Academy, The

The Academy drum & bugle corps was originally called “The Academy Brass & Percussion Ensemble” and sponsored by the Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts. Planning for the corps began in 2001 with the formation of a board of directors. Performing standstill concerts in 2001 and 2002, the corps added a bit of marching in 2003 and a color guard in 2004. The corps became competitive in 2004, changing their name to “The Academy”.

The corps' first competitive performance took place in June 2004, in Stockton. Although the corps' 2004 season and tour were relatively short, they remained undefeated in “Division II” during that summer.  Academy's uniforms were all black, with a large black "A" on a red background on their back. The 117-member corps performed a program of brass chamber music in their inaugural “Division II” competition.

A unique fundraising inducement, in a program called "Be Instrumental," was the offer to engrave benefactors' names on the brass instruments bought with the benefactors' $2500 donations. The following season saw the corps remain undefeated as they travelled out of state, appearing at the infamous “Drums Along the Rockies” for the first time.

The Corps' first national tour occurred in 2006. With their first ever finals performance they won the Spirit of Disney award, high brass, corps director of the year, and even the DCI “Division II” championship title. In the fall of 2006, they announced they would embark in “Division I” competition for the 2007 season. In their first season of “Division I” standing in 2007, Academy came out strong, placing 13^th at the DCI “World Class” semifinals.

The following year, the corps fell out of the semifinalist position, finishing 18^th in the quarterfinals. In 2009, “The Academy” was named the official drum and bugle corps of the City of Tempe and performed outside University of Phoenix Stadium prior to the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIX and at the NFL Experience, "an interactive theme park of all things football". They bounced back as a DCI semifinalist with a 14^th place finish.

From 2010 to 2015, the corps was a consistent semifinalist at the DCI championships, placing between 14^th to 19^th position, including three 15^th place finishes. In 2016, the Academy had their most successful season since moving to “World Class”, placing in the top 12 at all three DCI regionals. At the DCI championships, the Academy placed 11th, becoming the first corps to make its Finals debut since 2002.

From 2017 to 2019, they returned to semifinalist status with placings from 14^th to 15^th over the course of those few years before the pandemic in 2020 which halted operations. The parent organization Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts also sponsors summer and winter color guard programs for youth aged 5-14 and provided a home for Phenom, a summer marching band that participated in DCI's SoundSport until becoming a completely independent organization in 2019. The corps, however, was not successful in getting off the ground and disbanded.

The 2020 season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The corps passed on most of the non-competitive 2021 season, performing only at the Indianapolis Finals. The corps resumed competition in 2022 with a 16^th placing at the DCI Semifinals and an 18^th position finish in 2023.

Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts; Drum Corps World (multiple issues), A History of Drum & Bugle Corps, Vol. 2; Steve Vickers, ed.; DCI Today, Spring '04, p.13; Dave Strickler; Drum Corps
International; Paul Legault (DCX)

CORPS 11 items

Academy, The

Academy Hat from the Bill Ives Collection

Academy, The

TheAcademy Tempe AZ from the Bill Ives Collection

Academy, The

TheAcademy,Tempe,AZ,CC1-AgeOutCoin(RE-1.5)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection

Academy, The

TheAcademy,Tempe,AZ,LCP1(eBay)J_U_L from the Richard Elmquist Collection

Academy, The

TheAcademy,Tempe,AZ,LP1(RE-1.0x0.875)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection Contributed by Richard Elmquist

Academy, The

TheAcademy,Tempe,AZ,LP2-2017-HeatForged(RE-1.0)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection Contributed by Richard Elmquist

Academy, The

TheAcademy,Tempe,AZ,Patch1-A(RE-3.5x2.5)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection

Academy, The

TheAcademy,Tempe,AZ,Patch2-2014-10thAnn(RE-3.5x3.375)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection

Academy, The

TheAcademy,Tempe,AZ,Patch3-ACutout(RE-3.0x2.25)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection

Academy, The

TheAcademy,Tempe,AZ,Patch4-2017-AonBlack(RE-3.5x2.5)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection

Academy, The

TheAcademy,Tempe,AZ,Pin1-ILoveTheAcademy(RE-2.25)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection

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