Each summer, thousands of student musicians participate in the activity of drum corps. Many of today's top educators and performers have participated in drum corps in some way, yet it carries with it a negative connotation in the world of academic music. Drum corps participants overwhelmingly cite positive perceptions of growth as performers and educators. I created a memoir that guides readers through my first summer as a member of The Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps, describing my personal drum corps experience. I then analyze data from members of the corps that supports my belief that the positive experience I wrote about is not unique, but is a trend in the organization and does not reflect the traditional criticisms of the activity as a whole.