Carolina Crown
Drum Major Leadership Camp & One-Day Clinic
OPPORTUNITY: In 2015, Fran Kick started collaborating with Carolina Crown—working with both their CrownLEARNING events as well as the Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps. When Jim Coates first approached Fran, he wanted to co-create a Drum Major & Leadership Camp for high school students alongside Carolina Crown on the campus of Gardner-Webb University.
RESULTS: Each year the camp has grown in participation—both in terms of number of schools and students participating. Fran Kick created various video promotional assets while Judy Kick created a series of print and social media assets to help promote the camp across the Southwestern U.S. In 2024, the camp sold out with participants attending from 32 different high schools (68% of them repeat band programs and 32% of them new band programs).
UPDATE: 2024 was the first year Crown “sold out” and in 2025 there were drum majors and student leaders from NC, SC, GA, FL, VA, TN, AL, LA, and even AK (yes, Alaska!) all learning about developing better leadership AND smarter followership! Thank you Dr. Jamin Burton for encouraging and sending both your drum majors from Colony High School “down south” for the Carolina Crown Drum Major & Leadership Camp in 2025! #worththetrip
NOTE: In 2023 and 2024, a One-Day Leadership Clinic was created with Joe Roach at River Bluff High School, SC. Year-over-year the program has grown with students from 22 different band programs attended the event during the day which included a ticket to the CrownBEAT DCI show that evening.
MARKETING VIDEOS: In 2024, Fran Kick create multiple social media friendly videos in various formats (horizontal, vertical, and square) to help spread the word about both the camp and the one-day clinic.
Crown’s Drum Major & Leadership Camp is an all-encompassing, interactive experience for aspiring young leaders. Students experience world-class sessions on a wide variety of topics such as leadership skills, interpersonal skills, conducting skills, and much more. Students have the opportunity to conduct the award-winning Carolina CrownBRASS.
Crown’s One-Day Leadership Clinic features Fran Kick and the many talented faculty members of the Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps—learning the leadership skills AND mindset to succeed WITH others.
