Customer Stories: Conn Selmer and the Blue Devils’ Unbeatable Connection

The people at Conn Selmer know a thing or two about the power of connection. The Indiana-based musical instrument manufacturer and distributor hosts the Connection Sessions, a collaboration between their legendary instrument brands and talented artists. To create lasting memories of one of these sessions—recorded during the Blue Devils Drum Corp International training camp at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming—the folks at Conn Selmer created custom hats featuring the logos of instrument brands like Ludwig, Bach, and King.

“At its core, the Connection Sessions celebrates music’s unifying potency, transcending brand labels, genres, and backgrounds,” says Rob Brockett, Conn Selmer’s Senior Director of Marketing and Artist Relations. “Through the custom hats, our goal is to encapsulate the very spirit that defines our new season of the Connection Sessions: a spirit of collaboration and shared passion.” 

Seven of Conn Selmer’s artists spent three days with the Blue Devils, a world-class junior drum and bugle corps, creating what Rob praises as an “exceptional performance that deserved to be celebrated.” Beyond serving as wearable reminders of an ephemeral experience, the hats also served as a gesture of thanks to the Blue Devils for hosting Conn Selmer, as well as acknowledging a shared professionalism and level of talent: “Wearing the same hats that they perform in professionally, the Conn Selmer artists distributed the hats to the up-and-coming artists of the Blue Devils,” explains Rob.

The hats’ designs were kept simple and straightforward. “Logos are from our legendary brands,” Rob tells us, including “a throwback logo for Ludwig Musser Total Percussion from the 70’s—it’s popular with Ludwig brand aficionados.” The Imperial Wrightson Performance Hat, with its practical performance fabric and contrasting woven rope braid, was a natural choice on which to display the designs. And by featuring several different logos, the artists found a new way to engage with each other. “There was some horse trading based on the logos on those hats and what people preferred,” Rob says.

With a performance sweatband and pre-curved visor, these styles are ideal for all types of weather, which just so happened to come in handy for the Blue Devils and Conn Selmer artists when an unexpected storm hit. “We had to rush through giving out the hats because the weather was crazy,” Rob tells us. “During rehearsals we did the handout as we transitioned to seek shelter under the stadium bleachers. It ended up being a cool moment, because the Conn Selmer artists started a jam session under the bleachers and Blue Devil’s horn line joined in with their new custom hats. It relaxed everyone for playing together the next day.”

Rob found Custom Ink through word of mouth and a reputation for high-quality custom products. “The order experience was great for what I needed,” he says. “I called in and got some extra help and it worked wonderfully. I had a tight deadline and it worked out perfectly.” 

At Custom Ink, we often feature Customer Stories about how custom gear can foster a sense of belonging and community, as it did for Conn Selmer and the Blue Devils. Custom designs created in the spirit of togetherness welcome others into a shared experience—whether through a musical performance, a day of community service, or uniting a team at work. To find out what custom gear can do for you and your group, visit our website.