Color guards can be found in most American colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, and independent drum corps.

        During the 1950s and 1960s, much of the motivation for the evolution of the modern color guard came from the arena of competitive drum & bugle corps. Pioneers from these corps traveled to other areas of the country to teach, introducing color guards to more traditional bands. The band directors at the University of Memphis, Dr. Tom Ferguson and Art Theil, recruited

music major Sam Shaw to start one of the first university color guards in the South, the "Bengal Lancers" in 1975. As a result, color guards spread quickly throughout the Mid-south. Color guards continued to sprout up throughout our country. The visual effect of spinning and shaking flags drew the attention of crowds and quickly became popular. Having visual effect for pieces played when the band stood still added a whole dimension to the performance. By the late 1970s and into the mid-1980s color guards had been added to most Big Ten and Big 8(Currently Big 12) bands. Once these prominent university bands had color guards, there was widespread inclusion of guards at high schools across the nation in the 1980s and 1990s. The popularity of color guard has grown so much that winter guard, formed in 1977, has gained widespread membership and attention.

        Color guards can be found in most American colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, and independent drum corps. Members of most color guard teams march along with their fellow marching band members. Today the guard uses choreography and equipment for added visual appeal during a marching band show. Usually marching bands and color guards perform during football games at halftime, out of tradition. During a competition the guard adds to the overall score of the band, but is also judged in its own category.