After months of practicing and preparing, dozens of drum corps come together to produce a beat worthy of first place. As drum majors ready their bands and marchers steady their focus to the drum majors, the show starts. Hitting every dot and playing every note with precision, the band gives their all to shine among the competition, and among those participating is revered euphonium player and senior Gage Heller.

Heller plays for the school’s Wind Orchestra and is one of the Eagle Regiment’s two current band captains. Heller has performed in concert band for over eight years and in marching band for five.

Introduced to instrument-playing by his family, Heller learned to play the trombone at the age of 11, following in his older brother’s footsteps.

Through his brother, Heller developed a love for musicianship, especially when playing brass instruments. Following the trombone, Heller learned to play the euphonium, tuba and piano, looking to expand his versatility to new heights.

Heller’s musical career extends beyond school, however, as this summer he earned the opportunity to perform on a professional level with the Drum Corps International (DCI) group Carolina Crown.

DCI is a professional marching band program that is more intense and specialized than high school marching bands, in which participants work for 10-12 hours a day all summer with only a few days off. Members rehearse and are chosen based on high levels of commitment and skill and create unique theatrical shows that are judged based on musical and visual performance.

“You rehearse from the time that you finish eating breakfast until the time that rehearsal ends at night,” Heller said. “You’re basically doing marching band at a high level. It’s faster paced, harder music, more choreography and becomes a very intense environment.”

The audition process for DCI bands includes individual auditions and band camp attendance, with participants being assessed against others within the group. Heller originally planned to march with a different DCI group, the Bluecoats, but received a contract from Carolina Crown instead.

Heller’s initial reaction to his acceptance in the program was a shell-shock feeling, especially after enduring a long and strenuous application process. Heller had arrived a day late for his first camp, but the supportive environment around him helped him catch up quickly.

A typical non-competition day at Carolina Crown involved waking up at around 7 a.m., followed by an hour of breakfast. Then, from 9 a.m. to 12-1 p.m., program members participated in a three-four hour visual block, with lunch and two more blocks afterwards.

The visual block of rehearsal focused on marching and movement while the second block focused on brass, specifically on playing technique and playing while marching. The final block of the day was three hours long, with every marcher in the band, brass, percussion and color guard coming together to produce the entire show. This event was coined the full ensemble.

Initially, it was difficult for Heller to fit in with the group, as he was one of four highschoolers in the corp; everyone else was about two-three years older than him.

In the finals for the DCI competition there were 12 bands left out of the initial 48 in the 2025 season. These bands had to compete through the Preliminaries and Semi-finals to get to the finals. Heller found that competing in the final competition felt unreal — like something far beyond his comprehension.

“I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to nail my run and I did,” Heller said. “Everybody got off the field just in complete tears. After the warmup before the comp, when we just finished playing our ballad hit, I remember our conductor, Matt Harloff, telling us to put our horns down. Almost everybody immediately started crying and hugging each other, before the show even started. That’s how I knew it was going to be a good night.”

That night, Carolina Crown came in fifth place.

Outside of DCI, Heller’s skills, perseverance and determination have been noticed by his peers and band directors.

“Seeing Gage play live with Carolina Crown earlier this year was an amazing experience,” junior Jayden Guo said. “I know it’s always been his dream to march with drum corps and being able to see him experience that was awesome. I know he worked really hard to be where he is.”

Band Director Jeancarlo Napoles commends Heller for his exceptional talent in leadership and as both a student and musician.

“He is a very talented human being, very sweet person, very talented musician and a very strong leader,” Napoles said. “I’m very proud of all the things he has been able to achieve in a short amount of time and I feel proud to be given the opportunity to teach him; he is overall a phenomenal human being.”

With Heller’s journey ending for the 2025 DCI season, a new season begins as auditions, show ideas and arrangements get put into production. Within time, aspiring marchers across the country will be preparing for all sorts of marching band auditions, with hopes of being picked for a variety of corps, and among these people, Gage Heller.