Auditioning and new marching techniques

[jonnyboy]

Don't sweat it. Learning the marching technique at home can me likened to learning the horn playing style or drumming style. Unless you are getting it from staff or someone in the know, you could be forming bad habits. As with any audition, go with an open mind and be ready to learn on the go. Good luck.

p.s. Why wait a few years for the chance at Cavies? Why not treat yourself to the audition camp so you can learn, and spend a year perfecting what you were taught for 2012? Maybe even spend a year in Open Class, or another World Class corps? IMO, learning to do "drumcorps" is much better than sitting home and practicing.

[76strad]

Don't sweat it. Learning the marching technique at home can me likened to learning the horn playing style or drumming style. Unless you are getting it from staff or someone in the know, you could be forming bad habits. As with any audition, go with an open mind and be ready to learn on the go. Good luck.

p.s. Why wait a few years for the chance at Cavies? Why not treat yourself to the audition camp so you can learn, and spend a year perfecting what you were taught for 2012? Maybe even spend a year in Open Class, or another World Class corps? IMO, learning to do "drumcorps" is much better than sitting home and practicing.

Well this is my senior year so Im working with a local professor at the college im going to, and also I have a garanteed job at my moms work this coming summer, and Ill make enough money to take a plane out to CA to try out for BDs if I wanted to, so what i'm thinking is that this year I really need to perfect, and come freshman year at College as a Music Edu Major then I'll determine if I have time or not, cause I'll have 15-17 hours in my schedule and the program takes 5 yrs to complete also, so I'm debating on my freshman year or my sophmore year.

[CrownBariDad]

p.s. Why wait a few years for the chance at Cavies? Why not treat yourself to the audition camp so you can learn, and spend a year perfecting what you were taught for 2012? Maybe even spend a year in Open Class, or another World Class corps? IMO, learning to do "drumcorps" is much better than sitting home and practicing.

Excellent suggestion! My son tried out for the Cavies when he was 16 and had a blast at the audition camps. He didn't make it, but the staff passed his name along to Racine and he marched with them that year. I firmly believe that year in an Open Class corps prepared him so he could make Carolina Crown the next year.

Yes--don't sit at home. Find yourself a corps and get out there and march!!!

Edited July 22, 2010 by CrownBariDad

[DanjrusMcRynky]

As many have already said, don't sweat the details of their marching technique. It is different than everyone else's and they know it, and know how to teach it. The only people who will be there already with an understanding of it will be the vets. You likely WILL need to be competent at whichever marching technique you already know. They will almost certainly be looking at foot timing, posture and carriage (how well you carry yourself, how does your upper body look, etc). Make sure you are solid on these things first and foremost. (As well as playing, of course)

[BigBadMadMan]

The elements you're talking about won't even be judged. Corps know that your home style is different, and they're going to take that into account. What they will judge on is how well you can learn the new style, not how well you can do it. Things like foot timing are going to be more critical than actual technique.

As a heads up, The Cavaliers staff can teach anyone to march, and they know this. They are going to judge you very hard on your brass technique, so get your chops ready before you start worrying too much about the visual.

This ^^^ and the comment preceding it. They won't care about technique...they'll teach that. They'll be much more worried about whether or not you can keep your feet in time and how well you can do with what you already know. So practice hard on the technique you know, work on getting all the feet out of your sound, and work on keeping your feet in tempo.

And the music audition will be weighted much more heavily. They can teach you how to march well if you have the basics. They CAN'T teach you how to be a great musician with the limited time they have with you individually in a season, so musically, you need to come in prepared.

Hope that helps!

[76strad]

I would love to march, but I need some money haha, Next summer I'll have the money to go tryout where ever I wish 10 hour days, along with having to pull 2-3 hrs out of the day (after work of course) also to practice after moving 50 lbs boxes of books to our local school systems all day Anyways 10 bucks an hour, I can do that. My parents just pay nearly a buck a min for lessons each week along with all of my band fees, instrument up keep fees, gas, car insurance, so I suppose I can fund my own way when it comes to corps

I definately want to march atleast 2 years, hoping the finances work out, and I know I should march anywhere, but when you're taught for your whole life that you had better be the best then going for the big time is kinda engrained in my head. Plus I want to march under Michael Gaines Drill

[BigBadMadMan]

It's kinda sad that kids nowadays have to say something like "I hope I can march 2 years!" (at around $4000).

I hate to use a "back in the day" reference, but since it's only been 14 years, it's kinda shocking...when I marched Colts, my tour fees were $600. At Scouts, it was $500 and went down $100 per year for each year that you marched ($400 -- second year vet, $300 -- third year vet, etc.).

And people wonder why we have fewer corps now. Even just over 10 years ago, everyone could still participate in this activity...now, not so much.

[contrajedi8]

So over the past few days of fan networking I have found "my corps" and I would really like to tryout for the cavies. Here's my question, they have a very different marching technique from what i've done for the past 3 now 4 years. At my school it's a bit of a cross, when we march forward, between Cavies bycicle step and PRs straight leg. Frontal marchin ain't hard at all to change I know that for sure. Anyways, when we march backwards we are fully straight legged and up on our toes. My question is, how hard was it to learn a new backwards marching style like this if you had to change your style? Because I kind of figured when I tryout in the next 2 years I don't need to be trying to perfect it over a month, but rather go in there after a year or 2 practicing it on my own spare time and then perfect it, if that makes sense? So i'm just curious how long it took you to change, if it's really worth it, and if you can explain how to bicycle step backwards that would be appreciated, cause right now I'm kinda choppy and jerky when my foot rolls flat.

Thanks!

Don't worry. They'll beat it into you.

[soccerguy315]

I auditioned for the Cavaliers last november. My high school band marched straight leg on forwards and backwards marching (on the toes backwards) and the change to bicycle step for the cavaliers was not difficult for me at all. The backwards march is exactly the same as the forwards bicycle step except its reversed. Your knee's pop out, foot comes back on the toes first, rolls down on the foot, and finishes with the heel on the floor. Your next foot comes down when your foot has rolled through and is only on its heel (at one point only the toes of one foot and the heel of your other should be on the ground). The back march is definitely more difficult than the forward march is although it is not that difficult of a transition. Marching and playing are two different things though. In the audition you have to play a scale exercise while marching so learn how to do a box drill with this marching technique while you are playing whole notes. Needless to say I got a 2+ on the musical audition and a 1- on the visual audition but didnt make it =( and I cant do it next year so I dont think I will be able to march drum corps. =""""(

did you audition anywhere else? or just cavaliers or no drum corps for you?

[euphononium]

In yalls view, would it probably be best to work on it consistantly over the next year or so, get my Band Director(s) to watch and evaluate it? (one of the marched Troopers) Probably a dumb question, but gotta ask to make sure it's not a screw up

Don't do this. Seriously. Your band director won't be teaching you at drum corps, nor will you or him know the correct technique just because you can watch it on TouYube. Corps don't care if you show up and are able to automatically march their technique, they care that you have the ability to learn correctly. Things like attitude, posture, foot timing, ability to adapt, etc.... are what will make an impression. I'm sure they get a good laugh out of people who do show up on day 1 and think they have perfected their technique before ever being taught how to correctly do it.

Edited July 22, 2010 by euphononium