The Keystone Indoor Drill Association (KIDA) is one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the country, serving the region since its inception in 1981. The organization sponsors competitive events for Indoor Color Guard, Percussion, Dance, and Winds.

“Back in the day, we used to also have a competition with majorettes and drill teams. We don't have any of those anymore, but we're, you know. very, very strong with our members for Color Guard and Indoor Drumline, “said Matt Carraher, President of KIDA.

There are similarities and differences between marching bands and indoor drills that includes percussion and ensembles.

“So, the easiest way to say it is if you take a marching band and you take away everything except the drums and then mix it together with Cirque du Soleil and then put it in a gym, that's what indoor drumline is. So, it's not just playing the drums or drumline the movie from 20 years ago. It's not just that. We call it pageantry because it's there's choreography, there's dancers, there's props, there's crazy costuming, there's big sound systems, there's lighting, there's all kinds of things that go into it.”

KIDA has over 100 participating schools and independent organizations from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.

“You know, our big goal and... as an organization is just to make sure that we're fostering the environment of growth for these students and creating a great experience for them. And that's really our goal is we want our events to be a great experience for these students to have a performance outlet and have something that they really look forward to, the audience really looks forward to, and they can do some really cool things.”

Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation. 

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