My name is Jeronimo Castro, I am 21 years old, and this will be my 6th and final summer of drum corps. I will be spending my Age-out Summer with the Blue Devils. From May 24th to August 9th, I will be touring the U.S, rehearsing, performing, and competing against other drum corps across the country. The Blue Devils are based out of Concord, California and have a long history of excellence. Growing up watching YouTube videos of them and later getting taught by amazing educators who marched with them, I knew I wanted to be there from the beginning of my Drum Corps Career .
With this being my 6th year of Drum Corps and second season with the Blue Devils, the financial costs have only gotten harder to cover. I have been working multiple jobs with teaching marching band, giving lessons, picking up gigs, and working as a Handyman. I was able to put a great amount of money towards my tuition fees with these jobs but I used a lot of my money for school. I am currently going to Cal State Fullerton for a Music Education degree. I am commuting to school this year with a 4+ hour commute every time. With rising gas prices every drive took a big part of my paycheck week to week. The total cost for my tuition with the Blue Devils this summer is $5,975. Anything you can do to help me with these cost is greatly appreciated. Whether it is donating any amount of money or sharing this link for others to see this fundraiser.
For those who are not too familiar with Drum Corps, here is the links to the shows I did in my last two summers. With the Mandarins Drum and Bugle corps in 2024 and the Blue Devils in 2025
Summer of 2024 "Vieux Carré"
Summer of 2025 "Variations On A Gathering"
The reason I wanted to march Drum Corps is because I am from the Coachella Valley, where our music education can be limited. I wanted to be with these amazing music groups to bring back what I had learned from the summers both musically and visually. With my experience it has allowed me to get a head start in teaching with being able to teach high school marching bands in the Fall. I am currently leading the Visual program at Cathedral City High School. I have been there for three years winning multiple visual caption awards. This past 2025 indoor season I got to be a a visual instructor with Del Sol winds where they placed 3rd in independent A Class.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me. Any amount you can donate to my fundraiser helps me alleviate the cost of my tuition.
Organizer
