Cadets News

Watch on Thursday, May 28, as Cadets Program Facilitator and Battery Arranger, Tom Aungst, is joined by a panel of the most influential front ensemble arrangers of the 1990s and 2000s. This will be the second in the series, Tom Aungst Talks Technique. Last week, Tom was joined in a percussion technique virtual roundtable by Scott Johnson of the Blue Devils, Ralph Hardimon of Santa Clara Vanguard and Blue Knights, Glen Crosby of Pacific Crest, Colin McNutt of the Boston Crusaders, Thom Hannum of Carolina Crown, and Lee Beddis of The Cadets. Over 20,000 fans joined in live or watched [...]

The Cadets have a major fundraising goal to meet, and starting today you can help. For the next ten days, we want you to join in and donate so we can raise $34,000 and meet our Maroon and Gold Campaign goal.  Back on May 5, over 200 fans and friends joined in to help us raise over $50,000. We are incredibly grateful to those who have given, but that only got us halfway to our goal. We need to raise $100,000 to make sure the new Cadets organization is financially sound as we face a summer without shows and limited [...]

This Thursday, May 21, you won’t want to miss Tom Aungst as he leads a panel discussion with six of DCI’s best arrangers and instructors. This East meets West technique discussion will feature the west coast’s Scott Johnson of the Blue Devils, Ralph Hardimon of Santa Clara Vanguard and Blue Knights, and Glen Crosby of Pacific Crest. On the east coast side will be Colin McNutt of the Boston Crusaders, Thom Hannum of Carolina Crown, and Lee Beddis of The Cadets. Topics will include technique and philosophy of approach, techniques involved in cleaning a line, writing method and magic, and [...]

Tuesday of Maroon and Gold Day at 3:00 pm Neil Larrivee and Tom Aungst were ready to go live on The Cadets website. They planned to share stories about past Cadets corps and percussion sections for about an hour. Five hours later, after the likes of Cadets legends Jay Bocook, Jeff Sacktig, April Martinez, and many more joined in, Neil and Tom were still going strong. Throughout the broadcast, thousands of people logged on to watch. At the same time, fans, friends, alumni, staff, and family members gave support to The Cadets.   Thanks to the contributions of over 200 donors, [...]

10-Time DCI World Champion Launches Independent Not-For-Profit Youth Organization ALLENTOWN, PA — 5/1/2020 — The Cadets, a DCI World Class competitive drum and bugle corps based in Allentown, Pa., today announced the launch of a new not-for-profit corporation called Cadets Arts and Entertainment, Inc. led by newly appointed CEO Denise Bonfiglio, the current Director of The Cadets. In addition, a new Board of Directors has been established to provide oversight for all management, business, and operational activities. “For 86 years, The Cadets have been leaders and innovators in performing arts education,” said Denise Bonfiglio, CEO, Cadets Arts and Entertainment, Inc., and Director [...]

Maroon and Gold day kicks off this Tuesday, May 5th, at 12:01 am, and The Cadets have exciting plans for this day. Not only will fans, friends, and alumni see exciting content throughout the day on The Cadets social media channels, they will also be able to participate in prize drawings and giveaways as a thank you for their support. Look for more Maroon and Gold Day announcements to come, including one about a special group of donors who are challenging fans, friends, and alumni to give! Make sure to go to donate.cadets.org this Tuesday and participate. First Donor award The first [...]

The Cadets held its second Virtual Camp this past weekend with all sections in attendance. Every student received an abundance of education and training throughout the weekend, along with critical Health and Wellness information and guidance. "The participation and engagement by both members and staff certainly exceeded my expectations," said Cadets Director, Denise Bonfiglio. "The planning and efforts by the Design Team, Caption Managers, Educational staff, and my management team were superior." Director Bonfiglio went on to say how proud she was of the members remarking, "They all gave their best efforts throughout the weekend. Their focus and work ethic as [...]

With the recent announcement from Drum Corps International canceling the 2020 summer tour, The Cadets will concurrently cancel all touring plans for 2020 and focus entirely on the 2021 season. My decision to cancel the in-person March camp was driven by our mandate to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all who participate in The Cadets, particularly during this fluid situation with COVID-19 and physical distancing. The Cadets will continue to find inventive and creative ways to strengthen our educational process—for example, The Cadets Brass conducted a successful March camp online which allowed the members to be taught virtually by [...]

The Cadets were one of only a few corps in DCI to hold a virtual camp in March. Matt Stratton, Cadets Brass Caption Manager and alumnus, hosted the online rehearsal. He was very pleased with the success of the virtual format, especially his ability to introduce the members to the entire brass faculty. Typically all the brass staff would not be able to attend a live camp due to travel constraints and prior obligations. However, with the virtual format in place and most of the staff and members staying close to home, the entire brass staff was able to be involved [...]

Due to the increasing number of health concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19 and the fact that New Jersey has declared a state of emergency, The Cadets, in consultation with Youth Education in the Arts (YEA!) Board President, Doug Rutherford, and DCI Executive Director, Dan Acheson, has decided to cancel this weekend’s Brass Camp which was to be held in Salem, New Jersey. Cadets Director, Denise Bonfiglio, stated that, “the health and welfare of students, staff, and volunteers was the main focus of this decision.” The Cadets administrative team has made all students, staff, and volunteers aware of this cancellation, and [...]