This August, two LHS alumni, Carson Gramm and Kyan Carlson competed in the Drum Corps International (DCI) world championship. DCI is a more competitive, professional marching band.
“It can be compared to any pro sports league and involves 20+ corps all competing and touring across the country performing shows all summer,” said Gramm. “The activity is an opportunity for musicians ages 16-21 across the country to strive to be the best they can, all the while showcasing their abilities and perform amazing, crowd-pleasing shows all across the U.S..”
The season comes to a close at the DCI world championships, where over the course of three days, all teams are narrowed down to a top 12. They compete in a preliminary and semifinal competition before the championships on the final night. Teams are scored based on their visual analysis, visual proficiency, color guard, music analysis, brass and percussion. This season, Gramm and Carlson’s team, the Bluecoats, had an undefeated season and won the world championship.
“Several top-notch groups of brass players (trumpets, mellophones, baritones, euphoniums, and tubas) and percussionists compete against each other with extremely physically demanding, thematic shows every summer,” said Carlson.
The Bluecoats have a very rigorous audition process. The two went through several rounds of auditioning, while going to camps to learn music and technique. Additionally, Gramm and Carlson spent countless hours each day at home training to get stronger, build endurance and become better musicians.
“I regularly went to the gym or on long runs several times a week to prepare physically for the toll that the activity takes on your body. It’s an insane amount of work almost year-round, but the payoff is more than worth it,” said Gramm.
While at LHS, both Gramm and Carlson performed with the LHS Marching Band. The LHS band set them up for success in many ways as the band directors, Dan Carlson and Drew Balta, greatly contributed to the success and preparation required to be a part of the Bluecoats.
“The staff and culture of the Lincoln Marching Band specifically has the exact same goal as every single drum corps out there, being excellent…If it wasn’t for the directors and for the amazing people I marched with during my time at Lincoln, I would never have been able to accomplish what I did this summer,” said Gramm.
Gramm and Carlson both held leadership positions during their time at LHS and went above and beyond in the music scene. Both were members of the All-State band and were members of the symphonic band, the highest level at LHS. The two shined bright while in the LHS Marching Band as both were given the honor of being field commanders.
“You always want to see students do well when they leave, but it’s fun to see them do so well on the highest stage of what we teach here at Lincoln,” said Balta.
Preparing for the world championships in Indianapolis was an arduous process. Carlson, Gramm and the Bluecoats spent their whole summer training. They spent weeks learning and practicing their 2024 show titled “Change is Everything” until it was perfected. Working in the heat of summer in Texas was very taxing work, so the team would rely on each other for support and their friendship helped them stay motivated throughout the season.
“Whether you’re exhausted, you’re missing home or it’s 105 degrees in Texas, a seemingly endless amount of obstacles are constantly being thrown at you. It’s incredibly important to be able to lean on the people around you and to lift each other throughout the summer,” said Gramm.

After learning the show, the group tours all around the country competing against other DCI groups and performing for huge audiences. They were constantly on the road, often sleeping in school gymnasiums and on buses between shows and practices. Throughout this time the Bluecoats had an undefeated season, competing 17 times across the country. Their win made the hot days of learning and practicing worth it.
“The hardest part of the season was the long stretches of full rehearsal days with no shows. After the thrill of the first few shows, the last thing you want to do is stop performing to large audiences,” said Carlson.
Finally, after months of touring, the Bluecoats arrived in Indianapolis to compete against other DCI groups for the championship. With the highest scores in prelims, semis and finals the Bluecoats became the new DCI national champions beating their competitors with a finals score of 98.75. Meanwhile, the LHS marching band cheered them on from Sioux Falls. Post awards, the team followed the DCI tradition of doing a second performance, serving as a victory lap after an amazing season.
“It was truly an amazing night that I will remember for the rest of my life. Having the opportunity to do a victory run after the awards ceremony was the cherry on top and made for probably the most fun 15 minutes I’ve ever experienced,” said Gramm.
It took extreme dedication and commitment for Gramm, Carlson and their team to become the DCI world champions. After months of preparing, auditioning, practicing and touring they were finally able to see all their efforts pay off on the night of finals. With the support of the LHS band and the love throughout the Bluecoats team, they were able to reach their highest potential and bring home gold.
“It’s an indescribable feeling to know that our hard work had paid off in the best way possible and that our efforts would be remembered and looked back upon forever,” said Carlson.

This story was originally published on The Statesman on October 2, 2024.