The Corps ensemble is comprised of four lines – the guard, fife, brass, and drum lines. Within each line are a variety of instruments in which members establish strong musical foundations. The foundation is comprised of music fundamentals, reading, technique and performance skills.
Guard Line
Bearing the national colors for the Corps is an honor and duty every member is required to take on. The guard line is in charge of both the ceremonial flag, rifle and saber duties, and also the visual enhancement for the drill in competition.
Fife Line
A fife is a woodwind instrument in the transverse flute family which sounds an octave above the written music and has 6 tone holes. It is a great introduction to learning woodwind instruments like the flute or piccolo. If you already play a woodwind, it is a wonderful addition to your repertoire.
Brass Line
Brass instruments are also known as horns or bugles. In the brass line, we teach valve brass instruments such as the soprano, mellophone, baritone and contra. These are cousins of the trumpet, french horn, trombone, and tuba. The Crimson Kings brass line continues a tradition of Drum Corps, utilizing the 2 valve G bugle.
Drum Line
As the heartbeat of the Corps, the drums keep the time while playing rhythms. There are four primary instruments that are taught in the drum line – cymbal, bass, tenor and snare drums. Learning the technicalities of drum corps style drumming is a perfect foundation for any percussion skill set.
