Austin area performers…
Coming to your area is The Academy’s Austin Auditions on Saturday, December 16th.
This Fall, The Academy will be hosting several remote Audition events in Southern California, Texas, and Florida. These sessions are designed to allow prospective members who reside a large distance away to audition for The Academy before investing in the expense of a plane flight to attend the full audition camp. Here, students will be exposed to short instructional sessions with members of The Academy staff, where they can learn more about the specifics of The Academy techniques and membership expectations.
During the session, individuals who are interested in auditioning for the 2018 corps will be evaluated with a staff member and have the prospect of being offered a membership position or elevated to “Callback” status prior to the callback camp in January. Participants in these Remote Evaluation Events will need to officially Register for the corps prior to attending, which will give the student access to the detailed audition materials and exercises to prepare. Once applied, must also submit a $75 audition fee that will include the instruction for the day and audition t-shirt.
Saturday, December 16th
12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Vista Ridge High School – Map
200 S Vista Ridge Blvd.
Cedar Park, TX 78613
More about the Remote Auditions
Each of the sessions will begin at 12:00 pm with a short meeting with introductions and some of the latest updates and news regarding The Academy 2018. Attendees will then break into performance clinics focused on The Academy techniques and audition preparation.
The tentative schedule will be something like this:
11:30 am – Doors open & Check-in
12:00 pm – Meet & Greet
12:30 pm – Performance sessions begin
4:30 pm – Wrap up discussion with performers
5:00 pm – End
What will the Auditions entail?
The staff member will likely ask a few brief questions about each performer’s experience, why they are interested in the drum and bugle corps activity, and why they are interested in The Academy experience. Next, the performer will demonstrate their skills on their equipment with content from the audition materials, and/or material that the performer has prepared. Auditions may be video recorded for other staff and caption heads to review at a later time and feedback from the performance will be given before returning to the group sessions. Later, the staff will determine what status to move the performer to. Notice of this assignment will typically be given by email later that week.
What to Wear and What to Bring
Participants in the performance sessions should be dressed for physical activity including marching, running, stretching, movement, etc. Tennis shoes and loose, comfortable athletic clothing is required for participation. No sandals, jeans, or heavy clothing, please. Bring your own water jug to remain hydrated and arrive having had a substantial meal to last for the duration of the clinic.
Percussion
Drumline participants, be sure to bring your instrument, sticks, and mallets, water, and appropriate clothing/shoes. All of the musical material that will be addressed will be from the audition music made available upon registering online. Realize that your experience will be heightened the more you are able to have some basic understanding of what is in the technique book prior to the audition. So register in advance and come prepared!
Brass
Please plan to bring your own marching instrument with you to the audition. All of the musical material that will be addressed will be from the audition music available to those who register to audition. Remember that your experience will heightened if you are able to have a basic understanding of what is in the technique book prior to the event. In addition, a portion of the session may be physical in nature (stretching, and marching, etc.). Bring appropriate clothing and shoes for exercise, and water. No sandals, jeans, or heavy clothing, please.
Color Guard
Color guard participants will need to bring a flag & pole, as well as a rifle and/or sabre if you have one. Please wear comfortable, form fitting dance clothing. We will typically begin each session with movement and dance and then break into some form of equipment sessions for flag and weapon, depending on the make-up of the attendees. You will need something that allows you to have maximum flexibility and your feet and ankles must be able to be seen. We look forward to seeing you there!
Register to Audition – Attendees must first register for The Academy auditions using the online form here. A $50 registration fee gets your information into our system and allows you to have access to the full audition packet and materials relative to your section. The fee, then, for participating in the audition event will be $75 and can either be paid with the initial online application, or later via credit card online, or check/cash in person at check-in for the event.
Join the Facebook group – Want to get the latest information, ask questions, and meet some prospective members, join the 2018 Academy Audition Interest Group here on Facebook.
2018 corps information – get more details about the 2018 corps, audition date, location, and other info by visiting the corps web page here.