The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps

The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps (also known as simply "The Academy") is a World Class junior competitive drum and bugle corps based in Tempe, Arizona. The corps is a member of Drum Corps International (DCI).[1]

The Academy

Type	Drum and Bugle Corps
Location	Tempe, Arizona
Division	World Class
Founded	2001
Director	Mark Richardson
Championship titles	2006 Division II
Website	arizonaacademy.org

History

In 2001, a group of people gathered in the Phoenix, Arizona area with the intent of starting a drum and bugle corps (D&B). They formed the Board of Directors of the Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts, a non-profit organization with the goal "...of enhancing the culture of music, dance, and the performing arts in Arizona." They then formed The Academy Brass & Percussion Ensemble, which made numerous local appearances during the summers of 2001–03, including at the D&B competition the organization sponsors, the Southwest Corps Connection.[2]

In the summer of 2004, the corps added a color guard, changed the name to The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, and entered the field of competition. Marching a short season of only four weeks and six shows in Arizona and California, the corps was undefeated in Division II.[3] The next year, the corps expanded its boundaries, performing in 10 shows, including Drums Along the Rockies, in Denver, and was again undefeated in Division II. 2006 was The Academy's most successful season. The corps appeared in shows in seven states, including the DCI Division II/III World Championships in Madison, Wisconsin, where the corps capped their third undefeated season with the Division II title.[4]

In 2007, The Academy moved into Division I (now World Class) competition. That was their most successful season in the class placing 13th, until the 2016 corps finished 11th at the DCI World Championships.[5]

The Academy assembled a 100+ member brass, percussion, and auxiliary ensemble of members and alumni that performed outside University of Phoenix Stadium prior to the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIX and at the NFL Experience, "an interactive theme park of all things football," during the week of January 25–February 1, 2015.[6]

In 2016, The Academy had their most successful season since moving to World Class, placing in the top 12 at all three DCI regionals. At the DCI World Championships in Indianapolis, The Academy placed 11th, becoming the first corps to make its Finals debut since the Seattle Cascades in 2002.

Sponsorship

The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps is sponsored by the Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts (AAPA), a 501 (c)(3) musical organization that has a Board of Directors, corps director, and staff assigned to carry out the organization's mission of, "...building great people through great performances." The Executive Director is Mark Richardson.[7] In addition to the drum and bugle corps, the Arizona Academy also sponsors The Academy Winter Youth Guard[8] and The Academy Summer Youth Guard,[9] two introductory color guard activities; and Phenom - which plans to make the transition from being a Soundsport group, to an Open Class Drum and Bugle corps in 2020.[10]

Show summary (2001–2020)

Source:[11]

Gold background indicates DCI Championship; pale blue background indicates DCI Class Finalist; pale green background indicates DCI semifinalist.

Year	Theme	Repertoire	Score	Placement
2001	Excerpts from Drum Corps Past	Malambo (Finale from Estancia) by Alberto Ginastera / Amber Waves by Morton Gould / When a Man Loves a Woman by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright	---	---
2002		Ya Gotta Try by Sammy Nestico / Grand Canyon Fanfare by James Newton Howard / Cadillac of the Skies (from Empire of the Sun) by John Williams	---	---
2003		A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten / Vide Cor Meum (from Hannibal) by Hans Zimmer / The Challenge & Promise (from Millennium Celebration) by Gavin Greenaway	---	---
2004	Debut	Symphony for Brass and Percussion (mvt III) by Alfred Reed / Chanson Melancolique by Morley Calvert / Jubilation from Symphony for Brass and Timpani by Herbert Haufrecht	---	---
2005		Piano Concerto No. 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich	---	---
2006	¡danzón!	Huapango by Jose Pablo Moncayo / Patria by Ruben Blades / El Cumbanchero by Rafael Hernández	95.625	1st Div. II
2007	The Chase	The Chase / The Villain / The Hero / The Woman / At the Jitterbug Club / The Love Theme / The Chase / Conclusion All original compositions by The Academy staff	84.50	13th
2008	Vienna Nights	Freud’s Dream / Mozart’s Theme / Café Life / Gallop / Notturno / Finale-Alla Turka All from Vienna Nights by Philip Wilby	78.85	18th
2009	The Ascent	Call of the Mountain (from Gates of Gold) by Joseph Curiale / An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss / Kingfishers Catch Fire by John Mackey	83.75	14th
2010	Strangers In Paradise	Overture (from Prince Igor) by Alexander Borodin / Aquarium (from Carnival of the Animals) by Camille Saint-Saëns / Selections from Prince Igor, Polovstian Dances & Chorus (From Prince Igor) by Alexander Borodin	84.05	14th
2011	(RE)	The Little Fugue in G Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach / Lux Aurumque by Eric Whitacre / Fly by Ludovico Einaudi / Lollapalooza by John Adams	82.65	15th
2012	Left of Spring: Stravinsky Revisited	Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky / Epilogue & The Song of Purple Summer (from Spring Awakening) by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater /	81.90	15th
2013	Piano Man	Wilkommen (from Cabaret) by John Kander and Fred Ebb / Alabama Song by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht / Falling In Love Again by Fredrick Hollander and Sammy Lerner / Piano Concerto No. 2 Mvt. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich / Piano Man by Billy Joel	78.20	19th
2014	Vanity Fair	Fanfare-Rondeau from 1st Suite de symphonies by Jean-Joseph Mouret / Crown Imperial by William Walton / What a Wonderful World by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss / Dance of the Hours by Amilcare Ponchielli / Jazz Suite # 2, Waltz #2 by Dmitri Shostakovich / Hungarian Rhapsody #2 by Franz Liszt / Symphony # 7, 2nd Mvt. by Ludwig van Beethoven / Paris Sketches by Martin Ellerby	81.875	16th
2015	A Step in Time	Music from "Mary Poppins" I– Introduction–Chim Chim Cher-ee by The Sherman Brothers / A Shooting Star by George Stiles, Anthony Drewe, and The Sherman Brothers II–A Spoonful of Sugar by The Sherman Brothers / Practically Perfect by George Stiles, Anthony Drewe, and The Sherman Brothers / Galop from Masquerade Suite by Aram Khachaturian III– Step in Time by The Sherman Brothers / IV– Feed the Birds by The Sherman Brothers V– Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious by The Sherman Brothers	81.825	15th
2016	Drum Corpse Bride	Corpse Bride (Main Titles) by Danny Elfman / Romeo & Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev / Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas / Suggestion Diabolique by Sergei Prokofiev / Unchained Melody by Alex North & Hy Zaret / Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 35 (The Funeral March) by Frédéric Chopin	86.100	11th
2017	By a Hare	Peer Gynt Suite no. 1, Morning Mood by Edvard Grieg / Hunting Wabbits by Gordon Goodwin / Overture to The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini / Danse Bohéme by Georges Bizet / Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner / Habanera by Georges Bizet / Hungarian Rhapsody by Frantz Liszt / Anvil Chorus by Giuseppe Verdi	84.188	14th
2018	Academic	The Imitation Game by Alexandre Desplat / Annie Lisle by H. S. Thompson / Academic Festival Overture by Johannes Brahms / The School for Scandal (Overture) by Samuel Barber / The Four Sections by Steve Reich / Keating's Triumph by Maurice Jarre	84.563	15th
2019	The Bridge Between	Dance 1. First Movement by Oliver Davis / Equilibrium by Paul Lovatt-Cooper / London Bridge Is Falling Down (Traditional) / Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Simon / Horizons by Paul Lovatt-Cooper / Original Music by Steven Vento	84.300	15th
2020		Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

References

1. "Corps". Drum Corps International. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
2. "History". Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
3. "Out of Nowhere — the Arizona Academy story". Drum Corps World. August 2004. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
4. "2006 Scores for The Academy". Maher Associates, Inc./corpsreps.com. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
5. "Song History for The Academy". Maher Associates, Inc./corpsreps.com. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
6. "The Academy is ready for the Super Bowl stage". Drum Corps International. January 28, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
7. "Board of Directors". Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
8. "Announcing the 2015 Academy Winter Youth Guard". Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
9. "Announcing the 2015 Academy Summer Youth Guard". Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
10. "HOME". Phenom. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
11. "The Academy/Repertoire". DCX: The Drum Corps Xperience. Retrieved 1 March 2018.

External links

• The Academy website
• Drum Corps International