World-renowned Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps.
What started as a small musical endeavor within a boys club in Canton more than 50 years ago is now an internationally known, inclusive drum corps providing music education to students from across the globe.
“We’re the most notable drum corps in the whole world,” says Mike Scott, the CEO and co-director of the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps.
Notable may be an understatement. About 2,000 students of all genders from around the world audition for the Bluecoats each year, and the corps continues to strive for another world championship after winning in 2016 and being a consistent top three finisher.
This summer, while celebrating the corps’ 50th anniversary, 165 Bluecoats, comprised of brass, percussion and color guard, are performing on football fields across the United States during a competitive tour as a part of Drum Corps International, a parent organization for more than 45 competitive corps. Local tour stops include Kent July 2 and Akron Aug. 8.
“Drum corps is kind of like the NBA for band kids,” Scott says, adding that it was his dream since he was young to march with the Bluecoats, which he did before returning to work with the corps.
Scott says the corps holds its performers — who are local and international students up to age 22 and are housed with the corps during the summer — and staff to the highest standards, working to be creative and innovative year to year.
“In the last decade, we’ve been clearly the trendsetter of the activity from an artistic standpoint,” he says. “We are willing to take risks creatively.”
The perfect example is the show in 2016, when the corps ditched the traditional wool marching band uniform — including the coats — and hit the field in modern spandex uniforms. And the show, “Downside Up,” wasn’t your typical halftime performance.
“We knew that it was going to kind of turn the activity upside down,” Scott says. “We had this beautiful new set that we used, with slides, and performers can fly up and down them.”
Other standout shows include the 2018 show, “Session 44,” in which performers played jazz music and marched in long, clean lines, taking the corps back to its roots while remaining modern, with a set that included 11-foot-tall neon chairs performers climbed and played on. “Maybe 10 people could stand on there,” Scott says. “That’s one of my favorite shows musically and aesthetically. It’s kind of a cult favorite.”
The 2019 show was simply titled, “The Bluecoats,” and it featured breathtaking medleys and pieces inspired by various Beatles melodies. “It was just fun to explore and get to pretend like we were something else,” Scott says, “and try to bring the audience along for that ride.”
Even as shows become more innovative, with audio-bending technology and intricate sets, music education remains a priority to the Bluecoats. Staff members facilitate educational camps and programs to around 1,000 nonmember students each year, including its new Bluecoats Fellowship mentorship program that focuses on accessibility to drum corps in underrepresented demographics.
The Bluecoats’ roots date back to 1967, when it was started as the Canton Police Boys Drum and Bugle Corps that marched the streets during parades, including in the Pro Football Hall of Fame parade. In 1972, the corps was renamed the Bluecoats — a nod to the police force that founded it.
“Drum corps starts with a really local thing for young, local students. And then the Bluecoats grew into this national brand,” Scott says.
Still, Canton remains the Bluecoats’ home base. The corps performs at Centennial Plaza July 3 and at the McKinley Monument July 4. Last year, the corps performed at Party in the Plaza, which was its first public performance after a canceled season during the 2020 shutdown.
“The town was bustling. … That is a pretty heartwarming memory for me, to see that Canton came back to support us,” Scott says. “That speaks to what Canton feels about us, which is wonderful.”