2024 Season Planning

The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps is excited to begin planning for the 2024 season, our 18th year as a World Class institution.  While details are yet to be announced, plans for our summer competition tour are already in the works, and audition opportunities are being finalized.   

Auditions

Auditions begin this fall with opportunities for students to audition virtually through an initial video evaluation and through our primary audition camp held in December.   Return here frequently, as smaller, remote audition events may be held in an area near you.

Prospective members attending a LIVE event may be offered a membership position or callback to the January camp, when most of the membership placements occur.  Staff are not able to place a student in a membership position without an in-person evaluation.  If attendance at a LIVE event is not an option, Video auditions are the next best way to get into the mix in order to be invited to the Callback camp.  Special circumstances may allow for membership placement without attending a live event, determined on a case by case basis, typically with an accompanying staff recommendation.  

Video auditions

While the live audition events are the primary method of achieving membership, a video evaluation is your way to get in the mix NOW, particularly if you just can’t attend our scheduled live events. Here are your guidelines to get going on that process.  Here, the process becomes simply to Register, Prepare, Upload, and Submit.  Visit the Video Audition Guidelines page for all of the details. 

MORE ABOUT THE 2024 SEASON

2024 Season Training Camps

For those planning on joining us for the 2024 season, below are our live training camps scheduled to prepare for the rigors of the summer tour. Training camps for the 2024 season have been preliminarily set for the following dates:  

December 1-3 – Move-in Audition Camp (All Sections)
January 12-14 (updated)– Audition & Training Camp #1 Callbacks/Members/Applicants (All Sections)
February 9-11 – Audition & Training Camp #2 (Brass Only)
March 8-10 – Audition & Training Camp #3 (Brass Only)
April 5-7 – Audition & Training Camp #4 (Brass Only)
April 26-28 – Audition & Training Camp #5 (All Sections)

Summer Tour

The Summer experience begins for the 2024 corps with a tentative move-in date beginning Tuesday, May 28th (updated 11/12/23).  A 70+-day period follows with the conclusion of the season in Indianapolis for Drum Corps International World Championships.  Details of the summer tour will be announced in late November.  Members will travel to Phoenix Arizona on May 28 and then return home from Indianapolis on August 11.  

Brief History

In 2001, The Academy Brass & Percussion Ensemble was formed to give some of Arizona’s finest young musicians an introduction to the incredibly unique activity of drum and bugle corps. Over the course of three summers, the young group of 52-60 performed for several local events and had taken the opportunity to perform in exhibition at its home show, the Southwest Corps Connection. In 2004, the group added the final element of the color guard, was accepted as a DCI sanctioned unit, made the name change to The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps and began competing for the first time. In 2006, the corps had grown to 128 members and competed for the first time in Drum Corps International World Championships in Madison, Wisconsin where they earned the title of Division II World Champion. 2007 marked their first year competing in Division I, now called World Class, where they continue to compete today. In 2009, The Academy was named the official drum and bugle corps of the City of Tempe. 2016 marked an historic season for the corps with its first appearance in World Class Finals competition, placing 11th overall. The Academy postponed operations in 2020 for Covid-19 related reasons, and made its successful return to the big stage in August of 2021.  We look forward to 2023, our 17th year as a World Class corps.