here's another tip. if you show up at camp in the morning and get an audition time late in the afternoon/early evening, don't wear your hands out by chopping out all day. I did that when I auditioned for a snare spot with Madison way back in 1993. I would have nailed my audition if it was at noon, but I ended up auditioning around 4:30 and totally choked on a couple of difficult measures from the piece because I played out all of my chops during the day. the next day I had a chance to play with the full line and totally smoked it, but I left because I was convinced that they didn't want me based on my individual audition(maybe that was a mistake too).
@@DaSunfishprobably endurance training during practice. I don’t have endless chops, but I’ve done a lot of endurance practice and can play a lot for a long time.
I’m not going into dci for a few years whether that’s during or after college but i’m a senior in high school and i’m planning on auditioning for dca this upcoming season since i’ve only done marching band in hs as a bass drum for 2 years but in my second year they gave me the hardest part and we just had our first show and i’ve been nailing it so i wanna go into dca use these tips and perform at my best and show that i’m not the same kid as i was in my sophomore year, i don’t doubt myself, i am fluent at my instrument, i am not afraid to challenge myself
Excellent advice. As somewhat of a dinosaur that would have aged out in the early 2000s, a couple of things I noticed during my audition experiences. Getting cut; when it comes to that- sometimes it's best to keep your options open, and keep an open mind. I auditioned for snare at Phantom once, and they were all about this "uniformity" concept back in those days (this was pre-Rennick) and the technique the snare tech was preaching about, was so uncomfortable for me to the point I knew there was no way I would be able to play clean with that technique. So, I got cut. However, no one ever said anything to me the entire camp, cause I DID play clean. It just wasn't a good fit and wasn't meant to be; if this happens, don't let it get you down, and see if another place might work out better! Confidence, consistency, and ALWAYS practice with a metronome! The staff WILL notice this. In a good way.
Be able to put your feet to anything and everything with confidence and with a driving tempo. If you can't relate quarter notes to what you're playing, then you can't play it. Best one you mentioned was being able to take corrections from staff and implement them immediately. That shows musical intelligence, and they'll be looking for that more than chops in most cases. You've got to have that intelligence for tour when you're getting corrections in the middle of rehearsal when you're exhausted in 95 degree temperatures. Gotta have that level of maturity to operate at a high level in those conditions. Gotta have the intelligence to get handed a change to measure 57 while you're in line for lunch, memorize it, and it's now part the show before you've even picked up sticks.
Ive been cut a lot. I would say the biggest thing is to figure out how to do what they say and immediately adjust. That was very difficult for me, and if you do exactly what they say and immediately adjust, makes it hard for them to turn you down (politics aside).
Hey, not sure if anyone will respond to this because this video is 5 years old, but I'm gonna ask anyway. I'm currently a junior in high school (11th grade) and I've been doing percussion since 8th grade. For the longest time, I was the kid that was only in band because my parents wanted me to be in it. So, I didn't practice and I wasn't very interested in percussion as a whole. I didn't do marching band in 9th grade, but I did do it in 10th and I'm doing my second year in 11th grade. Anyway, over the last 3-4 months, I've had a complete mindset change. I saw a clip from the 2014 Bluecoats show "Tilt" (the closer of course) and something about that video made me decide that I wanted to do DCI and do what they were doing. The issue is, I'm not a very good percussionist. Sure, I've been practicing consistently for 2-3 hours every day, working on rudiments, chops etc. I've also been staying after school on days I don't have marching band rehearsal to practice mallets. But I am just not very good. I feel like I'm doing too little too late and I'm honestly sometimes embarrassed to tell people I want to march DCA/DCI. Basically, I just don't know if its even possible for me to get to the DCA and eventually DCI level of playing.
Ik this is a couple months old now but, do not give up or trick yourself into thinking it's too late. If you want it bad enough you will make it happen. Put in the work and you will succeed.
Something not in this video but i feel like is just as important, show respect to ur instructors they know how they want u to perform, they control everything that happens so just listen and yes ask questions to go deeper into ur issues but don’t do anything disrespectful to them
I'm planning on auditioning for Atlanta CV this coming November. Its DCA, not DCI. Hopefully in a couple years if I can, I plan on auditioning for Spirit of Atlanta or Phantom Regiment.
@@darthvader4339 never did it. I didn't have enough money and I had a lot of stuff going on in my life. I'm too old to do it now but maybe I'll be able to work with one one day because I love teaching and helping out bands
Hi Emily Dunlap - besides the tips in this video, check out this post I wrote about preparing for auditions, and then check out the article linked at the bottom of the post about your performance at the actual audition: medium.com/@hueiyuanpan/dci-wgi-auditions-have-you-done-your-homework-921218456766
One question I have, let’s say you make it in. What if you are struggling to learn the show music is it ok to ask for help? I know the bar is set high with Corp staff.
Thanks, AC! We made meatballs with the kids the other day and walked them through the pan in the oven vs saucepan stovetop “debate” - miss hanging with you! Maybe PASIC ‘24, headed to Midwest this year with @ensembleblock!
Thanks for editing this video. Actually I wanna go to the DCI World class for the next... or 2 years later so I’ll consider your advice as a reference. Thank you so much. From Japan 🇯🇵
You could probably get away with sending a video audition for the first camp if the corps allows it (and it might save you a plane ticket) but your chances are better if you attend the camps.
It gets a little complicated if you make the corp because most do spring training which starts during school so you'd have to figure something out but for the most part it's during the summer.
I showed up late to many of my auditions; whether in Drum Corps or College Marching band. Even though I still made it in, I'd encourage people to not do that lol 🤣
So, how good do I have to truly be? I’ve been playing tuba for a little over 4 years, should I keep practicing for it for like 4 or 5 years more or so? I know I’m not ready yet lol, I’m not sure if I worded it like I was.
You're probably capable of doing it either this year or next, depends on how dedicated you are to your instrument, don't wait 4-5 years, you'll be 18-20 by then and you'll already be within 4 years of the age limit, I would recommend going for it at 15, but trying out at 14 doesn't hurt either!
I’m not sure if you’re going to see this, but how should I go about doing drum corps and high school marching band? I’m considering auditioning for colt cadets for 2020, but the season goes through all of band camp and maybe some post-band camp rehearsals, so I don’t know if I would be able to do both?
Well I'm in the same boat as you, I'm auditioning for Bluecoats for 2020, I think I'll just have to put in extra practice once I get back from tour, and I should be fine for my high school show
I have a couple of friends who marched corps and didn’t get back until band camp was over. Usually, the high school should be fine with it, considering you were involved in the marching arts. I’m not sure if it goes that way for every high school, though.
Hattie Bartlett thanks, but I already asked my band directors. They said no because band camp is where we learn about half of our show, and then you are way behind if you miss it. Yes people do miss band camp, but they only allow it if it’s for a family trip or another similar reason. So unfortunately I’m going to have to wait until I graduate :(
@BaconCat245 I'm pretty sure that you'll be fine. Plus you should be able to learn your HS show with much ease after playing a super advanced show while traveling America on 14 hr rehearsal days
Meacham Hatch It is never too early to audition or even attend educational camps, and I encourage you to maybe go to some open class corps or educational camps. Do remember though, it’s never too early to start your dream but it later can be too late. If I were you, I would at your age start looking into audition packets from different camps from past years and start playing through them, it’s a great way to get started. Contact staff from your dream corps, I’m positive they’ll give you some tools and advice. Kudos to you btw for dreaming! That’s the first step in the right direction!
Meacham Hatch Corps wise? Depends on where you live. I’d say go with a local corps first, just with costs and stuff it gets expensive (I’m on team GA with Regiment and flights can get costly) so stay local for now. I would also email your dream corps staff and ask for some tips, and you might be able to begin a relationship with them that can help lead to your next steps to making your dream a reality 👌🏼
Def. had many all-nighters just so I could be confident. The more u practice, the more confident you will be.
I’m right there now lol. I am attending the cadets audition camp tomorrow.
did you make it?
here's another tip. if you show up at camp in the morning and get an audition time late in the afternoon/early evening, don't wear your hands out by chopping out all day. I did that when I auditioned for a snare spot with Madison way back in 1993. I would have nailed my audition if it was at noon, but I ended up auditioning around 4:30 and totally choked on a couple of difficult measures from the piece because I played out all of my chops during the day. the next day I had a chance to play with the full line and totally smoked it, but I left because I was convinced that they didn't want me based on my individual audition(maybe that was a mistake too).
I have an endless amount of chops, so this is no issue for me.
@@CarelessPrecision You are blessed, what is your secret
@@DaSunfishprobably endurance training during practice. I don’t have endless chops, but I’ve done a lot of endurance practice and can play a lot for a long time.
Always practice as if it was game day. Focus on nothing else and always always always put great emphasis on proper technique.
Very practical and honest tips for the audition process for DCI.
Thanks! Hope it helps some aspiring auditionees!
Solid advice, in general. DCI, DCA, WGI, other sports, school.
Tip 1B- Don’t play yellow after the rain.
I’m not going into dci for a few years whether that’s during or after college but i’m a senior in high school and i’m planning on auditioning for dca this upcoming season since i’ve only done marching band in hs as a bass drum for 2 years but in my second year they gave me the hardest part and we just had our first show and i’ve been nailing it so i wanna go into dca use these tips and perform at my best and show that i’m not the same kid as i was in my sophomore year, i don’t doubt myself, i am fluent at my instrument, i am not afraid to challenge myself
Excellent advice. As somewhat of a dinosaur that would have aged out in the early 2000s, a couple of things I noticed during my audition experiences. Getting cut; when it comes to that- sometimes it's best to keep your options open, and keep an open mind. I auditioned for snare at Phantom once, and they were all about this "uniformity" concept back in those days (this was pre-Rennick) and the technique the snare tech was preaching about, was so uncomfortable for me to the point I knew there was no way I would be able to play clean with that technique. So, I got cut. However, no one ever said anything to me the entire camp, cause I DID play clean. It just wasn't a good fit and wasn't meant to be; if this happens, don't let it get you down, and see if another place might work out better! Confidence, consistency, and ALWAYS practice with a metronome! The staff WILL notice this. In a good way.
Favoriting this so I can use it in the next few years! Thank you so much!
Nice! Happy to share :) Good luck and keep me posted, Patrick!
Same! Want to audition in a year
Step one don’t miss your flight if it is an in person audition
This sounds like it’s coming from personal experience
Woah, you marched Spin Cycle? That’s awesome
Be able to put your feet to anything and everything with confidence and with a driving tempo. If you can't relate quarter notes to what you're playing, then you can't play it. Best one you mentioned was being able to take corrections from staff and implement them immediately. That shows musical intelligence, and they'll be looking for that more than chops in most cases. You've got to have that intelligence for tour when you're getting corrections in the middle of rehearsal when you're exhausted in 95 degree temperatures. Gotta have that level of maturity to operate at a high level in those conditions. Gotta have the intelligence to get handed a change to measure 57 while you're in line for lunch, memorize it, and it's now part the show before you've even picked up sticks.
Went to Norwalk high, lots of dci cats, we also I believe have won boa nationals, high school, but still bad ass
Ive been cut a lot. I would say the biggest thing is to figure out how to do what they say and immediately adjust. That was very difficult for me, and if you do exactly what they say and immediately adjust, makes it hard for them to turn you down (politics aside).
Your first tip is my philosophy of life
This is when you really want to be on your A game, best advice, find a music professor, ask for help, practice the piece a lot.
Got my audition on friday and saturday (and a little sectional thing on sunday) Im nervous, but excited
Update?
Hey, not sure if anyone will respond to this because this video is 5 years old, but I'm gonna ask anyway. I'm currently a junior in high school (11th grade) and I've been doing percussion since 8th grade. For the longest time, I was the kid that was only in band because my parents wanted me to be in it. So, I didn't practice and I wasn't very interested in percussion as a whole. I didn't do marching band in 9th grade, but I did do it in 10th and I'm doing my second year in 11th grade. Anyway, over the last 3-4 months, I've had a complete mindset change. I saw a clip from the 2014 Bluecoats show "Tilt" (the closer of course) and something about that video made me decide that I wanted to do DCI and do what they were doing. The issue is, I'm not a very good percussionist. Sure, I've been practicing consistently for 2-3 hours every day, working on rudiments, chops etc. I've also been staying after school on days I don't have marching band rehearsal to practice mallets. But I am just not very good. I feel like I'm doing too little too late and I'm honestly sometimes embarrassed to tell people I want to march DCA/DCI. Basically, I just don't know if its even possible for me to get to the DCA and eventually DCI level of playing.
Ik this is a couple months old now but, do not give up or trick yourself into thinking it's too late. If you want it bad enough you will make it happen. Put in the work and you will succeed.
Something not in this video but i feel like is just as important, show respect to ur instructors they know how they want u to perform, they control everything that happens so just listen and yes ask questions to go deeper into ur issues but don’t do anything disrespectful to them
I'm planning on auditioning for Atlanta CV this coming November. Its DCA, not DCI. Hopefully in a couple years if I can, I plan on auditioning for Spirit of Atlanta or Phantom Regiment.
Wanting to audition for Blue Devils next year!
How was it?
@@darthvader4339 never did it. I didn't have enough money and I had a lot of stuff going on in my life.
I'm too old to do it now but maybe I'll be able to work with one one day because I love teaching and helping out bands
Got any tips for someone who is auditioning for dci for the first time? I play clarinet and I’m learning mellophone
Hi Emily Dunlap - besides the tips in this video, check out this post I wrote about preparing for auditions, and then check out the article linked at the bottom of the post about your performance at the actual audition: medium.com/@hueiyuanpan/dci-wgi-auditions-have-you-done-your-homework-921218456766
Huei-Yuan Pan thank you so much!
I play clarinet too and I’m also learning mellophone! I’m auditioning for genesis and the academy next season.
did you get in??
Such a quality idea
Good vid. Best advice is simple advice.
stop one: learn to play lefty traditional
Here you go, Samuel! hueiyuanpan.com/periscope/lesson4/
Huei-Yuan Pan haha! I know how to play traditional lol. But thanks!
@@EanGoreham All snares in drum corps play traditional.
That One Guy oh my bad
*whispers* scv 2005
This is the jam right here ;)
Only three years later…lol 🤜🤛
One question I have, let’s say you make it in. What if you are struggling to learn the show music is it ok to ask for help? I know the bar is set high with Corp staff.
Of course! The number one idea of drumcorps is for it to be educational.
Great advice, HYP!! Pasic '23?
Thanks, AC! We made meatballs with the kids the other day and walked them through the pan in the oven vs saucepan stovetop “debate” - miss hanging with you!
Maybe PASIC ‘24, headed to Midwest this year with @ensembleblock!
@@HueiYuanPan awesome. Hoping we'll cross paths again. Say hi to Travis at UCLA.
Thanks for editing this video.
Actually I wanna go to the DCI World class for the next... or 2 years later so I’ll consider your advice as a reference.
Thank you so much. From Japan 🇯🇵
takumin watashi glad to hear you found the video helpful, thanks for letting me know! 👋
Are going to the camps highly recommended? Because I can’t really afford going to camps and auditions financial wise...
You could probably get away with sending a video audition for the first camp if the corps allows it (and it might save you a plane ticket) but your chances are better if you attend the camps.
i’m auditioning for blue stars in december... so scared to lol
Great vid Huei!
Thanks, Steven! Good to hear from you man :) 👋
They say you can join DCI at age 16, but how do you do that if you’re still in school, is it a summer thing? I’m new to this. Lol
It gets a little complicated if you make the corp because most do spring training which starts during school so you'd have to figure something out but for the most part it's during the summer.
if you live in California you could try BDB which is like Blue Devils but for like 12 - 18
primaverala some do it over the summer, some don’t. It all depends on which one you join
all wold class corps do stuff mostly in january and then a lot in the spring, then shows and stuff start in the summer
I showed up late to many of my auditions; whether in Drum Corps or College Marching band. Even though I still made it in, I'd encourage people to not do that lol 🤣
So, how good do I have to truly be? I’ve been playing tuba for a little over 4 years, should I keep practicing for it for like 4 or 5 years more or so? I know I’m not ready yet lol, I’m not sure if I worded it like I was.
You're probably capable of doing it either this year or next, depends on how dedicated you are to your instrument, don't wait 4-5 years, you'll be 18-20 by then and you'll already be within 4 years of the age limit, I would recommend going for it at 15, but trying out at 14 doesn't hurt either!
What was the corps you teched for?
Phantom Regiment in 2013 and 2014 👍
Huei-Yuan Pan do you still tech for drum corps?
Nope! Spending my summer's at home with the fam :)
I’m not sure if you’re going to see this, but how should I go about doing drum corps and high school marching band? I’m considering auditioning for colt cadets for 2020, but the season goes through all of band camp and maybe some post-band camp rehearsals, so I don’t know if I would be able to do both?
Well I'm in the same boat as you, I'm auditioning for Bluecoats for 2020, I think I'll just have to put in extra practice once I get back from tour, and I should be fine for my high school show
I have a couple of friends who marched corps and didn’t get back until band camp was over. Usually, the high school should be fine with it, considering you were involved in the marching arts. I’m not sure if it goes that way for every high school, though.
Hattie Bartlett thanks, but I already asked my band directors. They said no because band camp is where we learn about half of our show, and then you are way behind if you miss it. Yes people do miss band camp, but they only allow it if it’s for a family trip or another similar reason. So unfortunately I’m going to have to wait until I graduate :(
BaconCat245 awww that’s disappointing. Definitely do it after you graduate! I’m auditioning this coming year :)
@BaconCat245 I'm pretty sure that you'll be fine. Plus you should be able to learn your HS show with much ease after playing a super advanced show while traveling America on 14 hr rehearsal days
What do I do if I'm poor?
start saving up
@@gottalovejisung4513 bru, college is sucking every penny I got, leave me alone 😭😭😭
@@octane_dv7056 broski why did you ask if you didnt want someone to answer /gen
@@gottalovejisung4513 that was a year ago before I got into college
@@octane_dv7056 gotcha
best of luck to you
How many and what types of exercises are generally in an audition packet? Looking of audition in a few years.
every audition i’ve gone to has some form of double beat, triplet roll, piano simple rhythms, and a on-the-spot shopping spree
@@isaacannon what does shopping spree mean
Ever heard the old maxim "I wouldn't want to belong to any club who'd want ME as a member..."?
Pro tips
*laughs in not having my own horn to practice on*
Can a 12 year old make DCI?
No, but keep practicing and stick with it and you can join later. If you are already thinking of it now you have tonnes of time to prepare
Thank you for telling me. You helped a lot.
Meacham Hatch It is never too early to audition or even attend educational camps, and I encourage you to maybe go to some open class corps or educational camps. Do remember though, it’s never too early to start your dream but it later can be too late. If I were you, I would at your age start looking into audition packets from different camps from past years and start playing through them, it’s a great way to get started. Contact staff from your dream corps, I’m positive they’ll give you some tools and advice. Kudos to you btw for dreaming! That’s the first step in the right direction!
Thank you. Do you have some recommendations for me?
Meacham Hatch Corps wise? Depends on where you live. I’d say go with a local corps first, just with costs and stuff it gets expensive (I’m on team GA with Regiment and flights can get costly) so stay local for now. I would also email your dream corps staff and ask for some tips, and you might be able to begin a relationship with them that can help lead to your next steps to making your dream a reality 👌🏼