DCI and MENC get set to kick off '09 Tour in Annapolis

After weeks of spring training rehearsals, Drum Corps International performers will soon hit the road to kick off the '09 DCI Tour on Saturday, June 20, with a very special event at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. Featuring five top World Class corps, the DCI Salutes America event will coincide with MENC: The National Association for Music Education's Music Education Week in Washington, D.C. A new event for MENC, one of the world's largest arts education organizations serving millions of students nationwide, Music Education Week in Washington will give educators, students and supporters the opportunity to come together for a variety of advocacy and professional development activities. Among the highlights of MENC's planned events will be the Rally for Music Education at the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday, June 18. In preparation, MENC has been collecting signatures for its Petition for Equal Access to Music Education which will be presented to Education Secretary Arne Duncan followed by a march to Capitol Hill. MENC's invited guests include basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, actress Florence Henderson, Mrs. America 2009 Maureen McDonald and cartoonist Tom Batiuk. The Glassmen Drum & Bugle Corps will perform at the rally as well. The Petition for Equal Access to Music Education encourages the nation's leaders to "identify music as a core subject" and "recognize music education as a mandatory component of every public education curriculum in the United States of America." The organization has been collecting signatures since the fall. Add your digital signature at ThePetitionSite.com. Starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, DCI Salutes America will be the culmination of MENC's week-long series. The show will feature a special performance of the National Anthem by hundreds of students backed up by the brass sections of the competing DCI corps and the U.S. Marines Drum & Bugle Corps. Following will be the competitive performances of the Carolina Crown, the Holy Name Cadets, the Glassmen, the Boston Crusaders and the Colts, in addition to other presentations by MENC and Drum Corps International. Plenty of great seats to the DCI Salutes America event are still available. Tickets start at $25 and can be ordered in advance from DCI.org or from the stadium box office on the day of the show. Learn more about the DCI Salutes America event. Learn more about MENC's Music Education Week.