Blue Devils Announce Brass Auditions
The Blue Devils are very excited to announce a full list of brass auditions for the 2007 season! There will be NO FEES for any audition and representatives from The Blue Devil brass and visual staff will be on hand for ALL live auditions.
New for the 2007 audition season will be a second Concord audition (December 16), a southern California audition (December 9) and a brass clinic with the staff at the first Concord Audition (November 25 & 26).
Here is a full list of the 2007 brass auditions.
o Friday November 10th – BOA
o Saturday November 18th – Dallas
o Saturday and Sunday November 25th & 26th – Concord
o Saturday December 9th – Southern California
o Saturday December 16th – Concord
Can’t make it to one of the live auditions? The Blue Devils still accept video taped auditions.
Common myths about auditioning and/or being a member of The Blue Devils……
Myth #1: If I make The Blue Devils I have to move to Concord and put my life on hold for 8 months.
Truth: In the past, yes, it was almost required to move to Concord to be a member of The Blue Devil brass section. Back then (in my day), we rehearsed every Sunday and Wednesday and had camps once a month. Past that, we added Monday night rehearsals around March, so basically 3 days a week for the most part January through May.
Nowadays, we are very similar in schedule to the remainder of the top 6. We have camps once a month starting in January and begin every weekend rehearsals in May. The brass section does begin all days May 15th, but check out Myth #2 for more information on that.
Myth #2: I don’t get out of school until after you start all days, so I would never be accepted.
Truth: At The Blue Devils, school comes first. If we start all days on May 15th and you don’t get out of school until late May, we will work around that and come up with a customized schedule to meet your AND our needs. During the past couple of years, we have started our all days with around 70% of the brass section in town. We normally don’t have everyone together on a fulltime basis until the 2nd week of June. It’s just the way it is these days, schools start later and ends later (especially in southern California). We of course do not allow members to miss rehearsals because of work reasons, but school is school.
Myth #3: Why should I try out? I KNOW I will never make it.
Truth: I hear this question/comment more than you could EVER imagine. As a matter of fact, prior to the 2003 season, I was doing a clinic with a band in Tennessee and suggested to one of the Trumpet players that he consider auditioning for the Blue Devils. He immediately blushed and said "No way! I would never make it." My reaction? "HELLO! I’m on the BD brass staff and just told you to audition!" This person went on to audition and subsequently made the brass section (just like I thought he would!). So my advice to anyone who would like to be a member of the Concord Blue Devils is to GO FOR IT! As with many things in life, you will never know if you don’t try and there’s nothing wrong with taking a chance once in a while :.
If you have ANY other questions about auditioning or being a member of The Blue Devils, please check out the Brass FAQ or e-mail me directly at jmeehan [at] bluedevils [dot] org
For all brass auditions, please come prepared to musically demonstrate a) tone, b) tonguing/articulation, c) slurring/flexibility, d) range extension (both directions, especially if you are interested in a lead spot) and e) a 1.5 to 2 minute piece (or mixture of pieces) that showcases your individual talents. A list of the mandatory exercises, as well as individual piece suggestions, can be found on the Brass FAQ page. Visually, we will ask you to demonstrate a) marching forward & backward (at varying tempos), b) marking time (high & low leg lift), c) change of directions (slides & pivots) and possibly a few other exercises.
For the BOA, Dallas, Southern California and second Concord auditions:
We will be doing individual music and individual visual auditions, no ensemble auditions. At the end of the audition, we will inform you of your status. It will be either a) you are invited to the first full corps camp on January 19-21, 2007 to continue and complete your audition (we think you have the talent and ability to make the corps musically and/or visually, but need to see you in a full ensemble setting before making the final decision) or b) unfortunately we cannot offer you a spot at this time. There WILL be rare instances when someone is accepted on the spot, so that is also a possibility.
For the first Concord audition:
We will be doing individual music and visual auditions as well as an ensemble visual audition AND an afternoon clinic with The Blue Devil Brass Staff. This will not only give you the opportunity to learn from the BD staff, but allow the staff to see each individual in an ensemble setting, extremely important within the drum corps activity. At the end of the weekend, we will inform you of your status. It will be either a) CONGRATULATIONS, you have been accepted into the 2007 Blue Devil brass section or b) unfortunately we cannot offer you a spot at this time. There WILL be instances when we ask individuals to attend the first full corps camp on January 19-21, 2007 to continue and complete their audition. This would be done when we think you have the talent and ability to make the corps musically and/or visually, but need to see you in a full ensemble setting before making the final decision.
