From idea to best seller.

Jon Farbman, often called the “Father of the Modern Marching Shoe,” had an unconventional path to footwear design—starting as an engineering major at Cornell before shifting to astrophysics and eventually working at NASA during the Space Race.

After his time with NASA, Jon explored careers in finance, auto racing, mechanics, and advertising. His deep love for classical music, sparked in childhood, led him to a marketing role with Scali, McCabe, and Sloves, where he worked on high-fidelity music campaigns.

In 1984, Jon embraced his passion for drum and bugle corps, touring with groups nationwide. His fascination with the activity inspired him to write a movie, researching it extensively, but never producing the film. Instead, this journey led to a breakthrough idea that would revolutionize marching footwear.

DRILLMASTERS

After all that touring, he found that musicians often expressed dissatisfaction with one thing: how unsuitable their shoes were for marching, sharing horror stories of debilitating blisters and injuries. 

Sensing an opportunity to accommodate the needs of an underserved market, Farbman set out to create a, then, non-existent product — comfortable marching band shoes with dance-shoe-like flexibility but durable enough to stand up to the rigors of corps-style marching.

The first Drillmasters underwent several revisions during development; initially prototyped as a high-top boot, these shoes were fondly dubbed the “Smurf boot.” Drum corps groups loved the ankle-protecting design, but high school band directors weren’t as convinced, so Farbman returned to the drawing board. And after some trial and error came a dress shoe-style sneaker. But not just any sneaker; this shoe came with a few secret weapons. 

Farbman gave the shoe design a unique Rolled Heel™ that allowed students to learn proper marching form. He also gave them a Spat-Notch™ to keep spat straps securely in place, protected from wear and tear. A pivot circle focused just beneath the ball of the foot and twin soles would give them the flexibility of a dance shoe, perfect for complex choreography. Synthetic vegan leather and a non-slip sole would make them great for marching in all weather. And finally, padded ankle collars, a heel-lock lacing system, and an absorbent heel-to-toe lining would give the shoe the comfort of a high-quality running shoe.

Farbman launched the first official Drillmasters Shoe in 1985. 

And it was a hit! 

Students loved the comfort (and they certainly didn’t miss the blisters), and directors loved the new teaching tool. These features were so crucial to marching shoe design that they have become nearly ubiquitous.

SPEEDSTERS

Soon, Farbman expanded the Drillmasters family to include a more budget-friendly version of the original. Initially retailing as the least expensive marching shoe on the market, the Speedsters kept some of the most critical features of the Drillmasters – durability, flexibility, all-weather construction, padded ankle collars, a heel-lock lacing system, and absorbent heel-to-toe lining – while also maintaining the sleek silhouette for a formal shoe.  

SUPER DRILLMASTERS

In 2008, Farbman added a third to the Drillmasters product line, Super Drillmasters. The design of the Super Drillmaster was an intimate collaboration with the World Class DCI Champions, the Blue Devils Performing Arts that first began in 1994. The idea was born of a partnership of engineering and experience to create an upgraded version of the Drillmasters design that catered to the rigors of a world-class DCI show.

With input from the Drum Corps group, the design team maintained strict requirements for comfort, support, flexibility, and all-critical – safety and stability. The result was a marching shoe/dance shoe hybrid. 

2022 and beyond

In 2022, Jon decided to retire and selected Jay and Jamie Pearison to purchase Drillmasters and carry on its legacy. Jay and Jamie have been deeply involved in the marching arts community for over 40 years. They have been the leaders of Pearison, Inc., which is the corporate home of Band Shoppe, Superior Cheer, and Superior Team. Their extensive experience and dedication to the marching arts make them more than capable successors to carry on the Drillmasters tradition.