Caleb Roybal

A LETTER FROM CALEB

Hello! My name is Caleb Roybal, I am a junior instrumental music education major at the University of Oklahoma and I have been presented the opportunity to march with the 2026 Phantom Regiment drumline this summer for my age-out season! Phantom Regiment is a world class Drum Corps with a history placing at the top of the activity in musical and visual performance. Receiving a contract from an ensemble of this prestige is not only the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, but also a valuable opportunity to further develop my skills and experience as both a musician and a music educator. While Drum Corps is an organization that offers members an extraordinary chance to make lifelong friends and build character, it is also one that does not come cheaply. The fees in total amount to $6,500 which I hope to achieve through fundraising and working. These fees cover housing sites, bus transportation, food, props, uniforms, show/contest fees, etc. Please consider donating! Performing with Phantom Regiment this summer would not only drastically heighten my trajectory as a musician and educator, but give me a monumentally enjoyable age-out season of Drum Corps to wrap up my career in the marching arts. Anything helps!

This will be my third and final season competing in Drum Corps, as members are allowed to participate until the age of 21. My first season, in 2024, was spent with Zephyrus, and last year I marched with the Crossmen. Both of these experiences were pivotal for my career in the marching arts, each serving its own purpose. Zephyrus was an excellent way to get my foot in the door with Drum Corps, as the season was only 28 days long and had the universal goal of learning a show and performing it as close to perfectly as possible. The experience gave me my first exposure to heightened rehearsal standards compared to high school or college marching band. Though shorter than world-class seasons, the staff at Zephyrus prioritized giving its members a memorable experience that instilled teamwork values and strong musical foundations to build upon. 

This set me up with the resources to land a contract with The Crossmen! At the time, this was my biggest accomplishment to date. The jump to world-class meant a huge leap in difficulty, time, quality, and opportunity. Though I had the prior experience, marching Crossmen felt like uncharted territory. This season was the hardest thing I have ever put myself through, as the full days of training, short meals, intense marching rehearsals, and late nights continued for a much longer duration. In turn, this took the lessons I learned at Zephyrus and greatly amplified them. There were numerous instances when I wanted to give up during the season, but the group and staff’s groundedness in perseverance through delayed gratification made everything possible. I was able to live out some of my favorite performing experiences of all time, such as DCI San Antonio, DCI Allentown, and DCI Finals in Indianapolis. After the work was done, I learned that the end of the season happens very abruptly. For 76 days, you and 150 other aspiring musicians work together to perfect a show to the best of your abilities. Finally, you reach Indianapolis, where everything comes together and the corps is given the fulfillment of performing the show for the last time. The work finally pays off, only for everyone to say their goodbyes and catch flights home the next morning. This rewarding yet abrupt ending gave me an undying obligation to enjoy the marching arts as much as I can with the remaining time I have, motivating me to audition for Phantom Regiment, a group that standardizes the highest level of difficulty and performance quality.

Phantom Regiment starts off the summer by relocating to Rockford, Illinois, to take part in a one-month-long spring training process. During this time, members learn and attempt to perfect a singular show through roughly 11 hours of rehearsals each day. These rehearsals emphasize consistent repetition in musicianship and athleticism, as a significant portion of spring training is devoted to physical conditioning and cardiovascular work to reach optimal athletic performance for shows and rehearsals. After a month of hard work and preparation, the spring training portion of the season concludes, and groups begin to make their first public appearances. Each group competes against the others through a series of contests, traveling from state to state to perform, rehearse, and sleep in a bus or a high school gym. Phantom Regiment, in particular, will, over the course of roughly a month and a half, perform in Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and will end the season at DCI Finals in Indianapolis. The season is a long and sometimes grueling process, and because of this, Phantom Regiment deeply values solidarity and fellowship among its participants. The group is filled with smiling faces who are ready to uplift each other through difficult days. The experience lasts approximately 84 days and would allow me to spend my final season of Drum Corps working harder and performing at a higher level than ever before, while making lifelong friendships and memories in the process.