We are thrilled to announce that the Zephyrus Marching Academy will also be Oklahoma's first official SoundSport team! We are proud to present our Beta ensemble in a performance Friday evening, July 13th at Bixby High School.
SoundSport is a component of Drum Corps International which helps provide accessible performance opportunities. We've been working with SoundSport since late 2017 to make this dream a reality. As we go forward, ZEPHYRUS will continue to work with SoundSport and other organizations to provide the Tulsa area with more chances to perform, compete, and inspire.
For more information about SoundSport go to SoundSport.com.

SIGN UP NOW!It's not too late to sign up for the 2018 Zephyrus Marching Academy! The camp takes place at Bixby HS, South of Tulsa, OK July 9-13th. You can find out more on our FAQ page.

That is unless you were at the Pride of Bixby Community Performance on Halloween of 2017. That night, the award-winning band from Bixby High School put on their last performance of the 2017 season, celebrating their fourth consecutive State Championship, a Class AAA BOA Super Regional Championship in St. Louis, and other successes. The season finale has become a tradition over the last few years and is well attended by parents and community members. There are always a couple of tricks saved for the end, but last year, that audience received a real treat.

High school and college marching bands have been known to perform in the dark from time to time. Most often, the performers wear small lights or glow sticks, and perform the show exactly the same way (just in the dark). The performance you are about to see though, is different. There are no lights attached to performers, no glow sticks. At this show, Bixby brought in T-Town Productions and designed a light program from the press box, set-by-set, to match the scenes created during the show.

The video below shows all of this combined in an impressive display. As the show begins, lights fade in on the field from the front sideline, casting shadows on the visitor stands. Spotlights follow soloists; blackouts and flashes are in sync with major hits; and colors change to follow the mood of the story. Seeing all of that with the electrified props and the powerful performance makes us wonder... is this a glimpse into the future of marching band?

B. C. Stieben on YouTube

This was the first experiment with a full light production set to a competitive marching band that we could find, and it won't be the last. In fact, the next experiment with this technique takes place at the 2018 Zephyrus Marching Academy. There, Tulsa-area high school band students will be coming together for one week to prepare for the upcoming season and be a part of an experimental ensemble, Zephyrus Beta.

Header photo taken by Angie Ball

Zephyrus Marching Academy, July 9-13, will feature a seminar by one of the most prominent current figures in Drum Corps International; Dan Potter. His work as director and host of DCI's Field Pass, and day job as the voice of KRMG News in the morning might give you the idea that he's a speaker. This is an understatement. On the radio in Tulsa, Dan is the recipient of the National Association of Broadcasters 2015 Marconi Award for Medium Market Personality of the Year. However, that is just the beginning. His experience in the marching activity is only matched by his passion for it.

Drum Major of the Geneseo Knights Drum and Bugle Corps from 1979-1981, Dan was also on the staff of the Glassmen and has taught or consulted high school marching bands in Indiana, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma.