Cascades 2016 National Tour Tuition

Zane Austin is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Lisette Austin.

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My name is Zane Austin and I’m freshman in high school who loves to play trumpet. This is my fifth year playing in school bands, and I’m currently in both concert and jazz bands at Newport High School. I also loved playing with the Newport Pride Marching Band this fall, and after the season was over I found myself wanting to do more.

When I was walking out of the band room in early December, I saw a flyer about the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps 2016 National Tour and the opportunity to audition later in the month. I decided to go for it, and after working very hard before and during the audition camp, I was very relieved and excited to hear I was given a contract! I always knew about Drum Corps International but I never imagined I would audition and become one of the youngest members of a DCI World Class Division competitor. The Cascades are the only World Class level drum corps in the Pacific Northwest. Members are 14-21 years old and are from all over the PNW, other states like Utah, and sometimes from as far as Japan!

The national tour and competition will happen over the summer of 2016 and is supposed to be the best Cascades year yet. The tour will be six weeks long with 22 performances in 18 states. The 2016 tuition is over $3000. This covers six monthly rehearsal camps, two weeks of intense rehearsing and the tour itself. There will be some additional costs beyond that. My parents said they can help with part of it but I’d rather try to raise all the money myself. I have a small amount already in my savings account but definitely need your help. It's coming up soon and we need to make monthly payments starting in January.

I’m beyond excited that I get to do this at such a young age, as the common age is 16-19 years old. It will be so much work but I know it’s going to an amazing experience. This will make me a better musician and a better performer. And there’s nothing I love more than music.

Thank you for donating anything you can, and helping me meet this huge goal!

LINKS TO MORE INFO:

2016 Cascades Performance Schedule

2015 DCI Semi-Finals Competition Montage - this shows what DCI competitions are like. The Cascades can be seen in this video.

What is Drum Corps? This explains what what the experience is about.