Madison Scouts Alumni,

The Summer will be here before we know it! Here are a few corps updates as we roll into Spring Training.

Winter Season

David Lofy The corps will reconvene for April Camp in Greenfield & Oak Creek, WI on April 24-26. If you're local, please visit OCHS between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Sunday if you're interested in hearing the music ensemble perform the show music. We'd love to see green jackets in the bleachers.

A special shoutout goes to two Alumni who are responsible for 'unlocking the doors' at these two facilities in the Milwaukee-metro. We're incredibly grateful to have excellent facilities to rehearse in -- please join us in thanking:

• Greenfield HS Band Director - Trudy Burnham (2021)
• Oak Creek HS Band Director - Guy Gregg (2003)

Alumni Volunteer Spotlight

We're grateful for the dedication of the following Alumni volunteers who have been able to assist with driving, merchandise sales, and other needs during the Winter season:

Madison Scouts Alumni,
We are rapidly approaching the Summer season and are eager to get this show on the field.

State of the Corps

The corps is in a strong staffing and roster position as it enters 2025. Our Caption Heads & Design Team are back in full force, with the addition (and return) of James Sparling as Battery Arranger and Co-Percussion Caption Head. The membership is full, and about to enter a critical April Camp weekend in Oak Creek, WI -- thanks to OCHS Band Director & MS Alumnus, Guy Gregg! Audition interest for the corps has been excellent, and the talent is at a level where we were able to confidently fill the drum corps in mid-April.

Mark Waymire & Co. have been doing wonderful work preparing the show. Stay tuned for upcoming news regarding the 2025 production...

This winter, over 700 young musicians and performers will engage with the Madison Scouts organization in pursuit of their goal to be selected to become a member of the 2025 corps. These students will get a chance to learn from some of the best instructors in the activity while experiencing the pride of performing with the Madison Scouts.

"We are asking you to "Fund the Fleur" through December 31st by making a year-end gift to help us reach our goal of $25,000."

- David Lofy, Corps Director

Your donation will help us deliver a quality experience to prospective and returning members as we build the 2025 Madison Scouts.

Donate today

Greetings, Madison Scouts!

I spent the last two weekends in Dayton for Color Guard and Percussion WGI Championships, and I am truly inspired by the quality of performance and production that Madison Scouts staff and members are achieving in that space. Congratulations to all involved! -- I've included some pictures from the events.

Greetings Madison Scouts Alumni,

I hope you are all well as we exit Winter -- (though it certainly feels like mid-Winter here in Wisconsin!). I'm writing to share a few updates on the state of the Madison Scouts.

- Susan L. Smith, Assistant Professor of Music Education at Troy University, has been a fantastic addition to our staff as Brass Caption Supervisor. Her role is essentially to be a 'teacher of teachers and coach for our brass staff and has been nothing less than superior. We are proud to have her on our staff as a guide for our teachers and a role model/expert educator for the membership.

- The color guard is in phenomenal shape, and I continue to be proud of the work PJ Tankard, Caption Head, does with this group of performers. 33/36 performers have already been contracted and have been for months (with plenty of callbacks in the pipeline to fill the guard). Most corps do not contract their color guards until April due to WGI, but we aggressively selected members early so we could focus on teaching them throughout the offseason.

Greetings Alumni!

With Championships week rapidly approaching, now is an excellent time for me to offer you a reflection on the 2022 season. We've worked hard since 2020 to establish a design and educational approach that provides the organization with consistency, excellence, and an enhancement in member experience. The team navigated a pandemic together, a non-competitive 2021 half-summer season, and now its first full competitive season. While I could tell you all about the bumps in the road or adjustments we plan to make as our team develops, I'll let you know about all the great things happening.

I'm sure many of you are wondering, 'how has the transition to gender inclusivity gone?' My short answer is, 'it's gone well, but we're always learning how to better support our female and non-binary identifying members.' Like our world, macro and micro-communities are complex and dynamic while simultaneously beautiful and enriching. Adding more people into the mix presents new community dynamics but has certainly pushed us to be a better organization. I feel confident that we're providing our members a community where they are welcome, celebrated, and challenged daily to give their best on and off the field.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Madison Scouts are proud to feature stories from the first class of women in membership as well as the women on staff. 

‍Carley Belknap, Amelia Kannon, and Thea Kilbane were members of the Madison Scouts in 2021. Belknap was a cymbal player, Kannon was in colorguard, and Kilbane was a drum major. Belknap and Kannon will be returning for their second summer. Kilbane aged out in 2021 and returned to the Scouts as an administrative intern.