Carolina09Spirit Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 To the OP: I find myself asking the same questions, and have in fact, posted a topic similar to this one. Only difference, I'm from Alabama and I'm a tenor player (but looking for front ensemble spot). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mn trumpter guy Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I realize this is the World Class forum, but my advice to anyone serious about marching at the "highest level" would be to keep Open Class in mind. It is better to march anywhere than sit home and wish you were on tour. If you are cut, get some experience under your belt and then go back to your corps of choice the next season the better for it. I'm not a huge advocate of "corps climbing" but I think especially for battery in the upper echelon corps who have sometimes hundreds of audition applicants show up, having corps experience can tip the odds in your favor. I marched 4 years of a world class corps, and was on staff with one last year. This year, I real life intervened, and I thought I would not be able to do drum corps. then, I got a call and ended up spending the last 3 weeks with an open class corps. It was the most rewarding season of drum corps thus far. I would thoroughly encourage anyone to get involved. Especially if you are looking to first get involved in drum corps. You may find a home you never knew you had. I certainly did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch1k3n Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I got a question. I will be auditioning this season on euph (haven't got the chops for bari ). Hopefully bluecoats and possibly any other corps in central texas area. (Not exactly xmen, but that's still an option XD) Trouble is, my jaws get tired after a couple hours of playing fortissimo - mezzoforte and I was wondering if that would be a problem or a weakness in my audition at a weekend camp. I know I could possibly just send a tape (given I'm legitimately not able to go) and mask up this fault, but that would not be very truthful and I would feel pretty guilty about it if I was hiding something. So I guess I'm asking if that's going to be a big problem for me, and I should start working on it? Or if it's not and I shouldn't sweat it too much. And if it is something I need to fix, anyone got any tips for me? Thanks a bunch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 corps do let loose sometimes and play RFL... but most of the time in rehearsal they are not doing that. Obviously, you will need to work on chop endurance just like leg endurance. Drum corps play for hours everyday with no days off for the entire summer. There might be some rough parts for you at the beginning, but your muscles will get there. Of course if you have a weakness that you are aware of, you should work on it now. Don't wait for the staff to tell you to work on it. You can't "hide' through a summer of drum corps. from my post on the previous page: "Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal, a commitment to excellence that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”- Mario Andretti where is your determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal? That's what you need to get a contract and be successful. Don't cheat yourself, or the people standing next to you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Dream big - audition for more than one corps. If any of those corps feel really right but they don't offer a spot, ask them where they think you should go for more experience - then go to that corps' website and get audition material, and follow through. Being a fan of drum corps is one thing, but marching with one is totally another. I was always a fan of Phantom, SCV, BD, Suncoast and others even as a marching member. You can have a fantastic and life-changing experience at several different corps at several different levels. Just get out there and march - somewhere! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some Random Drummer Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 I got a question. I will be auditioning this season on euph (haven't got the chops for bari ). Hopefully bluecoats and possibly any other corps in central texas area. (Not exactly xmen, but that's still an option XD) Trouble is, my jaws get tired after a couple hours of playing fortissimo - mezzoforte and I was wondering if that would be a problem or a weakness in my audition at a weekend camp. I know I could possibly just send a tape (given I'm legitimately not able to go) and mask up this fault, but that would not be very truthful and I would feel pretty guilty about it if I was hiding something. So I guess I'm asking if that's going to be a big problem for me, and I should start working on it? Or if it's not and I shouldn't sweat it too much. And if it is something I need to fix, anyone got any tips for me? Thanks a bunch! I'm not a brass player, but endurance is a valuable skill regardless of your instrument. Obviously, over the course of the season, you probably build up stronger chops, but it's definitely something to work on between now and auditions. An earlier poster commented that you really should only send in a video if you absolutely have to do so, and that seems like very sensible advice. Also, the rest of the corps have been updated with all of the information they have posted online. Cadets dates, Crossmen camps, and all the rest of the links. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaritoneJake Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) General Question for everyone to weigh-in on Which do you think I would regret more 1) Passing up the opportunity to try out for a top drum corps (Madison or BD) and marching there for a season (potentially medaling, etc) 2) Passing up the opportunity to age out with the (non-finalist) corps I've marched with for the past 3 seasons. (I play baritone) Obviously making one of the two corps I mentioned isn't a given, but I like to think I'd have a fairly good chance at either, thanks to the experience and knowledge gained from the corps I could be walking away from. Edited August 16, 2012 by BaritoneJake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 General Question for everyone to weigh-in on Which do you think I would regret more 1) Passing up the opportunity to try out for a top drum corps (Madison or BD) and marching there for a season (potentially medaling, etc) 2) Passing up the opportunity to age out with the (non-finalist) corps I've marched with for the past 3 seasons. (I play baritone) Obviously making one of the two corps I mentioned isn't a given, but I like to think I'd have a fairly good chance at either, thanks to the experience and knowledge gained from the corps I could be walking away from. Well, I've known people who tried out for other corps hoping for a different kind of experience (including better placement). Some of them were happy they did it, others regretted it. And of course there are often hurt feelings from those who are staying in place - and you can't avoid that. It's just normal human nature for them to want to see the same strong people keeping their experience with their corps. But, nobody can really tell you what is really right for you. There's no harm in exploring, I think. Check out the others. You might decide you'd rather be "home", or you might decide that another corps is home, too. It's also August. In October your most current summer experience will have sunk in a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bela Bartok Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Can we get this pinned? I find this thread helpful and don't like searching so hard for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some Random Drummer Posted August 25, 2012 Author Share Posted August 25, 2012 I've added some more audition dates and information as they've been released (Crossmen camp dates, Academy 2013 Membership application, Blue Devils camp dates, etc.) Also, I seem to be running into some difficulty with the formatting. Every time I try to add a line break between each corps and the next corps' logo, they seem to disappear - or doing so in one area causes the others to run into one another. Is there a way to avoid this? The post, as written when I edit it, looks fine, but then it appears on the forum with errors. It's a small issue, but I'm OCD about these things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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