Following positive negotiations with Drum Corps International in America it has been agreed that The Brigades’ British Marching Band Championships can officially use their Soundsport Trade Mark, allowing us to run an exclusive Brigade SoundSport event at our National Band Championships. This also offers a unique opportunity that will enable music ensemble to seamlessly participate at any Soundsport or alternative Indoor Music Games events in the U.K.  

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

It has always been our aim to encourage the vast majority of the Brigades’ Marching Bands and to motivate them to compete at our annual Marching Band Championship. In the past this has been out of reach for many. The reason are varied; you could be building for the future or your young people don’t have the experience to compete. The SoundSport activity is aimed at encouraging new bands and those who are going through a rebuilding process and at a level that is more achievable, as the demands of this type of event are less than that of traditional Marching Band and Drum Corps events.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Teams can be performance ensembles, mini bands/corps, brass bands, alumni corps, small drum corps/marching bands or any Brigade music or percussion group. There are no age restrictions and all instruments are legal including electronics, guitars, woodwind, brass etc.. You can start a team with  only five members. Shows are 5-7 minutes in length with music and entertainment being the main focus and without the need to necessarily march. Additional emphasis is also placed on audience engagement and showmanship, It’s about achieving the best combination of performance excellence, fan enjoyment and providing valuable experience for your younger members.                                                                             

Our Judges will provide feedback by means of an educational commentary to inform teams on their development as a music ensemble.  SoundSport is not a competitive event, one against another. Whilst teams are 'adjudicated' there are no scores. The goal should be to attain excellence in everything the participants do. Achievement will be awarded to every group at Bronze, Silver and Golds levels as an indicator of the team’s success, consequently everyone goes away with something.                                         

​

The Showcase Committee would like to invite any music group or ensembles to participate in this exciting new venture in the hope that it will inspire and encourage your members in the future. We see this activity as helping to bridge the gap between gaining experience for younger members and competing in the full Brigades Marching Band Championships and we would encourage as many music groups to participate and benefit from the Showcase experience. 

​

                                            ****************************************************************