Bluecoats 2024 Summer Season & National Tour
WITH A RENEWED FOCUS ON ARTS EDUCATION, 2024 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
The grand opening of the Bluecoats EN-RICH-MENT Arts Education Center in Downtown Canton.
The return of one of the nation’s largest drum corps shows - Innovations In Brass - to the HOF Enshrinement Week at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Monday August 5th, featuring TEN of the world’s greatest drum corps and a new BANDtastic! middle school honor band!
An expanded Bluecoats Summer Music Series, including the return of Bluecoats’ day-long block party Bluecoats Party in the Plaza at Centennial Plaza, and Opening Night Community Celebration at the University of Mt. Union - featuring every single drum corps in the state of Ohio! New this year, the EN-RICH-MENT African American Arts Festival!
The second year of Rhythm IN BLUE, a low-cost, low-barrier version of the Bluecoats Experience for any student 18 or older; and The Blue Way Summer Arts Camp, a two-day arts camp where students can “be a Bluecoat” for a weekend!
A focus on Arts Education, including programs like the Bluecoats Fellowship (honors program for young designers), Play It Forward (free and reduced-cost drum corps show tickets), Learning Access (free access to online education for Canton students), and showcasing our affiliate EN-RICH-MENT of Stark County.
The Bluecoats organization today announced more details of its 2024 summer season. The season will feature a renewed focus on Arts Education in the Stark County community. In addition to the corps’ return to the DCI “Midwest Tour,” this summer’s season features other exciting changes. The organization will host a special ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony of its new EN-RICH-MENT Arts Education Center on the same day as its annual block party - Bluecoats Party in the Plaza. Additionally, the Summer Music Series will gain a new annual event as EN-RICH-MENT’s African American Arts Festival joins the line-up.
Through the organization’s affiliation with EN-RICH-MENT, the growth of The Blue Way Summer Arts Camp, an expanded line-up at Innovations In Brass, and an expansion of Play It Forward, the 2024 Bluecoats season will introduce thousands more kids to its arts education programming, and increase access to this life-enriching programming in Stark County and beyond.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Grand Opening of Bluecoats’ EN-RICH-MENT Arts Education Center
Central to this summer’s theme of Arts Education, the organization will unveil its brand new $1.75M EN-RICH-MENT Arts Education Center in Downtown Canton on Sunday, June 30th. The event will feature a performance of the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps as well as performances from the EN-RICH-MENT Drumline and other ensembles. A self-guided tour of the facility, drinks and hors d'oeuvres, and remarks from the leadership and supporters of this monumental campaign will be featured throughout the afternoon.
The facility marks the Bluecoats organization’s largest investment in the Canton Community. The facility, dedicated solely to the programming of EN-RICH-MENT, an affiliate of Bluecoats, will ensure that generations of underresourced kids in urban Canton have access to free music, arts, and lifeskills classes and programming. Built with each of EN-RICH-MENT’s programs in mind, the facility will feature drumline, dance, and other music rehearsal spaces, a dedicated art studio, a learning kitchen, classrooms, offices, and even private practice rooms. Thanks to the new center’s location on the campus of the Cultural Center for the Arts, the students’ experiences will be enhanced by access to ARtsinStarks new pocket park, and the performance and rehearsal spaces of the Cultural Center.
Following the ribbon cutting event and Bluecoats concert, the EN-RICH-MENT Drumline will lead a parade of guests down Market Ave to kick off the fourth annual Bluecoats Party in the Plaza at Centennial Plaza in Downtown Canton.
A Focus On Arts Education
The 2024 Bluecoats season’s commitment to Arts Education extends beyond the new Arts Education Center. The organization’s affiliation with EN-RICH-MENT brings hundreds of new students and programs into the spectrum of Bluecoats programming. Furthermore, the organization is launching a new honor band for Northeast Ohio middle school students!
EN-RICH-MENT Fine Arts Summer Camp
The annual EN-RICH-MENT Fine Arts Summer Camp will take place this summer from June 4th through July 12th at EN-RICH-MENT’s brand new home in Downtown Canton! The program is free to all students, and typically puts more than 200 students through the program each summer. Featuring classes in music, art, theater, dance, gardening, and other life skills, the Fine Arts Summer Camp is perhaps one of the most impactful free youth programs offered in Canton each summer.
Learn more and register at en-rich-ment.org.
The Blue Way Summer Arts Camp Returns!
Summer Arts Camp returns to the University of Mount Union in 2024! Returning last year after the pandemic, the refreshed event hosts between 150 and 250 students annually. Campers get to “be a Bluecoat” for a weekend, including rehearsing, eating, and even performing alongside the 2024 Bluecoats at the Bluecoats Opening Night Community Celebration.
Thanks to Bluecoats Spring Training home at the beautiful University of Mount Union, students experience this life-changing camp in our home county and on the same campus that the Bluecoats use to train and prepare for a summer of a lifetime.
Learn more and register at bluecoats.com/theblueway.
**NEW! A BANDtastic! Summer!
In partnership with Drum Corps International, Bluecoats is excited to introduce BANDtastic!, an honor band for middle school students in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. Students who are nominated for the program by their middle school band director will experience mass band rehearsals from local band directors and guest conductors, perform alongside Rhythm IN BLUE at one of the largest drum corps shows in America, and have the opportunity to sit in the stands and watch the Bluecoats and nine of the best drum corps in America perform on the first day Championships Week!
The 2024 edition of BANDtastic! features guest conductor Dr. Galen Karriker, Director of Bands at the University of Akron, and master teacher Dean Westman, Director of Orchestras, and Performing Arts Department Chair at Avon (IN) Community Schools and the Sr. Education Advisor at Bluecoats. Additionally, many of Northeast Ohio’s finest middle school band directors will be engaged in this day of fun!
Learn more at bluecoats.com/bandtastic.
**NEW! Introducing Band Director Days
Also new this year are Band Director Days! In partnership with the University of Mount Union, Bluecoats will host these action-packed continuing education days during Bluecoats Spring Training. The half-day events will include time spent observing Bluecoats rehearsals and educational processes, a session with a senior Bluecoats designer or educator on a specific design, pedagogy, or rehearsal topic, and attendance at full ensemble rehearsal narrated by Bluecoats’ Sr. Education Advisor and master teacher Dean Westman.
More information coming soon to bluecoats.com/events
Expansion of the Bluecoats Summer Music Series - Introducing the EN-RICH-MENT African American Arts Festival
Launched in 2021, the Bluecoats Summer Music Series features all of the local performances and community events offered each summer by Bluecoats. This year, the event features an exciting expansion of Innovations In Brass, presented by Solotech, a private concert by the Bluecoats at the grand opening of the EN-RICH-MENT Arts Education Center, and the addition of the EN-RICH-MENT African American Arts Festival.
Started in 2021, the EN-RICH-MENT African American Arts Festival is a day full of “Family Fun, Food, Music & More, featuring artists and performers from around Stark County and Northeast Ohio. Learn more about the festival at africanamericanartsfestival.com.
The full roster of Bluecoats Summer Music Series events this summer includes:
June 4 - EN-RICH-MENT Fine Arts Summer Camp
June 28 - Alumni Homecoming Weekend
June 28 - The Blue Way Summer Arts Camp
June 29 - Bluecoats Opening Night Community Celebration
June 30 - Grand Opening of the EN-RICH-MENT Arts Education Center & Bluecoats Concert
June 30 - Fourth Annual Bluecoats Party in the Plaza
July 12 - EN-RICH-MENT Fine Arts Showcase
July 20 - Fourth Annual African American Arts Festival
August 5 - BANDtastic! Middle School Honor Band (in partnership with DCI)
August 5 - Innovations In Brass, presented by Solotech
Spring Training & The Bluecoats Fellowship Return To the University of Mount Union
Bluecoats Spring Training returns to its new home at the University of Mount Union in 2024! During this five and half week camp, the Bluecoats and their instructors prepare for their national tour. The event utilizes the rehearsal, physical training, and athletic medicine assets on the beautiful Mt. Union campus. The students and staff live on campus and eat daily at the dining facilities.
This event, now hosted in Stark County, serves as a springboard for much of the Bluecoats organization’s other Spring and Summer programming in the local community. The Bluecoats Fellowship, an honors program for underrepresented designers in the marching arts, completes a live-in four-week residency program at Spring Training where they also take advantage of their one-on-one mentorship with a Bluecoats designer. Events like Band Director Days, The Blue Way Summer Arts Camp, and Bluecoats Opening Night Community Celebration also leverage the campus during Spring Training.
The corps rehearses at Spring Training daily from 9am until between 9 and 10p, and takes Mondays off to explore Alliance, rest, and recover. Nightly ensemble rehearsals are open to the public, and often visited by locals who enjoy watching the Bluecoats show come to life. (Some rehearsals may be closed to the public, please check Bluecoats’ social media accounts before attending.)
Rhythm IN BLUE & Legacy Arc
Re-launched in 2023 as a weekend-based version of the Bluecoats, Rhythm IN BLUE is open to participants 18 and older. The program is a lower-cost “Bluecoats Experience,” and won “Best In Show” last year at the DCI Soundsport International Music & Food Festival, the premiere event of the DCI Soundsport Class. Learn more about Rhythm IN BLUE at bluecoats.com/rhythminblue.
Legacy Arc is a program of the Bluecoats Alumni Council, and features Bluecoats Alumni from across our history performing historical Bluecoats music at Bluecoats Summer Music Series events. This wonderful ensemble found its resurgence following the massive success of the nearly 500-person 50th Anniversary Alumni Corps in 2022. This summer Legacy Arc will perform at many exciting events, including Bluecoats Opening Night Community Celebration! Learn more about Legacy Arc at bluecoats.com/legacyarc.
8,000 Mile National Tour & The DCI World Championships
The world-renowned Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps will represent Canton, OH once again on its more than 8,000 mile national tour. This year the corps will traverse the Midwest on its way to its usual destinations across Texas, the South, and the East. Each year, the tour culminates during “Championships Week” when the corps returns to its hometown send-off at Innovations In Brass, presented by Solotech, a rehearsal at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, and then three nights of thrilling competition at the DCI World Championships. The corps has earned a silver medal in each of the last three World Championships.
The corps will visit these incredible cities in Summer 2024!
Cincinnati, OH | 07/02
Whitewater, WI | 7/06
La Crosse, WI | 07/07
DeKalb, IL (NIU) | 07/13
Ankeny, IA (Greater Des Moines) | 07/14
Broken Arrow, OK | 07/16
Denton, TX | 07/18
Houston, TX | 07/19
San Antonio, TX | 07/20
Murfreesboro, TN (Greater Nashville) | 07/26
Atlanta, GA | 07/27
Winston-Salem, NC | 07/28
Annapolis, MD (Greater DC) | 07/30
Glassboro, NJ (Greater Philadelphia) | 07/31
Allentown, PA | 08/02
Canton, OH | 08/05
Indianapolis, IN | 08/08-10
TICKETS & INFORMATION
Innovations in Brass, presented by Solotech & Summer Music Series
Tickets for Innovations in Brass, presented by Solotech are available online at bluecoats.com/innovations. Plan to spend the day at the beautiful Hall of Fame Village during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival! Learn more, including parking details when you plan your visit at bluecoats.com/innovationsvisit.
Details for all events of the Bluecoats Summer Music Series are available at bluecoats.com/local.
Bluecoats National Tour & DCI Premier Events
Find a full list of Bluecoats’ events, with links to tickets, at bluecoats.com/events.
Bluecoats offers special seating blocks for DCI Premiere Events in San Antonio, Atlanta, Allentown, and at the DCI World Championships in Indianapolis. A portion of ticket sales purchased in these blocks directly supports Bluecoats programming. Find more details at bluecoats.com/tickets.
Group Sales & Play It Forward
Bluecoats offers Group Sales discounts for Innovations in Brass. Find more details about Group Tickets here. Put Group Sales tickets on hold here.
Bluecoats offers group discounts of 10% off for groups of 5+, or 15% off for groups of 10+ at The Blue Way Summer Arts Camp. Email blueway@bluecoats.com to learn more.
Play It Forward offers free drum corps tickets for performing arts students of select schools in Northeast Ohio. Learn more about the program at bluecoats.com/playitforward
Streaming
FloMarching is the official streaming partner of Drum Corps International. Catch the Bluecoats and DCI’s other amazing corps on FloMarching’s streaming schedule at flomarching.com.
FloMarching is the official streaming partner of the Bluecoats Opening Night Community Celebration. The event will stream live on flomarching.com. More details at bluecoats.com/openingnight.
2024 SPONSORS & PARTNERS
Foundation & Institutional Support
Timken Foundation of Canton
Stark Community Foundation
Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton
The Hoover Foundation
Lemmon Foundation
George H. Deuble Foundation
Huntington Bank
People’s Bank
City of Canton
Performance Partners
Yamaha Musical Instruments
Stanbury Uniforms
Tama Drums
Bergerault Percussion
Zildjian
Innovative Percussion
Evans Drumheads
Ultimate Drill Book
Directors Showcase International (DSI)
Pageantry Innovations
Digital Performance Gear
Meinl
Hammond Design
ON2 Percussion
Planet Waves
TreeWorks
Wireless Mic Belts
Event Sponsors
Solotech
Pro Football Hall of Fame
KeyBank
Public Support
ArtsinStark
Ohio Arts Council
VisitCanton
Downtown Canton Special Improvement District (SID)
Community Partners
PPI Graphics
Stark Community Foundation
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Drum Corps International
National First Ladies Library & Museum
Streaming Partner
FloMarching, a division of FloSports
