A league where six-year-olds learn paradiddles and twelve-year-olds battle blast beats — held in school gyms near you, every weekend this spring.
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Everything you need to know.
Each card is a doorway. Explore divisions, scoring, dates, and studio registration in any order.
Age Divisions
Four brackets built around where kids actually are developmentally — not just birthday cutoffs.
Tiny Taps
Ages 4–6
Junior Beat
Ages 7–8
Rising Rhythm
Ages 9–10
Thunder Division
Ages 11–13
Tap to see full details ↓
Division Brackets
Tap to flip backFirst-time performers. Simple patterns, big smiles. Judged on participation and stage presence only.
Basic rudiments and steady time. Judges look for consistent tempo and clear dynamics.
Intermediate patterns with fills. Creativity counts. Bring your own style.
Advanced players. Blast beats, polyrhythms, original compositions welcome. Full scoring rubric applies.
How Scoring Works
No black-box judging. Every point is earned on criteria your kid can practice at home.
Tap to try the scoring rubric ↓
Try the Rubric
Timing
Staying in the pocket, consistent tempo
Dynamics
Soft to loud — controlling the room
Creativity
Original fills, personal style, musical choices
Stage Presence
Energy, eye contact, having fun up there
⭐ Strong showing!
Season Calendar
Weekend heats held in school gyms and community centers near you. 8 regional stops.
Tap to see all dates ↓
Spring 2026 Heats
Register a Studio Group
Entering multiple students? One form covers your whole roster. Batch upload, single invoice, zero hassle.
✓ One invoice for all students
✓ Group check-in at the door
✓ Teacher observation badge included
✓ Priority heat scheduling
The path from practice room to stage
How it works.
Register Online
Fill out the 3-step form. Choose your heat date from the regional calendar. Done in under 5 minutes.
No audition required. No minimum experience level.
Practice With Purpose
We send your division's rubric and a 4-week warm-up guide. Your kid knows exactly what judges look for.
Timing · Dynamics · Creativity · Stage Presence
Show Up & Play
Arrive at your local gym or community center. Check in, warm up backstage, and take the stage.
Doors open 45 min early. All ages, all levels welcome.
Earn Your Stripes
Every participant gets a Cadence patch and a written score sheet. Top performers advance to regionals.
Results posted same day. No waiting for weeks.
1,240+
Drummers registered
34
Regional heats in 2025
18
States represented
4.9★
Parent satisfaction
From the folding chairs
Parents & teachers speak.
Sandra Okonkwo
Parent of Nadia, age 7
“Nadia practiced paradiddles every single morning for six weeks before her first heat. Cadence gave her a reason to care about getting better.”
Marcus Tillman
Music Director, Cascade Drum Academy
“I entered eleven students from my studio last spring. The batch registration took me twelve minutes. The kids talked about it until September.”
Priya Mehta
Parent of Eli, age 12
“My son Eli is twelve and was getting bored with lessons. Thunder Division gave him something to train for. He's writing his own fills now.”
Joanna Reyes
Harmony Homeschool Co-op, Portland OR
“As a homeschool co-op, we needed structured performance milestones. Cadence is the only thing that actually got kids to practice between sessions.”
Spring 2026 Season
8 heats. 18 states. One league built for kids.
Registration closes 2 weeks before each heat. Spots fill fast.
Next heat filling up:
Bay Area — Mar 15 · 5 spots left
Spring 2026 · Limited Spots
Sticks up. Eyes wide.
Your kid's moment is waiting.
Registration takes under 5 minutes. Your drummer will spend weeks preparing for something that matters.