Robert Goute

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Robert Goute (December 19, 1919 – December 15, 2014) was a French drum major and a key figure in reviving the modern drum band. He was born in Saint-Denis into a family of drummers and began playing drums at age five with Les Bleuets de Domont. As a teenager, he studied with Gabriel Defrance in Paris, commuting 50 kilometers each week for lessons.

Goute joined the French Air Force drum band in 1938 and became drum major in 1953, guiding a group that gained national recognition for its skill and precision, often linked with the Patrouille de France. He left active service in 1970 after more than 31 years.

Beyond performing, Goute helped shape drum-band leadership and organization. He led the Music Commission of the Sports and Cultural Federation of France until 1979, co-founded the French Confederation of Drum Bands in 1980, and became the first president of the International Federation of the French School of the Drum in 1990. He also wrote influential instructional works, including four volumes on the orderly drum in 1954 and Manuel du tambour-major in 1962, a pioneering guide that was reissued in 1988 and used in many countries.

Goute died in Isle-Adam, Val-d'Oise, in 2014.