Drill Designer
Email: mitchww@me.com

Mitch Rogers is a well-known drill designer, marching instructor, consultant and clinician who has worked in the U.S, Japan, Thailand and Singapore.

Mitch began his career as a high school marching band trombonist and continued at the University of Illinois, where he performed in concert and marching bands. Mitch performed with The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps in the early 1980s.

After graduating from U of I with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, he began instructing The Cavaliers (1984-1994) and various Illinois and Texas high school bands in his spare time.

In 1991, Mitch became the visual caption head of The Cavaliers and assisted the corps to two consecutive DCI visual caption awards and the 1992 DCI World Championship. In 1994, he wrote The Cavaliers' drill. In 2002, Mitch continued his drum corps experience as the program coordinator for the Santa Clara Vanguard. Mitch was the Bluecoats drill designer from 2003-2008 and he wrote the drill for The Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2007-2010.

Mitch works full-time as a drill designer, marching instructor and show design clinician.

From 1992 to 2003, Mitch was the drill designer for the trend-setting Plymouth-Canton (MI) Educational Park Marching Band, a perennial BOA Grand National finalist and Michigan state champion. In 1999, Plymouth-Canton was the BOA Grand Champion. He also instructed the 1993 BOA Grand National Champion Spring H.S. Marching Band from Spring, Texas.

As an instructor and designer, Mitch has been associated with high school bands throughout the United States including Stephen F. Austin High School Band and Angels Dance Team (Sugar Land, Texas) Center Grove High School Band (Greenwood, Ind.), Westfield H.S. (Spring, Texas,) Langham Creek H.S. (Cypress, Texas) Reeths-Puffer H.S. (Muskegon, Mich.) and many others.

Since 1992, Mitch has been drill designer and visual caption head for the colorful and inventive Aimachi Marching Band and Color Guard of Nagoya, Japan. He travels to Japan each year to instruct Aimachi. The band won the All-Japan Championship in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2006-2009.

In 2001, Mitch also had the honor of spending five weeks in Thailand teaching one of his designs to the St. Paul Convent School Marching Band of SriRacha, Thailand, winner of the prestigious 2001 Yamaha Marching Band Competition. Mitch has designed for several other bands in Thailand.

Mitch was invited to Singapore by the Deyi Secondary School Marching Band, the 2008 Champion of the Singapore Youth Festival marching competition, the country’s premier marching band championship. He traveled to Singapore in 2008 and 2009 to teach marching fundamentals, show design, drill design, rehearsal techniques and more. In 2010, marching one of Mitch’s designs, Deyi once again captured the top spot at the Singapore Youth Festival.

MitchRogers.net