University of South Florida’s Diversity Committee with Liz Bannon & Jayda Peacock By Carlos Bautista-Babb March 2020 is a time that changed so much for so many. The 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the events following that shutdown changed the conversations towards race, gender, and equality for society, but also the marching arts. For Liz Bannon, Colorguard Director at the University of South Florida, and the performers she [...]

The FFCC is committed to supporting performers who are typically underrepresented in the marching arts through opportunity scholarships. The Access Program was created in 2020 in hopes of bridging opportunities for performers of color within the marching arts community. The main goal of the committee is to help create visibility for performers within the circuit, in hopes of encouraging young performers to continue within the marching arts in various roles such as being a technician, [...]

Costuming for All By Carlos Bautista As we are in the midst of putting our marching band shows on the field, and preparing for indoor season, one aspect of the show design to take into consideration is performer aesthetics such as costume, body tights, makeup, and hair. It can be easy to overlook the experience of the few performers that may be feeling out of place for the general idea you want in aesthetics. For [...]

On Sunday, April 10, the day after WGI World Championships, the ballroom of the Dayton Marriot Hotel was the site of a historic event. The first ever Cookout! The Cookout 22 was a celebration for colorguard instructors, designers, performers, and judges of color. The idea started from a chance picture that was taken in the hotel lobby three years earlier at the 2019 WGI Championships when a group of friends took a candid photo that [...]

Recruiting for an Inclusive Program By Carlos Bautista As many of us are gearing up for band camp, and the start of the new school year, it would be a great opportunity to analyze where your program is at in terms of equity, diversity, and inclusion!  For scholastic programs, the goal should be to reflect the general student population in the team. For instance, if Jane Doe HS is made up of 45% caucasian students, [...]

On behalf of the Access Committee and the FFCC, thank you to everyone who applied. There were many qualified and impressive candidates this year. Thank you to our sponsors at McCormick's for providing funds for one of our scholarships, and to the many individual donors who have contributed to the Access Program over the past year. We were pleased to be able to offer five scholarships, up from three in 2021. Congratulations to our 2022 [...]