.”
The students in Drum Corps are very close knit and learn to depend on each other. They spend their days staying at different colleges and rehearsing for 14 hours a day leading up to the performance. The students are having to learn very difficult pieces with very little time so they need to be able to collaborate and learn from each other to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that they can put on a good performance.
“It’s one of those things where, if you’re in a healthy group when you try out for solos or parts, they cheer you on, and cheer each other on, like, hey that’s awesome,” Bre Osbourn said. “That’s what that’s like. I mean, once you’ve done it, that’s a heritage thing. It’s a pride thing, for being part of a team and a family.”
