Celebrating Our 50th Anniversary!

Written By Mike Scott

Today we begin THE much-anticipated celebration of our golden anniversary! Bluecoats Turns FIFTY this year - LET’S CELEBRATE!

Fifty years ago, the Bluecoats organization was founded as a small, community-focused music education program that brought the drum corps experience to the young people of Canton. We spent the next fifty years bringing performing arts programming to thousands of students across the globe, and now that small town drum corps has flourished into the World Champion standard-setter that it is today.

Today, we begin a year-long celebration of our organization, and spend some time outlining our vision for the future of Bluecoats. As we reflect on our roots as a community-focused agency, and celebrate our success on the world stage, we write a vision for our future that reinvigorates our commitment to providing local music education and recommits to our goal to reach new artistic heights on the world stage.

HOW WE WILL CELEBRATE

What better way to celebrate our golden anniversary than a return to a FULL DCI Tour! After a cancelled season in 2020 and an abbreviated tour in 2021, this summer the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps is back with a full national tour, including performances in Ohio, Texas, New England, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, Allentown, and of course the DCI World Championships in Indianapolis.

But that’s not all - we’re also bringing more events to our local Northeast Ohio Community than ever before. In 2022, our 50th Celebration Local Series includes Innovations in Brass, Bluecoats Party in the Plaza, Tour of Champions - Akron, and a brand new, once-in-a-generation concert with more than 600 Bluecoats performing on the steps of the McKinley Monument on July 4th!

THE 50th CELEBRATION LOCAL SERIES

  • JULY 2nd - INNOVATIONS IN BRASS - CANTON AREA, OH

  • JULY 3rd - BLUECOATS PARTY IN THE PLAZA - CENTENNIAL PLAZA

  • JULY 4th - FOURTH OF JULY EXTRAVAGANZA

  • AUG 8th - TOUR OF CHAMPIONS - AKRON - INFOCISION STADIUM

Many tickets go on sale for our summer events this month! Stay tuned!

 

A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF BLUECOATS

Our 50th birthday is about more than celebrating fifty years of the Bluecoats Experience with some drum corps shows. It’s about celebrating what we are as an organization, and about defining a vision for who we are going to be.

In 2022, we will outline our vision for the future of Bluecoats - and we will ensure that this vision is one that makes Bluecoats a more accessible, equitable, and inclusive organization. This means committing to more local education programming, investing in accessibility, and furthering our commitment to provide the safest and most fulfilling drum corps experience we can.

THE PILLARS OF OUR VISION

  1. INVESTING IN THE BLUECOATS EXPERIENCE

  2. INVESTING IN MUSIC EDUCATION

  3. INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY

  4. INVESTING IN ACCESSIBILITY & EQUITY

A CELEBRATION FOR THE ENTIRE BLUECOATS COMMUNITY

The best part of our 50th Anniversary? Everyone’s invited!

The past fifty years at Bluecoats are worth celebrating because they have fostered an incredible community of people from all walks of life, and from all around the globe. We’ll spend the next year honoring our roots, celebrating our successes, and envisioning our future - and we want the entire Bluecoats Community involved.

Come, be a part of our celebration. We can’t wait to see you!

Mike Scott
Mike Scott is a clinician, consultant, and the CEO of Rhythm X, Inc., a non-profit music education company in Dayton, Ohio. Mike earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 2012. There he studied percussion and conducting and completed the Farmer School of Business Summer Institute. Before beginning his career as an administrator and teacher, Mike was an active performer in the marching arts. In 2011 Mike was the conductor of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps of Canton, Ohio and was a performer in Rhythm X’s percussion ensemble from 2011-2012. Mike was also a member of the Miami University Marching Band for four years, serving as the drum major during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In 2013 Mike began work at Rhythm X, Inc. as the Operations Director, managing the business development and logistics of the organization. He was also the Director of Instrumental Music at St. Ursula Academy in Toledo, Ohio. There he taught band, orchestra, and general music in grades 6-12. Prior to the 2015 competitive season, Mike became the first full-time employee at Rhythm X, Inc. as the company’s CEO. There he works with the organization’s President Tim Fairbanks to develop the future strategy of the company. During the summer months, Mike travels the country with the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps as the group’s Tour Administrator. He has also served as the tour manager of The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Mike proudly endorses Innovative Percussion, Etymotic Research, and Fred J. Miller Inc.
http://mikewscott.com
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The Next Fifty Years