THE CORPS IS COMPRISED OF FOUR SECTIONS - THE GUARD, FIFE, BRASS, AND DRUM LINES. WITHIN EACH LINE ARE A VARIETY OF INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH MEMBERS ESTABLISH STRONG MUSICAL FOUNDATIONS. THE FOUNDATION IS COMPRISED OF MUSIC FUNDAMENTALS, READING, TECHNIQUE AND PERFORMANCE SKILLS.
Fife Line
A fife is a woodwind instrument in the transverse flute family which sounds an octave above the written music and has 6 tone holes. It is a great introduction to learning woodwind instruments like the flute or piccolo. If you already play a woodwind, it is a wonderful addition to your repertoire.
Brass Line
Brass instruments are also known as horns or bugles. In the brass line, we teach valve brass instruments such as the soprano, mellophone, baritone and contra. These are cousins of the trumpet, french horn, trombone, and tuba. The Crimson Kings brass line continues a tradition of Drum Corps, utilizing the 2 valve G bugle.
Drum Line
As the heartbeat of the Corps, the drums keep time by playing rhythms. There are four primary instruments that are taught in the drum line - cymbal, bass, tenor and snare drums. Learning the technicalities of drum corps style drumming is a perfect foundation for any percussion skill set.
GUARD LINE
Bearing the national colors for the Corps is an honor and duty every member is required to take on. The guard line is in charge of the ceremonial flag, rifle and saber duties, and also the visual enhancement for the drill in competition. In addition to the color guard, we have a winter guard program.
“Being part of CK was precisely what I needed as a young woman. I learned about taking time to focus on my own individuality, through this big group experience, if that makes any sense. It was a great opportunity for me to do this thing that I wanted to do, despite living in an environment that had limited outlet for youth to discover their talents and interests. I learned about the importance of taking care of your body; years later I marvel at how active I was then! As cheesy as it sounds, my experience with CK had seen me through the beginning of my transformation to adulthood.”