On A Water Break

Your All-Access Pass to the Marching Arts.

DCI 2026, drum corps scholarships, WGI percussion, marching band burnout, and AI show art all hit the water break this week.

Ricardo Robinson-Shinall, Sadie Wallace, and Jeremy Denzer break down Drum Corps International’s leadership transition, DCI’s 2026 scholarship recipients, the WGI story of Joshua and Jacob Mendiola, and why marching arts educators need to take a real break before the next season takes over.

Panel:
Ricardo Robinson-Shinall — @ricardorrobinson
Sadie Wallace — @m.sadiewallace
Jeremy Svboda — @drumcorpstoday

Chapters:
00:00 Cold Open: Welcome to Water Break Weekly
00:46 Meet the Panel
01:45 Jeremy’s Govenaires Update + Drum Corps Season Talk
04:05 Last Week Recap + This Week’s News Setup
05:25 News: DCI Announces Leadership Transition
14:47 News: DCI Awards More Than $85K in 2026 Scholarships
18:09 News: WGI Brother Duo Shares Medal-Winning Experience
22:34 Sponsor Break
24:32 60 Second Tech Block: Skipped This Week
24:32 Water We Doing?!: Drum Corps Apps, AI Show Art, and Burnout
25:14 Sadie: Lot App, Member Tracking, and Tour Privacy
30:14 Jeremy: Show Announcements and AI-Generated Design
33:05 Ricardo: Educators, Take the Break
39:30 Gush and Go
39:38 Sadie: Michael Cesario Wedding Dress Story
44:05 Jeremy: Returning to Drum Corps with the Govenaires
47:09 Ricardo: Philly Pride 365, Patti LaBelle, and Color Guard
53:06 Closing: Submit Stories + Subscribe

Featured Links:
DCI leadership transition
DCI 2026 scholarship recipients
WGI Mendiola brothers feature

Related Episodes:
WGI Housing Policy + AI Show Design Debate
Marching Band Protests, Million Dollar Band Record Numbers, Drum Corps Costs & Big Loud Live

Sponsored by:
Guard Closet — guardcloset.com — @guardcloset
Peak Group Travel — peakgrouptravel.com — @peak.group.travel

Find On A Water Break:
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Follow @onawaterbreak on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

Your All-Access Pass to the Marching Arts.

Marching band, DCI 2026, WGI, drum corps, color guard, and music education are all on the table this week.

This week on On A Water Break, Joey Montes III, Nicole Younger, and Hayley Harrington break down the Watertown High School band censorship story, DCI Event Day Clinics, Team DCI age-out volunteer opportunities, WGI’s Dayton impact, Westfield percussion opening Inside The Sound, and why AI uniform design inspiration still needs real-world production sense.

Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to Water Break Weekly
00:41 – Joey, Nicole, and Hayley check in
03:00 – Bonus episode previews
04:23 – Watertown band censorship story
12:08 – DCI 2026 Event Day Clinics
16:09 – Team DCI opportunity for recent age-outs
22:08 – WGI’s Bart Woodley honored by Destination Dayton
24:39 – Westfield Percussion opens Inside The Sound
30:29 – 60 Second Tech Block setup
33:38 – Nicole Younger: judging effect and design
40:17 – Water We Doing?!
40:49 – AI uniform inspiration vs. production reality
45:03 – Stop gatekeeping marching band show reveals
49:06 – Building your name vs. doing the work
52:05 – Gush & Go
58:19 – Closing

Hosts
Joey Montes III – @marchingbymontes
Nicole Younger – @o2bnpjs
Hayley Harrington – @h_harrington14

Links Mentioned
Watertown / A Mother of A Revolution!
DCI Event Day Clinics
Team DCI Age-Out Opportunity
WGI / Bart Woodley Destination Dayton Award
Inside The Sound

Related Episodes
DCI 2026 Tickets, WGI Graphic Designer Job + Band Censorship Debate
Elementary Marching Band, WGI Leadership Applications & Music Rights Costs
Legacy Drum & Bugle Corps 2026 Drum Majors

Find On A Water Break
Website
Listen Everywhere
All Links
Be a guest
[email protected]

Sponsored by Guard Closet: guardcloset.com | @guardcloset

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:
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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

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