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On A Water Break Podcast

@onawaterbreak

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All-access pass to the marching arts 🎺 A podcast for marching arts enthusiasts | 🎧 New eps weekly! @guardcloset

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New here? Start here.

On A Water Break is your all-access pass to the marching arts — on the field, in the stands, and behind the scenes.

Marching band. DCI. WGI. Color guard. Indoor percussion. Baton twirling. Parades. Design. Education. History. And the people who make all of it happen.

Every week we bring together performers, directors, instructors, designers, judges, alumni, and fans to talk about what’s happening across the activity — plus OAWB With interviews, Quick Sips, 60 Second Tech Block, Water We Doing?! and plenty more.

This is On A Water Break.

Watch. Listen. Subscribe. Join the conversation.

https://www.onawaterbreak.com/links

#MarchingArts #MarchingBand #ColorGuard #DrumCorps #onawaterbreak by @onawaterbreak

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2 months ago

“Alright everybody, bring it in!” 🎺
Ricardo kicks off this week’s On A Water Break with one of the most iconic names in both drag and the marching arts — Latrice Royale! 👑

From Alliance of Miami to RuPaul’s Drag Race, Latrice shares how color guard built her confidence, discipline, and showmanship.

💚 The full episode is out now — link in bio!

@onawaterbreak @ricardorrobinson @guardcloset @latriceroyale
#OnAWaterBreak #LatriceRoyale #MarchingArts #ColorGuard #WGI #GuardCloset #RuPaulsDragRace #AllianceOfMiami #AMPWinterGuard #Podcast #DragQueen #marchingband by @onawaterbreak

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a year ago

We will miss you Thom by @onawaterbreak

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3 years ago

DCI World Class 2027 is getting bigger.

The @dcimandarins are officially returning to the DCI Tour, while @golddrumcorps and The Battalion Drum & Bugle Corps have both been approved to move into DCI World Class beginning in 2027. Follow the latest from Drum Corps International at @dciphotos.

And in Pennsylvania, Mechanicsburg’s marching arts community gave us one of the best reminders of what this activity can be about. At the Oct. 3 USBands home show, 11 participating schools came together on the field for a mass performance of “God Bless America.”

For more from Mechanicsburg, follow:
@masd.music
@mash_drumline
@masdwildcats
@mechanicsburg_band
@mechanicsburg_guard
and @usbands

This week on On A Water Break S4EP40:

• Mandarins return to the DCI Tour in 2027
• Gold moves to DCI World Class
• The Battalion moves to DCI World Class
• Mechanicsburg bands unite for a mass-band finale
• Remembering Steve Vickers and his impact on the drum corps activity
• Fall color guard costuming in the 60 Second Tech Block
• Copyright, licensing and extreme-weather safety in Water We Doing?!

On the sidelines:
Christopher E. Rutt — @wildhornbrass1
Grantis Peranda — @grantisimo_p
Jeremy Svoboda / Drum Corps Today — @drumcorpstoday

Presented by @guardcloset.

▶️ WATCH S4EP40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtQreB75ItY

🎧 LISTEN
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/onawaterbreak/episodes/Mandarins-Return–Gold–Battalion-Join-DCI-World-Class–Color-Guard-Costuming–OAWB-S4EP40-e3q9tm3

📰 READ THE STORIES + ORIGINAL REPORTING
onawaterbreak.com/news

Follow @onawaterbreak for more marching arts news, advice, stories and community.

Which of these stories has you talking the most?

#OnAWaterBreak #DCI2027 #DrumCorps #MarchingBand #MarchingArts what do you think? by @onawaterbreak

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3 days ago

Sometimes the best moment at a marching band show has nothing to do with the score.
Chris Rutt’s Gush & Go this week comes from Mechanicsburg, where the bands at the Oct. 3 USBands home show finished the night by coming together on the field for a mass performance of “God Bless America.”
But that’s only one part of a packed On A Water Break Weekly.
The Mandarins are officially returning to the DCI Tour in 2027 after sitting out the 2026 season, while Gold and The Battalion are both moving into DCI World Class. The panel also remembers longtime Drum Corps World publisher and DCI Hall of Fame member Steve Vickers and the impact he had on generations of the drum corps community.
Then @grantisimo_p takes the 60 Second Tech Block into fall color guard costuming — making sure the costume serves the show, survives the field, actually fits the performer and gives students something they can feel confident performing in.
And Water We Doing?! gets into overcomplicated show concepts, copyright and licensing restrictions in the marching arts, and what happens when extreme heat and weather start competing with performer safety.
This week’s panel:
Chris Rutt — @wildhornbrass1
Grantis Peranda — @grantisimo_p
Jeremy Svoboda / Drum Corps Today — @drumcorpstoday
Presented by @guardcloset.
▶️ WATCH S4EP40:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtQreB75ItY
🎧 LISTEN:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/onawaterbreak/episodes/Mandarins-Return—Gold—Battalion-Join-DCI-World-Class—Color-Guard-Costuming—OAWB-S4EP40-e3q9tm3
What are you watching most closely heading into DCI 2027?
#OnAWaterBreak #DCI2027 #DrumCorps #ColorGuard #MarchingArts by @onawaterbreak

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4 days ago

Who actually chooses WGI’s Color Guard Chief Judge?

When Denise Bonfiglio went after the position, there were three candidates — and none of them knew the questions ahead of time.

They walked into the WGI Color Guard Advisory Board meeting in Las Vegas and interviewed completely cold.

But the part Denise says people may not realize? Ultimately, the color guards chose who they wanted in the position.

Hear Denise tell the full story — and look back at 50 years of WGI — with Trish O’Shea and Sadie Wallace on On A Water Break.

WATCH OR LISTEN:
https://www.onawaterbreak.com/episodes/wgi-50th-anniversary-series-denise-bonfiglio

@WGIsportofthearts
@onawaterbreak
@trishdish1102
@m.sadiewallace

#WGI #ColorGuard #WinterGuard #MarchingArts #onawaterbreak by @onawaterbreak

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5 days ago

WGI 2027 waitlists are already raising questions about championship capacity — and that’s only the beginning of this week’s marching arts conversation.

On OAWB S4EP39, we’re covering:

WGI 2027 COLOR GUARD WAITLISTS
With championship space already a conversation, what happens if participation keeps growing faster than available capacity?

WGI PERCUSSION CHANGES FOR 2027
A quad judging panel for World Class Finals, regional changes and Audio Theater stepping away from WGI competition next season.

DEREK PHILLIPS’ FAMILY SAYS THANK YOU
His family shared their gratitude for the support, memories and tributes that have come from across the marching community.

REMEMBERING STEVE VICKERS
The longtime Drum Corps World publisher and DCI Hall of Fame member leaves behind more than five decades of marching-arts history.

EUROPEAN DRUM CORPS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ten ensembles from five countries came together in Dordrecht for the 2026 championships.

60 SECOND TECH BLOCK
Garrett Lippie takes on “Practice Makes Permanent.” Practicing more isn’t always the answer — practicing correctly, breaking things down and building the right habits is.

WATER WE DOING?!
The panel gets into circuit sound systems, whether BOA should judge color guard separately, who actually controls design decisions — and what we’re going to do about it.

Featuring:
@dancerwhit
@jeremydenzer
@m.sadiewallace
@trishdish1102
@g_lippie27

Watch or listen to the full episode:
https://www.onawaterbreak.com/links

Read the original reporting behind this week’s stories:
https://www.onawaterbreak.com/news

60 Second Tech Block & More:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL600p0k2IuT6wMcO0i0AK9GnI9-qPo7q-

What story or Water We Doing?! take has you talking this week?

#OnAWaterBreak #MarchingArts #WGI2027 #ColorGuard #drumcorps by @onawaterbreak

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10 days ago

WGI 2027: WAITLISTS ALREADY?

The 2027 season hasn’t even started, and WGI Color Guard registration is already producing waitlists.

At the time of recording, Independent Open had filled its expanded allotment, with groups waiting for a spot.

Is this a sign of how much the activity is growing, or is it time to rethink championship capacity?

We’re getting into it on this week’s On A Water Break.

Featuring:
@dancerwhit
@jeremydenzer
@m.sadiewallace
@trishdish1102
@g_lippie27

Presented by @guardcloset

Watch the full conversation with @onawaterbreak. Link in bio.

Should WGI expand championship capacity? What would you change?

#OnAWaterBreak #WGI2027 #ColorGuard #WinterGuard #MarchingArts by @onawaterbreak

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12 days ago

Marching arts news was PACKED this week.
A Nimitz High School band shirt was pulled after complaints about its imagery, with @houstonchron reporting on Aldine ISD’s response and review of the approval process. Tag: @houstonchron aldineschooldistrict. PageSuite
At the Sullivan Marching Festival in Missouri, nine people were treated for heat-related concerns, two were transported by ambulance, and finals were canceled — another reminder that heat planning has to be part of rehearsal and event planning. Source/tag: @kmovnews4 / First Alert 4. Socialveins
Indiana has a band director as its 2027 Teacher of the Year: Homestead High School’s Jason Witzigreuter. Tag @EducateIN and @sacsmusicboosters, which supports the Homestead Spartan Alliance program. Indiana Government
Plus, SoundSport 2027 registration is open through Drum Corps International, and The Amazing Race Canada finale put marching percussion on national TV with a drumline challenge featuring the Calgary Stampede Showband. Tag @dciphotos @amazingracecda @showbandcs. SoundSport®
Watch the full S4EP38 news discussion on @onawaterbreak.
This week’s panel:
@wildhornbrass1 • @SaltyDalti • @cynthiabern • @drumcorpstoday
Guest: @evoke_pc
Presented by @guardcloset
#MarchingBand #MarchingArts #ColorGuard #DrumCorps #OnAWaterBreak
Full tag bank
News/entities: @houstonchron aldineschooldistrict @kmovnews4 @EducateIN @sacsmusicboosters @dciphotos @amazingracecda @showbandcs @bellmediapr
OAWB: @onawaterbreak @guardcloset @wildhornbrass1 @SaltyDalti @cynthiabern @drumcorpstoday @evoke_pc by @onawaterbreak

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17 days ago

Are you picking music for your students, or are you picking music for yourself?

Monica Drohan @evoke_pc brings this week’s Water We Doing?! straight to winter guard instructors.

It is easy to hear a soundtrack from a group like Onyx or Pride of Cincinnati, get inspired, and immediately start imagining what you could create with it. But Monica’s point is simple: the music still has to make sense for the performers standing in front of you.

“I studied music in college. Great. Did all of your students?”

The complexity of the soundtrack, the skills of your performers, and the competitive class you are designing for all have to work together. Choosing harder music does not automatically create a stronger show.

Monica joins Chris Rutt @wildhornbrass1, Dalton Stout @saltydalti, Cynthia Bernard @cynthiabern and Associate Producer Jeremy Svoboda @drumcorpstoday for OAWB S4EP38.

Also this week: the Nimitz High School band shirt controversy, heat concerns at the Sullivan Marching Festival, Indiana’s 2027 Teacher of the Year, SoundSport 2027, color guard teaching tips in the 60 Second Tech Block, weather contingency plans, breathing, performer conditioning and Gush & Go.

Watch or listen to the full episode of On A Water Break now.

@onawaterbreak

#WinterGuard #ColorGuard #MarchingArts #ShowDesign #onawaterbreak by @onawaterbreak

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18 days ago

Colorguard Tech Block with @cynthiabern. Why hide your equipment tape while you’re still trying to clean?

We’ve always used tape on flags, rifles and sabres to give performers a consistent reference for hand placement. Cynthia Bernard’s tip is to keep those markers contrasting during rehearsal so performers and techs can see placement immediately, then make them blend into the equipment for performance.

And that’s only one of Cynthia’s tips this week. We also get into count sheets, matching technique blocks to tempo, and rifle vs. sabre toss approach.

There’s a lot more in S4EP38.

Chris Rutt @wildhornbrass1 leads the discussion on the Nimitz High School band shirt controversy and where responsibility falls when a sensitive show concept makes it through the approval process.

Dalton Stout @saltydalti brings us the latest from a Missouri marching festival where multiple people were treated for heat concerns, and later talks about why your show starts before count one.

Cynthia Bernard @cynthiabern also brings SoundSport 2027 news before taking over the 60 Second Tech Block.

Guest co-host Monica Drohan @evoke_pc joins us for her 32 Count Life Story and asks an important winter guard question: are you choosing music because you love it, or because your performers can actually succeed with it?

Associate Producer Jeremy Svoboda @drumcorpstoday brings us Indiana’s 2027 Teacher of the Year, talks real weather contingency plans, and reminds us that marching performers need the conditioning to handle what we ask of them.

We also get into breathing technique, asking for help, WGI fundamentals, Encore Winter Guard, Gush & Go and more.

OAWB S4EP38
Nimitz Band Shirt Pulled, SoundSport 2027 & Color Guard Tech Advice | Marching Arts News, Advice, & More

Watch or listen to the full episode now.

@onawaterbreak

#MarchingArts #ColorGuard #MarchingBand #WinterGuard #onawaterbreak by @onawaterbreak

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20 days ago

130 SCHOLASTIC A GUARDS. 48 INDEPENDENT OPEN GUARDS. BOTH CLASSES ARE FULL.

Tier Two entry day for the @wgisportofthearts World Championships brought even more movement for 2027, and @jeremydenzer has the latest On a Color Guard Tea Break from @onawaterbreak.

Scholastic A is FULL with 130 guards and another 10 on the waitlist.

Independent Open is FULL with 48 guards and 2 on the waitlist.

@flowermoundband is headed to its WGI World Championships debut in Scholastic World.

11-time Scholastic World Champion @jlhscolorguard returns to the WGI World Championships after a 10-year absence.

Broken Arrow makes its WGI World Championships debut in Scholastic A.

Color Guard Salinas is coming to Championships from Puerto Rico.

The road to Dayton is already getting crowded, and we’re still months away from the 2027 WGI Color Guard World Championships. #ColorGuard #WGI #WinterGuard #MarchingArts #OnAWaterBreak

Which 2027 entry has your attention? by @onawaterbreak

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24 days ago