INDIANAPOLIS — In the eyes of those inside the organization, there’s one common denominator across all facets of Blue Stars’ offseason — momentum.
More and more each year, the corps continues to refine itself organizationally, competitively, and artistically.
All of the above was on full display during the last weekend of April at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, the site of Blue Stars’ latest rehearsal camp. It served as the corps’ first full-ensemble gathering since the winter and started the final push into the 2026 Drum Corps International Summer Tour.
“We’re all getting back and getting ready to start to put the show together for 2026,” music arranger Andrew Markworth said. “It’s our last time together before (spring training) in about a month, and the biggest thing is just trying to set technique programs, make sure that we’re unified, and get as far through the show music as we can.”
As such, Blue Stars hope to ride the corps’ overall momentum through a productive set of offseason rehearsals, and into a strong summer season.
For one, as Markworth described, staff consistency has been a key.
“We’re trying to build on momentum from the last couple years, get the right pieces in the team, and I think we’re starting to really gel. We’re starting to figure out what we’re going to be musically, and it’s exciting. I feel really confident about the group of people we have. I think the members are responding really well.”
Blue Stars’ momentum permeates many corners of its operation, but one of its seminal barometers of growth is in its membership.
“There’s a lot of veteran retention as well,” said drum major Joely Martin, “which is super exciting for the level of difficulty and execution that we’re anticipating and hoping to get this summer.”
With that increased volume of experienced performers, as Martin noted, comes an increased flexibility to design challenging and intricate material.
With that in mind, Markworth said fans can expect a heightened level of difficulty from Blue Stars’ 2026 program.
“It’s difficult when you are trying to move up the ranks, but also you kind of have to design in a way that pushes the members as far as you possibly can,” he said. “Each year, you get some more talent interested, and you want to do shows that people enjoy, but that also have all the sophistication and detail that you need to be competitively successful.”
Blue Stars, in recent seasons, have been able to strike that balance well, presenting engaging programs that have been coupled with competitive results.
In each of the last two seasons, the corps has finished in eighth place, and last year, rode a late-season competitive push to move up from ninth during DCI World Championships Week in Indianapolis.
Markworth and his team credit much of that to a growing sense of performance identity within the corps. As he describes it, that identity may not be in a specific look or feel — uniforms, set pieces and aesthetics have varied a good amount in recent years — but in an overall philosophy behind design.
“Instead of trying to find a specific identity and always conform to it, we’re trying to do things that speak to us and also challenge us as designers,” he said. “I think with Blue Stars, the design itself is always something that’s special — it’s something that stands out.”
So, how might that lend itself to the 2026 season?
“We’ve been working on something that’s quite different from the past, and is a culmination of a lot of variety from our team of designers who all want to get their hands on this production,” he said. “We like to do things that people enjoy, but we also will go in a different direction every single year.”
Ultimately, with spring training rehearsals right around the corner — Blue Stars will begin moving into Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa, May 27 — and the corps’ July 2 DCI Tour debut not far behind, there are high hopes for a strong season.
Luckily, the corps is heading into its summer with a full head of steam.
“I’m most excited to go out with a bang,” said Martin, who is “aging out” this season, marching in her last year of age eligibility. “This is going to be a really, really cool show; a really good year. I’m super excited for our tour.”
