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International band competition marches into Indy this weekend

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — If you’re hearing a marching band in your neighborhood, you’re not alone. Drum Corps. International’s world championships are in Indianapolis this week, and teams are rehearsing at schools across the city.

Teams that advance Friday night will compete in the finals on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Tourism leaders are expecting more than 40,000 people to attend the event.

The Blue Knights from Denver rehearsed at Arsenal Technical High School. The sound of snare drums, horns and cymbals echoed through the campus Thursday morning.

All summer, they’ve traveled the country competing with other teams.

“This is the absolute pinnacle of the marching art,” Blue Knights assistant director Jordan Helwerda. “This week is the accumulation of three months of work and three months of being out on the road.”

For the Blue Knights, Arsenal Technical is home this week. They pack up their gear every night and lay out sleeping bags in the gym.

“It’s not about competing or scores or anything like that,” timpani player Christien Martin said. “When you look back at it, it’s about the memories that you made and the people that you impacted with the music.”

Team members come from all over the country, and they’re between 16 and 21 years old. They’re the top 150 of 1,400 people who tried out for the team.

VisitIndy estimates the competition generates $11.5 million for the local economy every year. Last year, DCI agreed to keep the contest in Indy through 2025.

Tickets are still available at DCI.org.