NLDBC experiences go on the road!

When we started the project that was Northern Lights Drum & Bugle Corps, our founders had a threefold mission; to prepare our students for a summer marching in a touring junior corps, to give an amazing experience to our current members, and to be a place to return home for DCI vets who still have the want to march. Northern Lights exists to help serve touring DCI World and Open Class corps by providing a marching arts season that is no less competitive, but IS less intensive, more generally affordable, and act as an entry point for those who without the resources of travel, time, or experience in the marching arts, may not have had exposure to Drum Corps International.

While our organization is steadfastly focused on the present, and always planning for the future, it's nonetheless exciting and humbling to see our (admittedly short) past leaving an impression on performers who come through our program. Our founder's design saw the Northern Lights program as a "place to get your DCI career started, and to return home to when you've aged out". 

With all of this in mind, we as admin staff are feeling so proud of the stories we're hearing from the 2024 DCI audition season. At the time of this writing, we confirmed two of the members on our inaugural baritone line in the '23 season, Logan Starnes and Ryan Kuhnert, have accepted contracts with touring corps (The Battalion in Open Class, and Madison Scouts in World Class, respectively). From the Northern Lights family, we want to offer our sincerest congratulations to Logan and Ryan for sticking it through the DCI audition process and wish them all the best on tour this summer! Take the memories made and lessons learned from your season with the 'Lights on tour with you and just know you've got a family here in Michigan cheering you both on through the good times and the difficult ones!

It's humbling seeing a plan come together, and as the corps continues to grow, we hope our impact continues to reach an ever-wider pool of young musicians looking for that little bit of experience before committing to a summer tour, while entertaining an expanding DCI audience. And to our young members-- let Logan and Ryan's stories show that you can achieve your dream with effort and perseverance. 

-- Doug Olmstead, NDLBC Operations Director