Help Micah Hays march Columbians Drum Corps!

Hello! My name is Micah Hays, I am 20 years old and am excited to say I have been awarded a contract as a snare drummer with the Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps. I am currently a student at Western Washington University, studying music and working towards my Bachelor of Arts in percussion. As a full-time student, I work and pay for school, rent, and other necessities such as groceries and bills, completely on my own. My goal is to cover membership fees for the corps. This would include meals, housing, transportation, and just about everything else. Marching a summer of drum corps has always been a dream of mine, I've been auditioning to make Columbians since 2018 when I was just a sophomore in high school, and in the year 2020 I finally made it, but unfortunately, my year got cut in March due to COVID. As I am turning 21 in May, this would be the last year I could do a drum corp, as per the age-out rules of DCI (Drum Corps International). Please help me make my dream come true!

Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps is a non-profit organization based in Tri-Cities, WA. Their mission statement is to influence performing arts in the lives of regional youth, and provide an excellent educational program that emphasizes commitment, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence. At the end of June, we will start all-day, every-day rehearsal for a month, before starting our tour across the country, and eventually performing in Indiana at the DCI Open Class World Championship. As much as I am truly excited to spend my summer creating music, memories, and friendships, I am also excited about the educational aspect. Marching a season for an open-class drum corps is an experience like no other, it takes discipline, hard physical and mental work, patience, an open mind, and precision. All of the skills and techniques I would learn from a season of drum corps would apply and help my performance as an educator and performer.

I grew up in a musical family, both my older brothers were also drummers, and my parents love to sing and play piano. Needless to say, music is my passion, and after studying it in school at WWU for almost 2 years now, I only grow a deeper affinity for it every day. I have invested years of hard work, attending camps, taking lessons, and practicing frequently to make it here, to advance my level of playing further, and to become the best musician I can be.

To help pay for the expenses of traveling, training, and performing all summer, I would love and appreciate your support. Any donation amount would go towards supporting my journey in music and the arts.

Thank you for supporting me!