The Bluecoats
One of the most widely-celebrated and competitively successful drum corps, the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps is a marching ensemble made up of 165 young brass and percussion musicians, and color guard performers. Each year, more than 1,500 aspiring performers audition for the ensemble, which travels more than 8,000 miles across the United States performing at Drum Corps International events for hundreds of thousands of screaming fans.
Each season begins with an intensive Spring Training where performers develop their technique and learn a production with our team of world-class educators and designers. What follows is the summer tour of a lifetime, full of competition, hard work, and the formation of lifelong friendships. It’s what we call the Bluecoats Experience.
Ready to start your Bluecoats Experience?
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Recent DCI World Championships Medals
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2024
Gold Medal - 98.75
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2023
Silver Medal - 97.738
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2022
Silver Medal - 97.325
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2019
Silver Medal - 98.2375
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2018
Bronze Medal - 96.95
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2016
Gold Medal - 97.65
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2015
Bronze Medal - 96.925
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2014
Bronze Medal - 97.175
The Season at a Glance
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Pre-Season
November — Mid-May
Young adults from around the world come to an Audition Camp in November or December, or submit a Virtual Audition. In December we host a weekend musician-only Callback Camp. Throughout the rest of the pre-season, the corps rehearses together in January, March (brass), and April, and stays together online through video assignments, and virtual events.
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Spring Training
Mid-May — Late-June
An intense six-week experience that brings 165 performers and more than 100 staff and volunteers together to create the Bluecoats show. Some of the best designers, instructors, and administrators make this experience possible, along with our partners at the University of Mount Union, who make the entire campus available to us. We take Mondays off to rest and recharge.
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National Tour
Late-June — Mid-August
The Bluecoats will perform more than 20 times at events, parades, and field competitions across the US. This exciting national tour culminates at the three-day Drum Corps International (DCI) World Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. On days without performances, the corps rehearses intensely. About one day a week the corps takes time off to rest, do laundry, and have some fun!
Our focus on health, wellness & safety, world-class educational team, family environment, appreciation of individuality, and crowd-favorite productions are what set Bluecoats apart. There’s only one place to get the Bluecoats Experience and that’s right here.
More Information For:
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Change Is Everything ('24)
Entropy is the arrow of time, moving us relentlessly from order to disorder. How do we create human moments even as everything devolves around us?
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![Action shot of Flugelhorn player.]()
The Garden of Love ('23)
“I went to The Garden of Love…”
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![Action shot of brass performer and color guard performer sitting together on a car seat set piece.]()
Riffs & Revelations ('22)
Wander with us as we travel through our minds and over the road on a journey to reveal who we really are.
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![Action shot of color guard member wearing 'Lucy' sunglasses and a sparkly dress.]()
Lucy ('21)
Intermission is over, please take your seats as we explore Lucy’s world. A second act to our 2019 production, Lucy features music from The Beatles.
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![Action shot of brass members crowding together and playing their instruments while posing.]()
the BLUECOATS ('19)
A concert celebrating the forward-thinking spirit of love, collaboration, innovation, and inclusion that The Beatles embodied.
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![Action shot of trumpet player playing while standing on a very large chair set piece.]()
Session 44 ('18)
With Billie Holiday’s formative track, “God Bless The Child,” as our lens, the Bluecoats, in our own 44th production, explore the artist’s experience.
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![Baritones and euphoniums standing and playing on front staircase of large jagged line set piece.]()
Jagged Line ('17)
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![Two color guard performers sliding down large ramp set piece.]()
Down Side Up ('16)
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![Performer in orb prop playing horn.]()
Kinetic Noise ('15)
The oscillating force of kinetic motion collides with the intense and startling vibrations emanating from the music of five incredible modern artists.
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![Photo of 2014 performer jumping off a ramp prop.]()
TILT ('14)
TILT (verb) - to cause to lean, incline, slope, or slant.
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1972 — Present
