Since the COVID pandemic Drum Corps United Kingdom has seen a major decline in Corps wishing to compete during a normal summer season and for the past 2 years has only had three member Corps take part in the competitions organised - including the British Drum Corps Championships.

Over the past few months the Board of DCUK has been in discussions with these member Corps, and a number of other performing units, about what they need to help them remain active but also provide support and education for their group. The overwhelming message coming back was performing within an indoor environment during the winter months was by far the most preferred way forward and so the decision was made to offer SoundSport events between the months of January and April which would still leave the summer months for any units that wished to also have an outdoor competitive Drum Corps season.

So at the start of October seven dates were announced for indoor SoundSport shows, in partnership with Winter Guard United Kingdom. Having these shows as part of a WGUK contest ensures that, regardless of the number of units registered to take part, the event would take place and plans could be made without fear of cancellation due to low entry. Preliminary details of these shows can be found at https://dcuk.org.uk/contests/contests.html

We are now at the beginning on November and are extremely pleased to advise of 10 confirmed registrations (plus at least 1 other unit seriously considering their options) and that all seven SoundSport shows have entries. The units registered so far are:

2nd Burntwood Boys' Brigade/ 1st Burntwood Girls' Brigade (Burntwood, Staffs)
51st/35th BB/GB Northfield Brigades (Birmingham)
Beeches Performing Arts (Birmingham)
Concord (Sheffield)
East Coast Elite (Lincolnshire)
Lanesfield BB/GB Band (Wolverhampton) 
Liberty (Northampton)
Pacemakers (St Marys Cray, Kent)
Revolution (Queensbury, Yorkshire)
Warwick Corps of Drums (Warwick, Warwickshire) 

Whilst SoundSport has been offered at DCUK summer events for a number of years it is envisaged that now also offering these events during the winter will help provide the springboard for any summer units and events that may be able to take place – if not this year then in the years to come.

2025 is DCUK’s 45th Anniversary (having been formed in 1980) and the introduction of SoundSport can help bring more units into the organisation and look to help secure a more stable future. In addition the support being offered by Drum Corps International, and most specifically John DeNovi (DCI Global Senior Director, Business Development), with both the SoundSport and DrumLine Battle genres, has been a huge influence in launching this new initiative in the United Kingdom.

Could your unit benefit from SoundSport – get in touch with DCUK

 

SoundSport® events showcase instrumental ensembles of any instrumentation and any skill level year-round, spotlighting their unique talents and creativity like never before. for more information visit the official website at www.soundsport.com