Dedicated to musicians and performers of diverse styles and backgrounds, Marching Music Day celebrates all varieties of the art forms bringing us “music on the move.” 2023 marks the seventh anniversary of the annual occurrence.

Drum Corps International founded Marching Music Day to celebrate and spotlight marching music as an engaging and ever-expanding art form around the world, and to help celebrate Music In Our Schools Month. As an ideal play on words, March Fourth was chosen.

Beginning in 2017, the registrar at National Day Calendar declared the day to #MarchForth into celebration annually.

One of the focuses of Drum Corps International’s #MarchForth outreach in 2023 is the #MarchDrumCorps project. The second-annual initiative being coordinated by Drum Corps International focuses on matching prospective performers with open positions in corps nationwide.

Underway since the beginning of February, DCI has been working directly with its participating organizations to compile a week-by-week list of current openings in every section of their corps and is sharing inquiries from interested performers for follow-up as the summer of 2023 continues to come into focus.

Find your fit: Now’s the time to #MarchDrumCorps in 2023

Other simple activities you can follow to celebrate March Fourth:

1. Rep your favorite drum corps or marching music swag

Dust off those corps jackets or break out your favorite marching group's T-shirt or sweatshirt. Take a selfie and post it to your social media profiles tagging your posts with #MarchForth and #MarchingMusicDay!

2. Get the band back together

From drum corps and marching bands, to SoundSport teams and winter guards, to military music groups, Mummers string bands, fife and drum groups, drill teams and step teams, marching musicians fall into a remarkable array of different styles, classifications and organizations. No matter your performance style, coordinate a group message string to get your friends together to make music today, tomorrow, this summer or whenever you see fit! DCI’s SoundSport International Music & Food Festival coming this August to Indianapolis may just be the perfect place for you to do so.

3. Support DCI and your favorite marching music groups

Whether making a contribution to provide opportunities to Drum Corps International performers or to support your favorite drum corps, local high school, college or community marching performing arts ensemble, consider making an important financial donation or inquire about any volunteer needs behind the scenes to foster future generations of marching musicians.

4. Make your plans to be on the field or in the stands this summer

With DCI’s milestone 50th anniversary in the rearview mirror and all eyes ahead to the summer of 2023, a huge number of drum corps are still recruiting prospective corps members to join them on the field this summer.

Learn more about drum corps auditions

For those more interested in witnessing the 2023 DCI Tour from the stadium grandstands, tickets to an impressive number of shows on the more than 90-event DCI Tour schedule are now on sale including the three-day DCI World Championships August 10-12 in Indianapolis.

View the complete 2023 DCI Tour schedule