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Hello Gary, Welcome to Crossmen!
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Formed as a result of the merger in 1975 between two smaller
corps in the outskirts of Philadelphia, the 507 Hornets and
Keystone Regiment, The Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps has
grown to become a perennial Drum Corps International (DCI)
World Champion Finalist, reaching the DCI Finals 22 times in
the corps' brief 36 year history.
We are a non-profit musical organization
assisting young people on becoming
outstanding individuals through the arts
Based in San Antonio, Texas, the Crossmen are the only DCI World Class Drum and Bugle corps within the Lone Star State. In the fall of 2006, the Crossmen moved operations to San Antonio from their former home in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and re-established themselves as an independent organization in the fall of 2007.
From their humble beginnings in West Chester, Pennsylvania, The Crossmen has served thousands of students throughout its 36 year history - providing not only music education, but also life-lessons
| | for their alumni to carry with them as they leave the world of drum corps competition for a future in music performance, music education, or other career paths. The Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps is a program offering of Crossmen Productions, Inc., a non-profit musical youth organization assisting young people on the path to becoming wonderful human beings through their participation in the arts. The corps will travel over 15,000 miles this summer entertaining hundreds of thousands of fans throughout the nation.
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What is a Drum and Bugle Corps?
While it would appear that a drum and bugle corps (or "drum corps") might be easily defined, it is much more than drums and bugles. The modern drum corps is comprised of 150 performers from around the world with ages ranging from 14-22. The compliment of performers includes brass musicians, percussionists and "auxiliary" or color guard. They perform a 9-11 minute program on a standard football field. Programs are extravaganzas of musical excellence, marching precision, color, drama, dance, humor and emotion. All members of the corps (except the front percussion ensemble) are required to march intricate patterns, formations and transitions which are coordinated with a musical production.
Brass musicians in The Crossmen play standard Yamaha bell front musical instruments, including trumpets, mellophones, baritones, euphoniums and tubas.
Percussion instruments include marching snare drums, tenor drums (often referred to as "quads" or "quints"), bass drums in five sizes and non-marching "front ensemble" instruments including various drums, cymbals, tympani and mallets (marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, chimes).
The color guard, or auxiliary, adds color and movement through the coordinated use of flags, rifles, sabers and dance. The modern color guard is as much a dance ensemble and storyteller as it is a precision marching unit.
What are the benefits to the performers?
Drum corps is an activity which does much more than provide a performance opportunity for students, or entertainment for an audience. Through the drum corps experience, students learn important life skills, among them leadership, goal setting, and conflict resolution. The Crossmen curriculum includes opportunities for students to exercise their potential not only as musicians, but as complete human beings.
Enter the exciting world of drum corps by attending a production or competition in your area. You can find the performance closest to you by visiting the Drum Corps International website.
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