"This is the most chill marching band ever"

We are NOT a strict military band

Rehearsals are very relaxed with an emphasis on having fun, and learning music together.

A key goal is to provide a safe and inclusive forum for queer musicians to build community.

The colourguard leads the band on parade with choreographed flag twirling coordinated to the music.

No experience required! We'll give you a flag, so you can practice spinning

No marching experience is expected. Most of our members have not been in a marching band before. We'll teach marching fundamentals during weekly rehearsals.

Hornline (woodwinds and brass) should have basic understanding of their instrument. If you can play a Bflat concert scale, you're good! We are by no means a professional group. Many members haven't played their instrument in years, so come to rehearsals quite rusty. We'll help you relearn fingerings and rhythms.

Drumline is accepting beginners. You can be self-taught. Our drumline captain will teach rhythms and techniques.

No experience required for colourguard! Our colourguard captain will teach you how to spin, twirl, and toss the flags

If you decide to become a member, we have a tiered fee structure:

$40 - regular membership

$20 - discounted membership; for anyone who is underemployed or on a fixed income

We do not want finances to be a barrier for any member, so we have a Fee Deferral Program to help with the membership and/or uniform fee. This program is available to anyone who needs it. No questions asked.

The band provides all equipment for the colourguard and drumline.

For hornline, if you don’t have your own instrument, we will work with you to make sure you have one to use!

We rehearse weekly on Thursdays, but there's no attendance requirement. Some members can only attend every other week, others have one month on/one month off, do whatever works best for you!

Most of the year we have roughly one performance per month. Performances are generally in Toronto, or neighbouring cities. Last year we performed in Hamilton and Peterborough

During Pride Month we have a much busier calendar

We encourage everyone to try their best to make it to performances, however we understand that everyone has different schedules, so don't sweat it if you can't make every single event

If you already know how to play an instrument we can arrange to send you music so you can join us for performances. We ask that you attend at least one rehearsal before the event, so you can practice with the band.

We frequently check in with our members to make sure Thursdays are good for everyone. As we continue to explore different rehearsal spaces, we may change the day of the week depending on availability of the space, and of members.

We mainly play queer pop. Our setlist last pride season included Bad Romance, I Wanna Dance With Somebody and Mickey.

This year we're adding some ABBA, video game music, classic pride anthems, and some emo/punk rock.

Allies (straight/cis folx) are welcome to join!

Be mindful that we are a queer marching band.

Transphobia and homophobia will not be tolerated

The B in LGBT is not a silent letter! We welcome all under the queer 2SLGBTQIA+ umbrella, including our bi and pan siblings (yes, even if you are currently in a “straight” relationship)

If you’re considering joining and you want to check us out before committing, we recommend coming to the open rehearsal. This is a good opportunity to ask lots of questions and see what a rehearsal looks like.

If you just want to watch, you are welcome to drop in as well.

If you’re ready to join, visit www.gaylyforward.org/join

Select your membership tier and your section

You’ll want to subscribe to our mailing list and join our discord server for communications

Feel free to send an email to president@gaylyforward.org for more information