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Who is the Drumline?
Rainbow City Drumline (RCD) has been the beating heart of Seattle parades for over twenty five years! We march and perform in festivals across western Washington, such as Seattle Pride, as well as play throughout all OL Reign home soccer matches from March to October. We're a tight knit group of drummers with a communal family atmosphere to lift us all up together to have an amazing time playing for the public.
Rainbow City Drumline is open to musicians at any skill level, provided they can read music and are age 18 or older. In Rainbow City Drumline, we have a long history of helping musicians gain their first drumline experience or explore drumline instruments they always wanted to try but haven’t yet. We have lots of opportunities to hone and improve your skills alongside the rest of us!
What Drumline Does
Rainbow City Drumline is the official drumline for ensembles like Rainbow City Marching Band and Reign City Riot and also performs alone for community performances.
Rainbow City Drumline features 4 snares, 2 quads, 4 bass drums, and 2 cymbals for full-band performances. Instruments, equipment, and uniforms are provided. Rainbow City Marching Band performs 10 songs each summer, and Reign City Riot performs up to 15 songs as a full band in pre/post/halftime shows. Separately, Rainbow City Drumline has its own book of 40+ custom patterns played during Reign games and 1-2 cadences for marching. Most music does not need to be memorized for performances.
Drumline members attend rehearsals for both the marching band and Riot, as well as several Drumline-only rehearsals throughout the season. Full-time members who can commit to a majority of performances and rehearsals are strongly preferred, but part-time players are accepted. We welcome varying levels of participation as long as we can ensure you're ready to perform. Opportunities abound for our performance and while we don't expect you to be able to attend everything, we encourage you to join us as much as you can to meet our community's demand for more drums!
How Drumline is Different
We are a unique and inclusive drumline! Our members joined us at all levels of experience in drummer and we work together to make a cohesive tight sound to wow our audiences. Besides our solo rehearsals and appearances, we also are the heartbeat of two bands! We allow schedule flexibility for members to participate in either ensemble or both as their schedule allows.
The drumline is backed by Rainbow City Performing Arts, performing instrumental music in Seattle since 1998. Through collaboration and shared resources, we are building a strong lasting legacy in Seattle with a welcome place for those who want to join our mission. All are welcome! Whether you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, an ally, differently abled, or still building musical skills, we are committed to securing a space and supporting everyone who is interested in expressing themselves on their instrument.
Interested in joining?
We are not currently accepting new members for the summer, but can welcome new members to join this Fall for our workshops and initial rehearsals.
Common Membership Questions
How do you engage with the community?
As part of the marching band and Reign City Riot, the drumline is the most visible ensemble in our organization with dozens of public performances each summer.
When and where are the rehearsals? How long is the performance season?
Rehearsal times and dates vary throughout the season depending on the activity of each related ensemble. From October through February, rehearsals are mostly intermittent Saturdays in the U District. Later in the season there are rehearsals on Mondays in the U District with Marching Band and Wednesdays at Lumen Field with Reign City Riot.
Drumline members are not expected to attend all performances but are encouraged to participate as much as possible. Soccer matches stretch between April and October and marching band events are between June and September.
What instruments could I play?
Instrumentation is for: Snare Drum, Cymbals, Tri-toms, Quad-Toms, and Bass Drum. We have drums available for all players.
What’s the skill level required? Is there an audition or cap on membership?
We welcome members of all skill levels and many of our members joined us after a lifetime playing a wind instrument. We have a supportive environment for you to build your skills. We hold an audition to ensure you are prepared for the pace of the season, but Fall/Winter skills workshops are open to all.
When can I join?
Contact us at any time to let us know your interest and we will connect you with the ensemble to join at the next opportunity. The best times to jump in are in October or January each year.
How do you distribute music?
All RCPA ensembles distribute all music digitally through cloud links. You can print your own music to your preferred size specifications or load it onto a digital device. We do not always have copies of the music available at the rehearsal.
What are the basic requirements of membership?
We ask members to attend 80% of all rehearsals or make arrangements otherwise. Member dues are $75 per quarter, or you can utilize our Angel Fund to cover your dues in case of financial need.
How do I join?
Click here to fill out our membership interest form. We'll get back to you soon about joining drumline or any other ensemble!
Drumline History
Our drumline has been a part of the Seattle Pride Parade since the inception of our organization in 1998 to give the Seattle Pride Parade its first marching band. Tradition and growth has continued through all these years as we have rhythmically led our horn players and color guard through streets, festivals, charity events, and community gatherings.
Rainbow City Drumline gained a reputation for skill and power under the leadership of Deb Farrar for many years as we developed new prowess in playing challenging custom cadences and with the introduction of the Drum Solo to our parades including choreographed movement and dance of the entire drumline to the delight of audiences. Further, we increased our visibility in the community by adding performances of our own including many years leading the Seattle Dyke March through the streets of Capitol Hill.
Rainbow City Drumline was instrumental in the creation of our band to support the OL Reign (at the time, Reign FC) women's soccer club. Under the leadership of John Arrowsmith, the drums joined the fan section for the team to add to the power and excitement of the chants throughout the game. The fans and players alike loved the sound and excitement it added, so the tradition continued. There was such a demand for more, that it led to us forming a full band, first named Queen City Corps and later Reign City Riot to join our drums in playing music before and after the match. The tradition of how it started remains as our drumline makes a racket all throughout every home match which eventually moved to fill the cavernous Lumen Field.