FREE Players Drum Corps

Location: Old Bethpage, NY

Challenge: Various Disabilities

Website: facebook.com/freeplayersdrumcorps

The FREE Players Drum Corps was founded in 2010 and is one of the very first Special Needs Drum Corps to exist in the world.

The Corps is part of Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) Theatre Arts Day Program in Old Bethpage, NY. Drum Corps is essentially a professional marching band that requires the musicianship of a symphony, combined with the athleticism of a professional sport, mixed with the pageantry of a Broadway show.

Today our Corps has over 65 members, ages 20 to 50 plus. All the members of the Corps have intellectual and physical disabilities. The purpose of the Corps is to focus on the member’s talents and abilities, not their disabilities.

Our Corps is comprised of 3 sections, a Drumline, Color Guard and a Pit (Front Ensemble).

Our Corps is active 12 months a year and never takes a season off. We develop programs for Indoor Season (Winter Percussion and Winter Guard), Drum Corps Season, Marching Band Season, as well as halftime entertainment for sporting events. We are capable of customizing our performance for any event and their targeted audience.

Since our inception in 2010 we have made history on several occasions by traveling across the country to perform at world class events, most notably the WGI Percussion World Championships, DCI Eastern Classic, Newsday Marching Band Festival, USBands NY State Championships, Battle In the Apple, Walt Disney World and the NYC Columbus Day Parade.

At these world class events FREE's men and women are embraced with open arms, respected, appreciated and have been credited for inspiring others to create similar Corps around the globe. The main component that FREE’s men and women share with these world class Corps, is passion; the unwavering passion, heart, determination and dedication to achieve excellence in the marching arts.

In the past 6 years the Drum Corps has also been very active in the local community by providing halftime entertainment for sporting events, as well as performing in parades, festivals, competitions and on stages, all across Long Island, NY.

By performing in the community, the Drum Corps is helping to dissolve boundaries and educate the community on the abilities of individuals with disabilities rather than focusing on their differences.

FREE Players Drum Corps