Greeley-Evans School District 6 band students had a chance to practice alongside the nationally renowned Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps on Wednesday at Northridge High School.
The Blue Devils, on tour competing throughout the United States, made a stop in Greeley to practice for a week at Northridge High School’s District 6 Stadium ahead of the Drums Along the Rockies competition Saturday in Fort Collins.
Junior drum and bugle corps, which consist of competitive marching groups with performers between 14 and 21 years old, rehearse year-round and compete across the United States during the summer months, according to Kathy Azari, a specials coordinator in District 6. Comprised of brass instruments, percussion instruments and auxiliary items like flags and rifles, drum and bugle corps differ from marching bands because the performers do not use woodwind instruments, Azari added.
Middle and high school band students from the Greeley-Evans School District practicing with the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at Northridge High School in Greeley. (Kim Lipe of Winograd K-8/Courtesy)The Blue Devils, a world-class competitive junior drum and bugle corps based in Concord, California, and a member of the Drum Corps International (DCI), has a history of earning DCI championships. The group has a record-breaking 21 world championship titles and has spent more than 40 years in the top five, according to the Blue Devils Performing Arts website.
The Blue Devils musicians prepped and practiced daily for the upcoming competition from 7-10 p.m. at the District 6 facility. Practices, open to the public, drew crowds of observers and music-lovers.
“It’s a way of life,” Azari said after sitting in on a practice. “Drum Corps is not just a little pastime.”
On Wednesday, middle and high school students in the Greeley All-City Parade Band — which has been practicing throughout June in preparation for the Independence Day Parade on July 4 — received coaching from the staff and musicians of the Blue Devils, according to Azari. The clinic, arranged by Northridge music teacher Nathan Wilkinson, also allowed District 6 music students to march and play alongside some of the top performers in the DCI.
“The number of goosebumps I got listening to them rehearse … it really was impressive,” Azari said. “So it’s just neat that the kids got to be in that scene.”
This isn’t the first time Northridge High School has hosted the Blue Devils, thanks to a former staff member, Tom Schemp, who has a connection to the DCI, Azari said. The Northridge music program receives a donation from the Blue Devils every time they use the school’s facilities.
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