"Partnering with the KHS family, we have come to understand this company to have the vision of always improving on the products that they are developing. Working with partner groups and experts in the field allows the instruments to be continually evaluated and improved for the ever evolving activity of the pageantry arts."
Banded Story:
We call ourselves "heat forged", coming from Arizona where in the summer months training can be a challenge in the afternoon heat. We overcome these and many hurdles in our journey each year by the mantra "the effort is the prize". Which comes from: In the end the great truth will have been learned that the quest is greater than what is sought, the effort finer that the prize (or rather, that the effort is the prize), the victory cheap and hollow were it not for the rigor of the game.
Artist Bio:
In 2001, The Academy Brass & Percussion Ensemble was formed to give some of Arizona’s finest young musicians an introduction to the incredibly unique activity of drum and bugle corps. Over the course of three summers, the young group of 52-60 performed for several local events and had taken the opportunity to perform in exhibition at its home show, the Southwest Corps Connection. In 2004, the group added the final element of the color guard, was accepted as a DCI sanctioned unit, made the name change to The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps and began competing for the first time. In 2006, the corps had grown to 128 members and competed for the first time in Drum Corps International World Championships in Madison, Wisconsin where they earned the title of Division II World Champion. 2007 marked their first year competing in Division I, now called World Class, where they continue to compete today. In 2009, The Academy was named the official drum and bugle corps of the City of Tempe. 2016 marked a historic season for the corps with its first appearance in World Class Finals competition, placing 11th overall.
