A mass band of middle schoolers will come together during Drum Corps International World Championships for a new unique and inspiring experience as the INpact Indiana’s Future Band. “We’ve always wanted to reach out to middle school level kids but never had the resources to do it,” says Sue Kuehnhold, DCI’s director of events and corps relations.
The band is funded by the LDI 100th Anniversary Celebration Cultural Partnership Gift Program. LDI, Ltd., a private, mostly family-owned company with holdings in value-added distribution and logistics supply chain businesses, celebrated 100 years of doing business in Indianapolis by awarding $1.2 million in grants to 16 different local arts and cultural organizations they told to “dream big.”
With the Indiana State School Music Association and Indiana Bandmasters Association, DCI has planned a two-day, one-night program. The mass band will perform at the Indiana War Memorial to open the “Celebrate Indy Arts! Parade” and on the field at DCI World Championships Finals with former American Idol participant and music advocate Shaun Canon.
Band members will also have a leadership seminar, arts activities, speakers and tickets to DCI Finals in hopes that they are inspired to stay involved with the marching arts.
“As these kids are getting ready to go into their high school years and sitting down with parents and making decisions about what direction to take in their lives, we want to be in the forefront of their minds,” Kuehnhold says. “We don’t want them to miss out on the opportunity to participate in music.”
Visit www.dci.org/inpact for details.
