By Vivian Dyer.

Senior mellophone player Aiden Schwartz signed to play with the professional marching band, Genesis in the 2024 Drum Corp International marching season.

DCI is an organization that brings together musicians and performers into corps for the opportunity to compete against one another.

“Genesis is the band that I tried out for,” Schwartz said. “They’re based in Austin, and they’re a world class marching band which is the highest division of DCI.”

Schwartz ordered an audition packet in August and began practicing. He finally auditioned for the corp back in December.

“I went to Austin in December for a full weekend,” Schwartz said. “ I was evaluated individually, and in a group of others auditioning which was like around 200 people. I had to play music for the staff, and I had to march certain drills.”

Out of the 200 people that tried out that weekend, Schwartz was the only mellophone player that was offered a contract for the season.

“I’m excited that I get to move to Austin for a month, and we get to travel the country for another month and a half,” Schwartz said.

The band rehearses one weekend once a month, and they run on a very tight schedule, according to Schwartz.

“We wake up at 8 o’clock, and one of the drum majors yells at us,” Schwartz said. “Then we have to go stretch for an hour. We eat breakfast at nine, and then we start rehearsal at 10. We rehearse until one and then we eat lunch at two. We start rehearsal again at two, and then we go till six. then eat dinner at seven, and we start rehearsal again at 8 and then go until 10:30.”

The DCI season lasts the entire summer, wrapping up at the end of August.

“We travel to get to different competitions in different states, and at the very end of the summer in the middle of August we go to Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts NFL football team stadium and we have prelims semifinals and finals,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz has been a part of the Abilene Eagle Band for all four years of high school, and says he has always wanted to join the corp.

“I saw a YouTube video my freshman year, and ever since then I’ve loved it,” Schwartz said. “I’ve just always loved the band, and to perform at the next level has always been a dream of mine.”