A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. They are most popular in the United States, though not uncommon in other parts of the world. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, often of a military style, that includes an associated organization's colors, name or symbol. Most high school marching bands, and some college marching bands, are accompanied by a color guard, a group of performers who add a visual interpretation to the music through the use of props, most often flags, rifles, and sabers.
A modern drum and bugle corps is a musical marching unit consisting of brass instruments, percussion instruments, electronic instruments, and color guard. Typically operating as independent non-profit organizations, corps perform in competitions, parades, festivals, and other civic functions. Participants of all ages are represented within the corps activity, but the majority are between the ages of 13 and 22 and are members of corps within Drum Corps International.
Drum Corps International (DCI) is a governing body for drum and bugle corps. Founded in 1971, DCI develops and enforces rules of competition and judges at sanctioned drum and bugle corps competitions throughout the United States and Canada. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2023, Drum Corps Associates (DCA) and DCI joined to become the sole governing body for drum and bugle corps in North America.
An indoor percussion ensemble or indoor drumline is a type of marching ensemble consisting of battery and front ensemble instruments. It differs itself from a traditional percussion ensemble by not only on musical performance, but on theatrics and marching. Although most indoor percussion ensembles are affiliated with high schools, there are also many independent groups that draw participants from a large area and are independently funded. Independent groups typically start rehearsing in October, while high school groups typically start after their fall marching band season ends. Because of this, the activity is often called winter percussion or winterline.
Winter Guard International (WGI) is an American governing body that sanctions championship events for three competitive performing arts activities: color guard, percussion ensembles, and indoor marching bands. WGI was founded in 1977 in response to inconsistent adjudication and rules of competition which made it difficult for color guards to compete nationally. Today, WGI publishes and maintains an adjudication handbook, with an accompanying "Rules & Regulations", that has been widely adopted.
Senator Ruben S. Ayala Senior High School, often abbreviated as Ayala High School or AHS, is located in Chino Hills, California. It is one of the four comprehensive high schools in the Chino Valley Unified School District. The school was established in 1990 and named after California state senator Ruben S. Ayala. It received the 2011 California Distinguished School award and the 2015 California Gold Ribbon School Award.
Color guards or Flag corps are teams of performers who perform choreographed dances and routines with various equipment to enhance and interpret the music of a marching band or drum and bugle corps show. Color guard teams can be found in American colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, and independent drum corps. They use various equipment including flags, fake rifles, and sabres, along with other props. Most Color Guard groups are of mixed gender but some may also be single gender.
Winter guard is an indoor color guard sport and performance art derived from military ceremonies. Modern winter guard is a competitive, performance-based activity which incorporates choreographed staging, dance, and manipulation of equipment such as flags, prop rifles, and sabers. Unlike traditional color guard, winter guard performances and contests are held indoors, usually in a gymnasium or an indoor arena. Performances typically last three to seven minutes and are generally accompanied by recorded soundtracks rather than live music. However, the use of live instrumentation and vocalization have grown in popularity. Winter guard is most present in the United States; independent units have also been formed in Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Winter guard ensembles often perform at judged competitions officiated by local and regional associations using criteria developed by Winter Guard International, host of the annual Winter Guard International World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. The World Championships event purportedly attracts in 60,000 visitors to the event annually. Scoring attempts to rank units on the repertoire and achievement of aspects of each performance such as unity, quality, range, precision, skill, design, and effect.
Mansfield High School (MHS) is a four-year, comprehensive public high school located in Mansfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is the only high school in the Mansfield Public Schools system. MHS has approximately 1,300 students in grades nine though twelve. The school teams are named the Hornets, the mascot is Sting the Hornet, and the school colors are green, white, and black.
Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School is a secondary school located on 500 South Broad Street in the borough of Mechanicsburg, west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The school is part of the Mechanicsburg Area School District.
The Northwest Association for Performing Arts (NWAPA) is a governing body and competitive circuit of high school marching bands, color guards, and percussion ensembles based in Portland, Oregon. The association was founded in 1997 as the Northwest Marching Band Circuit (NWMBC). A majority of the current member high schools are based in Oregon, with others from Washington, Idaho, and California. The first circuit marching band championship was hosted in 2000.
Haddon Heights Junior/Senior High School, previously known as Haddon Heights High School (HHHS), is a six-year comprehensive public middle school / high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grades from Haddon Heights, in Camden County, in New Jersey, operating as part of the Haddon Heights School District. The school also serves students from the neighboring communities of Barrington, Lawnside and Merchantville, who attend the high school for grades 9–12 as part of sending/receiving relationships.
The Tournament of Bands (TOB), also known as Tournament of Bands / Tournament Indoor Association (TOB/TIA), is an American school band association and governing body that sanctions marching band, color guard, and drumline, competitions in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. The "tournament of bands", or "tournament indoor", culminates in regional championships, or Chapter Championships, followed by the Atlantic Coast Championships (ACC), every November and May.
Muscle Shoals High School (MSHS), is the sole public secondary education institution in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. MSHS has been awarded the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Award for Excellence.
The Legends Drum & Bugle Corps is an Open Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Legends performs in Drum Corps International (DCI) competitions.
Rhythm X, Inc. is a non-profit music education organization that operates a competitive indoor percussion ensemble and wind ensemble, as well as an online school for marching music called The X Academy. The company was founded in 2002 by Craig Dunn as the Rhythm X Performance Ensemble. The ensembles compete in both the Winter Guard International (WGI) and Mid-East Performance Association (MEPA) circuits in the World Class, which is the classification given to the ensembles that execute musical and visual programs of the highest difficulty. In 2013, Rhythm X announced the launch of The X Academy, an online and in-person educational program suited for high school and college-age musicians interested in competitive percussion and wind ensembles. Later that year the organization announced the addition of its newest ensemble that would compete in the new WGI Winds Division in 2015.
The Mid-America Competing Band Directors Association (MACBDA) was a governing body and summer high school marching band competition circuit based in the Upper Midwest.
Carolina Gold Drum and Bugle Corps is an inactive Open Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Formerly based in Rocky Mount and Greensboro in its earlier years, Carolina Gold is now based in Raleigh, NC.
Biglerville High School is a small public high school located in the borough of Biglerville, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Upper Adams School District. The high school serves the boroughs of Biglerville, Bendersville, and Arendtsville. It also serves the residents of Tyrone Township, Butler Township, and Menallen Township. As of the 2020–2021 school year, enrollment was 540.
Sun Valley High School is a public high school in Aston, Pennsylvania, a part of Delaware County in the Philadelphia suburbs. It is the only high school in the Penn-Delco School District.