Guardians

The Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps is an Open Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps based in Houston, Texas.

Johnathan Doerr, a student at Texas Tech University, founded the Central Texas Drum Corps Initiative in San Marcos on October 28, 2012; the organization would become the Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps. A meeting held in Seguin in December to gauge community support had 25 people in attendance, and a decision was made to develop a performing unit located to Seguin.

When, in early 2013, Drum Corps International (DCI) announced the startup of DrumLine Battle and SoundSport, two new activities for small competitive units, Doerr saw that SoundSport could be used as a means to help get the new corps underway.

Fifteen potential members attended the first membership/rehearsal meeting of the Guardians in Seguin during March of 2013. As Doerr and the corps got things rolling, aid and assistance was offered by established drum corps such as Open Class corps Genesis and Legends, Texas' World Class corps the Crossmen, and all-age corps the Vigilantes, as well as from music businesses, drum corps fans, and DCI. The corps quickly grew in size, soon approaching the SoundSport maximum of 50, and members were coming from all over Texas. In June, the Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps had a short, in-state tour, giving several performances and concluding with a SoundSport exhibition at the DCI Southwestern Championship in the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Continuing to develop slowly and keeping onen eye sharply focused on the financial bottom line, the Guardians entered DCI Open Class competition in 2014 with a corps of 112 members (56 brass, 16 battery percussion, 12 front ensemble, 24 auxiliary/guard, 4 drum majors). The unit entered only two contests in its home state of Texas, at Round Rock (which was rained out) and San Antonio.

In April 2015, the Guardians relocated to Houston. In discussing the move, corps director Doerr said that, "Houston is, proudly, the largest city in Texas and has one of the largest hearts for the marching arts activity. The Guardians tree logo represents a 'breath of fresh air' that our organization brings, and we believe that our organization will certainly bring 'fresh air' to the Houston marching arts community. Houston hasn’t seen a Drum Corps International junior corps for many years, and we are excited to return a Drum Corps International competing unit to this great city."

In 2016, the corps had a longer season, starting with a three-week-long spring training (which is as long as most world class corps) located on a college campus (most open class corps have spring training at a high school), and entrry in eight competitions, including the DCI Open Class and World Class Championships (up from the previous year's three shows). Also in 2016, the corps received a sponsorship from System Blue and received new instruments from them, making the Guardians the only Open Class corps other than the Blue Devils B and C corps to use System Blue instruments.

In both 2016 and 2017, the Guardians were Open Class finalists with corps that were at or very near DCI's 150 member limit.

[Independent Creative Arts Network; Drum Corps International]

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