After months of planning and organizational building, the administration and board of directors for Louisiana Stars Drum and Bugle Corps are excited to announce our intentions for the summer of 2021. We are launching a summer enrichment and educational program as a part of a four month campaign called Summer to the Stars. This campaign will include educational programming, performance opportunities, community involvement, and alumni engagement.
Summer to the Stars is our way of pursuing our goal of providing an enriching marching arts education and performance program while creating a safe and healthy environment for our members, staff, and volunteers.
With that goal in mind, we have decided to not participate in any 2021 Drum Corps International events. We have every intention of returning to DCI and fielding a competitive drum corps as soon as we are able to maintain our health and safety standards while traveling on the road. The health and safety of our members, staff, and volunteers is our priority. This was not an easy decision, but we feel it is the right one as our organization makes plans for our future.
“This year definitely caused us to take a step back and really think about what we want to accomplish as an organization,” says Corps Director Aaron Theall. “While we will miss having our members around for spring camps and a summer tour, we are confident that providing educational opportunities with our experienced staff and maintaining our involvement in our local community are the best ways for us to serve young performers in our region.”
Learn about our plans for Summer to the Stars below and follow us along in the coming months.
STARS ACADEMY
Stars Academy is our educational program that will run from April 2021 to July 2021. We are taking all of the educational experience our members can gain from a season of in-person camps and providing them in a more personal, virtual setting. Incorporating educational resources, monthly online camps, and virtual private lessons, we are providing a personalized instructional experience at the most affordable price we have ever offered.
Whether you are a high school student looking to prepare for honor band and college auditions or a young college student looking to refine skills from an experienced staff, the Stars Academy is a unique educational opportunity you won’t want to pass up. This program will include sessions for brass, percussion, color guard, and drum majors/leadership. Staff announcement to be released in the coming weeks.
REGISTRATION FOR STARS ACADEMY WILL OPEN ON MARCH 29, 2021.
PROGRAM DETAILS, FEES, AND DATES WILL BE RELEASED ON MARCH 22, 2021
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
As a means of giving back to the community that has helped support us over the years, we have identified a cause that we are adopting for 2021 provide assistance for local music programs. The Acadiana Center for the Arts in Lafayette, LA sponsors a program called Play It Again. This program accepts used instruments, refurbishes them, then places them back into the community at schools that need additional instrument inventory for their music programs.
This program serves schools in eight parishes (counties) and has placed nearly 700 instruments back into the community since 2004. Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, funding for this program has taken a hit and programs in our community are in need.
In the month of April, we pledge to raise at least $500 through fan donations and merchandise sales to give to the Acadiana Center for the Arts to help fund the Play It Again program.
ALUMNI CELEBRATION
To conclude our Summer to the Stars, we will be gathering our alumni (either safely in person or virtually, depending on community conditions) to celebrate our organization and the future we hope to attain for ourselves. This celebration will include an alumni reunion, musical performances of pieces representing Louisiana Stars throughout the years, a “history night” presentation, and recognition of the newest additions to the Louisiana Stars Hall of Fame.
We will be releasing information for this summer’s alumni celebration in the coming months, but it will take place near the end of July.
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