Your All-Access Pass to the Marching Arts.
A Podcast for Marching Arts Enthusiasts — On the Field, In the Stands & Behind the Scenes.

Marching band, WGI, DCI 2026, color guard, drum corps, and music education are on deck in OAWB S4EP18. Ricardo Robinson-Shinall hosts Amari Lewis and Bill “Woody” Woodward for a weekly episode about Nuner Elementary’s marching band with color guard, WGI leadership applications, advisory board proposal deadlines, music rights, arrangement costs, and why the activity needs more original show design.

In this episode:
• Nuner Elementary School and Fine Arts Academy starts a marching band with color guard
• WGI Board of Directors and Steering Committee applications are open
• WGI 2026 Advisory Board proposal deadlines are here
• Woody tackles music rights, arrangement costs, and why old charts keep coming back
• Water We Doing?! takes on recycled shows, mismatched media content, and creative silos
• Gush & Go celebrates student growth, DCI tour prep, and a Philly Pride finale in the works

Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: Water Break Weekly S4EP18
00:52 – Panel Check-In: Post-Season Recovery + DCI Move-In
04:22 – Bonus Content Preview: WGI 2026 + Legacy Drum & Bugle Corps
05:15 – News: Elementary Marching Band with Color Guard
13:13 – News: WGI Board + Steering Committee Applications
14:48 – News: WGI 2026 Advisory Board Proposals
19:16 – Sponsor: Guard Closet
21:21 – 60 Second Tech Block: Music Arrangement Costs + Performance Rights
31:02 – Water We Doing?! Recycled Shows, Media Mistakes + Creative Teams
41:55 – Gush & Go: Student Wins, DCI Tour + Philly Pride
48:38 – Closing: Subscribe, Review + Share

Panel:
Ricardo Robinson-Shinall — @ricardorrobinson
Amari Lewis — @_amari.lewis_
Bill “Woody” Woodward — @remoking100

Referenced Links:
Nuner Elementary marching band story
WGI Board + Steering Committee application
WGI 2026 Advisory Board proposal submissions
WGI 2026 Advisory Board meeting dates

Related Episodes:
Why “Believability” Is Winning WGI 2026
Legacy Drum & Bugle Corps 2026 Drum Majors

Sponsored by Guard Closet:
GuardCloset.com
Instagram: @guardcloset

Find On A Water Break:
Website
Listen Everywhere
All Links
Weekly Episodes Playlist
Bonus Episodes + Quick Sips

Keywords: marching band, WGI 2026, DCI 2026, color guard, drum corps, music education, indoor percussion, marching arts, show design, music rights, Guard Closet.

Your All-Access Pass to the Marching Arts.

Legacy Drum & Bugle Corps is stepping into its first DCI SoundSport season, and this Quick Sip introduces the first leaders on the podium: Kamryn Burns and Corbin Weiss.

Trish O’Shea sits down with Kamryn Burns, Corbin Weiss, and Legacy/Dream Performing Arts Executive Director Tom Maiello to talk about building a drum corps from the beginning, what it means to be the first drum majors, how recruiting and travel are shaping the season, and what Legacy is preparing for its 2026 debut.

In this episode:

• 00:00 – Quick Sip Intro
• 00:21 – Meet Legacy’s First Drum Majors
• 00:52 – 32 Count Life Stories
• 03:04 – Joining Legacy and Starting Something New
• 04:33 – Rehearsals, Camps, and Move-In Plans
• 07:41 – Recruiting, Travel, and First-Year Logistics
• 09:20 – Legacy’s 2026 Program Sneak Peek
• 11:58 – What Kamryn and Corbin Are Most Excited About
• 13:42 – Biggest Challenges for a First-Year Corps
• 15:38 – How to March with Legacy

Featured in this Quick Sip:
Trish O’Shea — @trishdish1102
Kamryn Burns — Head Drum Major, Legacy Drum & Bugle Corps
Corbin Weiss — Assistant Drum Major, Legacy Drum & Bugle Corps
Tom Maiello — Executive Director, Dream Performing Arts / Legacy Drum & Bugle Corps

Follow Legacy / Dream Performing Arts:
LegacyDBC.org
Legacy Instagram
Legacy Facebook
Dream Performing Arts
Dream Instagram

Sponsored by:
Guard Closet — @guardcloset

Find On A Water Break:
Website
Linktree
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
YouTube

Keywords: DCI SoundSport, Legacy Drum and Bugle Corps, drum corps, drum major, marching band, marching arts, Open Class drum corps, Drum Corps International, 2026 DCI season.

Your All-Access Pass to the Marching Arts.

Blessed Sacrament Color Guard had one of the most talked-about WGI moments of the season, and Zach Miranda joins On A Water Break to talk about the viral pole feature, crowd reactions, social media buzz, and the group’s 90th anniversary year.

In this Quick Sip, Zach talks about becoming known as “the pole dancer from Blessed Sac,” hearing the crowd sing along during the show, seeing clips from every angle, and watching the conversation unfold online.

In this episode:
• Zach’s 32 Count Life Story• The Blessed Sacrament pole feature• Crowd reactions in Dayton• Social media clips and Reddit discourse• The meaning behind the “jungle” section of the show• Blessed Sacrament’s 90th anniversary season• Teaching with Spartans Drum Corps

Guest:
Zach Miranda — @Zach_miranda122

Featured Program:Blessed Sacrament — @blessedsac

Watch More On A Water Break

Weekly Episodes:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL600p0k2IuT4vhEIgopl8XDO-pU3YOR77

Bonus Interviews / Quick Sips:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL600p0k2IuT5c48Q_cvR1ATvbaQ1QGcN4

Listen Everywhere:https://plinkhq.com/i/1653637341?to=page

Subscribe, leave a review, and follow @onawaterbreak for more marching arts conversations.

Your All-Access Pass to the Marching Arts.

In this Quick Sip, Trish sits down with Kate Cecil, the standout soloist from Center Grove High School’s World Guard—known across the activity as the “yellow flag girl” from WGI Finals.

Kate shares her journey from starting color guard in middle school to becoming a multi-year section leader and viral standout performer. She talks about being chosen as the soloist, handling the pressure of performing alone in a featured role, and what it felt like to gain recognition across the community.

In this episode:

• Kate’s 32 Count Life Story
• How she became the Center Grove soloist
• Performing as the only featured yellow flag performer
• Going viral at WGI Finals
• Advice for Scholastic World performers

Key insight:
“If you see someone performing and they’re feeling it… it makes everything else forgivable.”

Listen everywhere:
https://plinkhq.com/i/1653637341?to=page

Watch more episodes:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL600p0k2IuT4vhEIgopl8XDO-pU3YOR77

Shop Guard Closet:
https://www.guardcloset.com

Indiana Band Program Targeted by Politician Sparks National Debate on Music Education

This Quick Sip dives into a major developing story involving the Westfield High School Band Program and their indoor percussion group following the WGI season.

Band Director Andrew Muth joins On A Water Break to explain what happened after a state politician shared a post criticizing the program—bringing unexpected national attention to their students and their work.

Rather than reacting negatively, the program used the moment to advocate for music education and support their students.

⏱️ Episode Chapters:
00:00 – Intro00:21 – Guest Introduction01:03 – 32 Count Life Story02:23 – The Controversy Explained03:54 – Student Impact05:22 – Supporting Students06:02 – Crisis Response Strategy08:24 – How to Support Westfield09:46 – Closing

🔗 Support Westfield:
https://westfield.band

🌐 Listen Everywhere:
https://plinkhq.com/i/1653637341?to=page

🛍️ Sponsored by Guard Closet:
https://www.guardcloset.com

Why “Believability” Is Winning WGI 2026 + Full Results Recap

Your All-Access Pass to the Marching Arts.

WGI 2026 is officially in the books, and one theme stood out across color guard, percussion, and winds: believability. This week, the On A Water Break panel breaks down championship results, performance quality, judging conversations, and what instructors need to rethink heading into next season.

Joey Montes is joined by Jeremy Denzer, Haley Harrington, and guest Aaron Ferris for a full weekly episode covering WGI results, DCI Hall of Fame news, and a 60 Second Tech Block on what “performing” really means.

Panel:
Joey Montes — @marchingbymontes
Jeremy Denzer — @jeremydenzer
Haley Harrington — @h_harrington14
Aaron Ferris — @phunky.af

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro + Panel Welcom02:45 – 32 Count Life Story: Aaron Ferris08:04 – News: Buc-ee’s Ohio Store Chaos at WGI10:05 – DCI Hall of Fame 2026 Announced11:29 – WGI 2026 Color Guard Results Breakdown14:34 – WGI 2026 Percussion Results Breakdown23:12 – WGI 2026 Winds Results Breakdown28:02 – 60 Second Tech Block: What Is Performance Quality?33:23 – Water We Doing: Judging + Social Media Rants47:50 – Gush & Go54:35 – Closing Thoughts + Where to Follow

In This Episode:

• WGI 2026 Color Guard, Percussion, and Winds results
• Why believability is separating top groups
• DCI Hall of Fame Class of 2026
• Judging, social media, and educator responsibility
• 60 Second Tech Block: Performance Quality

Links:
WGI Scores Hub: https://www.wgi.org/scores/WGI Color Guard Scores: https://www.wgi.org/scores/color-guard-scores/WGI Winds Scores: https://www.wgi.org/scores/winds-scores/DCI Hall of Fame 2026: https://www.dci.org/news/five-to-be-inducted-into-dci-hall-of-fame-class-of-2026/
Listen Everywhere: https://plinkhq.com/i/1653637341?to=page
OAWB Website: https://www.onawaterbreak.com
All Links: https://linktr.ee/onawaterbreak

Sponsor:Guard Closet — https://www.guardcloset.comInstagram: @guardcloset

Follow On A Water Break:
Instagram/Facebook/TikTok: @onawaterbreak

#OnAWaterBreak #WGI2026 #ColorGuard #IndoorPercussion #Winds #MarchingArts

Your All-Access Pass to the Marching Arts.

Marching band drill design is evolving—and OpenMarch is helping lead that change.

In this episode of On A Water Break, we sit down with Alex Dumouchelle, Founder & Lead Developer of OpenMarch, and Aleksi Saario, OpenMarch’s Marketing Manager, to talk about how their free, open-source drill writing platform is changing access, collaboration, and creativity in the marching arts.

This conversation digs into where OpenMarch started, why open-source matters, how real programs are already using it, and what the future of drill design could look like when more designers actually have access to the tools.

In this episode:

• How OpenMarch got started
• Why open-source matters in the marching arts
• How the platform lowers barriers for designers and educators
• Real-world use in marching arts programs
• What’s next for OpenMarch

Featured Guests:
Alex Dumouchelle — Founder & Lead Developer, OpenMarch
Aleksi Saario — Marketing Manager, OpenMarch

Find OpenMarch:
Website: https://openmarch.com
Team / About: https://openmarch.com/about/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openmarchapp
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtDQuvHRnj-GQ_GrNbpNYhQ

Hosts:
Joey Montes — https://www.instagram.com/marchingbymontes
Ricardo Robinson-Shinall — https://www.instagram.com/ricardorrobinson

Follow On A Water Break:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onawaterbreak
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onawaterbreak
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@onawaterbreak

Listen Everywhere:
https://plinkhq.com/i/1653637341?to=page

Watch More OAWB:
Weekly Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL600p0k2IuT4vhEIgopl8XDO-pU3YOR77
OAWB With: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL600p0k2IuT5c48Q_cvR1ATvbaQ1QGcN4

Sponsor:
Guard Closet: https://www.guardcloset.com

Got a question or want to be on the show?
Email: [email protected]

Your All-Access Pass to the Marching Arts.

DCI 2026 tour tickets are live, a Minnesota band director is stepping into politics, and summer marching camps are already making noise.

This week on On A Water Break, Ashlee Amos, Bobbey Biddle, Bill “Woody” Woodward, and Haley Harrington break down four timely stories from across the activity, then jump into a 60 Second Tech Block that turns into a very real conversation about last-minute packing, freezing bus rides, and surviving tour prep.

The panel also unloads in Water We Doing?! with hot takes on winter activities running into May, spring concerts happening way too early, not drinking enough water, and the pressure of cleaning championship performances. Gush and Go closes things out with love for WGI teams, travel wins, live event coverage, and local programs building momentum.

Panel:
Ashlee Amos — @famousamossss_
Bobbey Biddle — @bobbeyboy107
Bill “Woody” Woodward — @remoking100
Haley Harrington — @h_harrington14

In this episode:

• Band director Christoph Dundas runs for public office
• DCI 2026 tour tickets go on sale
• BOA Summer Camp and Director Academy discussion
• USBands summer clinics conversation
• 60 Second Tech Block: packing for tour and cold bus rides
• Water We Doing?!
• Gush and Go

Listen everywhere:
https://linktr.ee/onawaterbreak
https://plinkhq.com/i/1653637341?to=page

Watch more:
Weekly Episodes Playlist
Bonus Episodes Playlist

Referenced in this episode, coming soon:
WGI 2026 Color Guard Recap
WGI 2026 Percussion Finals Preview

Sponsored by Guard Closet:
https://www.guardcloset.com
Sell with Guard Closet
Design with Guard Closet