The Latest
Monday Memory: When There Was No Off-Season
Back in the earliest of days, the Bluecoats never heard of "Spring Training." We trained all year round, every week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with the occasional weekend camp, and just transitioned our work based on the season. In the fall, we would focus on basics at the old Boys Club. In the early '70's, it was about teaching many of us to simply play our instruments. Some of us learned on ancient equipment (I started on a single piston bugle...google that!) and the marching staff would teach us all about posture and military-style marching. It was mostly a time to keep us together from the previous season and to welcome newcomers.
Bluecoats & EN-RICH-MENT Organizations Announce Affiliation, Restructuring & Begin A New Era Of Expanded Access To Life-Changing Programming For Young People
Today Bluecoats and EN-RICH-MENT announced a new affiliation between the organizations, launching a new future for performing arts and youth education programming in Stark County. This newly formed affiliation will restructure both organizations, creating an extraordinary spectrum of programming for youth that spans from local students' first experiences with the performing arts, to the world-renowned Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps.
Jaycee Wilson Appointed Colorguard Caption Head, Kathy Pearson & Samia Vanderkolff Promoted To New Roles
Bluecoats Hall of Fame Member Kathy Pearson has been promoted to Colorguard Caption Supervisor, and Jaycee Wilson will be the new Colorguard Caption Head. Samia Vanderkolff has been promoted to Movement Caption Head.
Bob Barker: the unlikeliest of traditions dies with Barker’s real death
It was the staple hoax of every drum corps summer. It was a tribute to our gullibility as members with news from the “real world” when we were living within the drum corps bubble. And it was something that spread, annually, across many drum corps each summer. But how did this annual “tradition” get started? Chalk it up to a couple of Bluecoats who wanted to test the waters on how far a rumor could spread in a drum corps summer.
The Bluecoats & Their Garden of Love Earn Silver Medal At Incredible 2023 World Championships
On Saturday night the Bluecoats took home their third consecutive Silver Medal at the Drum Corps International World Championships, with a score of 97.738. The corps brought their 2023 production The Garden of Love to life in three incredible performances that left the World Championships crowd standing in uproarious ovation.
Roger Carter, Derek Gipson, Dr. Matthew “Ryan” Kilgore, Dean Westman Inducted Into 2023 Bluecoats Hall of Fame
We’re pleased to announce the newest inductees to the Bluecoats Hall of Fame: Roger Carter, Derek Gipson, Dr. Matthew “Ryan” Kilgore, and Dean Westman. Members of the Bluecoats Hall of Fame are individuals whose history of outstanding contributions and dedication is worthy of the highest level of recognition by the organization’s Board of Directors.
A New Mission, Vision, and Values
Over the last several years, we’ve spent a lot of time at Bluecoats reflecting on the kind of organization we’d like to be. We’ve examined our roots, celebrated our achievements, and worked hard on the things we can do better. So, as we enter the second 50-year chapter of the Bluecoats organization, it’s time to set our vision for the future, and work to create a Bluecoats that celebrates the value of performing arts education for everyone.
In alignment with this, we’ve created updated Mission, Vision, and Values statements to align with our vision for the future of Bluecoats.
2022 Diversity & Socioeconomic Impact Report
In July 2020, we promised to create an annual report on the demographic and socioeconomic impact of Bluecoats programs, the diversity of our team, and the progress of our initiatives to advance inclusion and equity within our organization. This is our third annual Diversity & Socioeconomic Impact Report.