Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
COLTS DRUM AND BUGLE CORPS
COLTS DRUM AND BUGLE CORPS. "Iowa's Ambassadors of Music."
The Colts are a drum and bugle corps from Dubuque, Iowa, the smallest city
nationally to host a Drum Corps International World Class drum corps. Founded
in 1963, we have had four names and thousands of members. In our most recent
history, we have become a championship corps, placing in the Top 12 at DCI
Finals eight times. We are also only one of three corps to support a feeder
corps, the Colt Cadets, which is open to students ages 11 - 17 who live
primarily in Dubuque and the tri-state area.
The Colts are comprised of 154 members, 40+ staff, and hundreds of volunteers
who all care deeply about this activity. Membership comes from all over the
nation and overseas. We begin rehearsals and auditions in November, meeting
one weekend a month, for a rehearsal “camp” until June, when we go on tour
until mid-August.
Anyone in grade 9 through age 21 with the desire and drive to achieve success
without bounds may audition. The average age is 19. Anybody from a seasoned
musician to a high school woodwind player can find their spot in drum and bugle
corps.
We are limited to three components: brass, percussion, and color guard. Each of
these captions is further divided into sections. Adding these three captions
together plus our two drum majors gives us the maximum World Class sanctioned
member limit of 154. (1)
An award-winning musical group, the Colts were named "Iowa's Ambassadors of Music" by Governor Terry Branstad. The Colts began in 1962 as a group of amateur musicians who wore their own black slacks, bolero ties with white shirts and sailor-style hats. This first group included forty-four untrained boys ranging from twelve to fifteen years-of-age. Not all of the group could read music, and often tarnished and handed-down instruments were played.
The first sponsor of the organization was the Dubuque Post of the AMERICAN LEGION. When the Dukes of Dubuque, the Legion's senior corps disbanded, the instruments were given to the younger organization. In 1965, the year girls were admitted, this group was known as the Legion Aires. In 1967 the name was changed to the Colt 45's and then finally to the present name in 1975. Membership continues to come primarily from the Tri-State area.
The drills of the Colts and the financial management of the group have continued to become more elaborate. In 1965 the annual budget of the Colts was $7,000. In 1987 the budget reached $190,000. Money is used to pay for transportation to competitions, instruction, and uniforms. An estimated 10 percent of the Colts' budget has come from donations, while 85 percent is earned from such activities as Colt Bingo, car washes, and selling promotional items.
During 1988 the Colts represented Dubuque and the State of Iowa in more than forty competitions. They competed in eighteen states and logged more than 12,000 miles while performing before more than one million people.
In 1993 in a writers' poll Drum Corps World ranked the Colts 14th in the nation. This was the eleventh consecutive time the organization had finished in the top 25. Consider reasons for the success was the fact that 33% of the Colts had been through the Cadet program, 70% of the 1993 corps were veterans, and staff stability. (2)
The Colts continued to have memorable moments. In 1995 they were ranked ninth in international competition in Buffalo, New York. (3) On January 20, 2009 the band performed at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. (4)
A bit of consumer canvassing prior to 2004 found that some of the programs from previous years were not connecting with the audiences. The image of the group was positive, friendly and accommodating and so the staff and director returned to music focusing on the corps' image as hardworking Middle American kids. Selections for the year included songs that celebrated small-town life, music by Aaron Copeland and such favorites as "Old Man River." Early reaction from the audiences included several standing ovations. (5)
Traditionalists were not "in tune" with a change made in 2003 by Drum Corps International. The group ruled that corps be allowed to use amplification of pit instruments and human voice. The Dubuque Corps responded quickly by developing a singing amplified choir--the first corps in history. The pit instruments were moved from the sideline and placed in the middle and the choir next to the pit ensemble. The singers were a select group of between six and twelve fro the Dubuque Colts Youth Chorale. The program used six microphones and a monitor power on a marine battery. In 2004 the Cadet program had an estimated 80 performers, an increase from 54 in 2003, with ages from ten to sixteen. The size of the group elevated the Cadets to Division II status. (6)
Music on the March in 2005 featured the Colts and ten other bands from such diverse sites as Casper, Wyoming; Lexington, Kentucky; Ontario, Canada; Racine, Wisconsin and Columbus, Ohio. The Colts had competed in such events from coast-to-coast that summer. (7)
In 2009 more than twenty alumni of the Colts joined the group for a trip to Washington, D.C. and another performance in an inaugural parade. (8)
Special appearances always played a large role in Colt activities. In addition to being the opening performers at the Fourth of July concerts with the Dubuque Symphony, the musicians performed in the 25th anniversary activities of the film "Field of Dreams" in Dyersville along with film star Kevin Costner, Timothy Busfield and sportscaster Bob Costas. (9)
The seventh annual Summer Premier on June 23, 2017 featured the 230-plus members of both the Dubuque Colts and Bugle Corps and the Dubuque Cadets. The event held at the Loras College Rockbowl gave the musicians their first opportunity to present that year's productions to an admission-free audience. (10)
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Source:
1. Colts Drum and Bugle Corp. Website: https://colts.org/program-colts.html
2. Glindinning, Mary. "Magazine: Colts Surprise Corps of Year," Telegraph Herald, July 18, 1993, p. 3A
3. Voight, Sandye and Hinga, Allie. "Dubuque Colts Celebrate 50 Years," Telegraph Herald, July 12, 2013, Online: http://www.thonline.com/news/tri-state/article_5c05abbf-9525-5157-9bc3-08ea3bc54403.html?mode=story
4. Nowack, Craig. E-mail, April 10, 2018
5. Voight, Sandeye, "Music on the March to Hit Dazell Field," Telegraph Herald, July 1, 2004, p. 35
6. Ibid., "Dubuque Colts Drum and Bugle Corps Continue Marching Forward," Telegraph Herald, July 1, 1004, p. 35
7. Gloss, Megan, "11 Drum Corps Will Show Their Stuff in the July 7 Music on the March at Dalzell Field," Telegraph Herald, July 6, 2005, p. 52
8. Becker, Stacey, "Colts Ready to Roll," Telegraph Herald, January 20, 2009, p. 1A
9. Montgomery, Jeff, "Quarter-Century Club," Telegraph Herald, June 15, 2014, p. 1A
10. "Colts Summer Premier Set for June 23," Telegraph Herald, June 16, 2017, p. 45
Colts Drum and Bugle Corps website
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