As of this year, Mount Pisgah senior Aiden Commissariat began marching with the Atlanta CV Drum and Bugle Corps.
“Atlanta CV is one of two Drum and Bugle Corps based here in Georgia. We operate in the All-Age Division of Drum Corps International, which is essentially the major league for the marching arts,” says Commissariat.
Although Mount Pisgah does not have a marching band, Commissariat was able to overcome this setback through practice and dedication.
“If Aiden wants something, he works for it until he gets it. That’s just the kind of person he is. We don’t have a marching band, so he was already at a disadvantage because he had no marching experience. I watched him work so hard [with] hours and hours to learn the music and technical skills he needed to make it,” said Mount Pisgah Band Director Anisha Lewis.
Like any prestigious program, there was an auditioning process for hundreds of kids from November 2024 to February 2025 when Commissariat was contracted. 
“My first audition camp in November was a wake-up call to the realities of drum corps. I figured out very quickly that if I wanted to continue, I wouldn’t be able to coast by. The hardest part of my audition was all the marching technique because I had no foundation to build off of. I kept working on the warmup routines to practice marching form,” explains Commissariat.
Unlike traditional high school and college bands, Drum Corps International has introduced a new form of tuba, making Commissariat’s role in the program unique.
“Me and 12 other tuba players comprise the [tuba] section this year. Unlike most high school and college bands, Drum Corps International issues a different type of marching tuba called a contra. It is a concert tuba that was re-engineered to sit on the performer’s left shoulder to be a marchable instrument. It’s a challenge, but the payoff is worth the hard work,” says Commissariat.
Commissariat is the first Mount Pisgah student to join a program like this, meaning the Mount Pisgah Fine Arts community has a bright future.
“His connection to the program opens up opportunities for other kids who might be interested in it but don’t know where to start. He’s always willing to talk about it and loves to recruit. We are all so proud of him,” says Lewis.
Commissariat plans to attend Clemson University in the fall. There, he plans to audition and march for the Tiger Band.
