“The purpose of a system is what it does”.
This phrase, often attributed to systems theorist Stafford Beer, suggests that:
You should judge a system not by what it claims to do, but by what it actually does.
It’s a reminder to look at real-world outcomes, not just intentions or stated goals.
This engineering concept, known as POSIWID helps you understand not what a system...or song...or person...says it is, but what it actually achieves in the real world.
For the 2026 Northern Lights, this means embracing creativity, expression, uniqueness, and being totally true to oneself...to fight against any force that might attempt to drive you to be something that you’re not... to resist being put into a box, labeled, or defined by an outside entity...
For the purpose of a cage is not to protect what is inside, but to keep what is inside from becoming free.
Our purpose as a drum corps might be to compete, and it might also be to entertain... but our purpose as an organization is to help musicians and dancers of all-ages attain something higher, something harder than anything they’ve ever done before, with a team of people who become like family.
Including the music of Muse, Audiomachine, Billie Eilish, and Camille Saint-Saens, join the Northern Lights on a journey of self-discovery, hard truths, reflections, and personal growth as we ask the question “why are we here” with our 2026 Drum Corps International summer program entitled “Someday I Might”.
2026 Repertoire:
Blood and Stone by Audiomachine
What Was I Made For? From the motion picture “Barbie” by Billie Eilish
Algorithm by Muse
Symphony No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saens
This phrase, often attributed to systems theorist Stafford Beer, suggests that:
You should judge a system not by what it claims to do, but by what it actually does.
It’s a reminder to look at real-world outcomes, not just intentions or stated goals.
This engineering concept, known as POSIWID helps you understand not what a system...or song...or person...says it is, but what it actually achieves in the real world.
For the 2026 Northern Lights, this means embracing creativity, expression, uniqueness, and being totally true to oneself...to fight against any force that might attempt to drive you to be something that you’re not... to resist being put into a box, labeled, or defined by an outside entity...
For the purpose of a cage is not to protect what is inside, but to keep what is inside from becoming free.
Our purpose as a drum corps might be to compete, and it might also be to entertain... but our purpose as an organization is to help musicians and dancers of all-ages attain something higher, something harder than anything they’ve ever done before, with a team of people who become like family.
Including the music of Muse, Audiomachine, Billie Eilish, and Camille Saint-Saens, join the Northern Lights on a journey of self-discovery, hard truths, reflections, and personal growth as we ask the question “why are we here” with our 2026 Drum Corps International summer program entitled “Someday I Might”.
2026 Repertoire:
Blood and Stone by Audiomachine
What Was I Made For? From the motion picture “Barbie” by Billie Eilish
Algorithm by Muse
Symphony No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saens
