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2020 Our Ninety-eighth Performance Season

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Becoming a member of the Chippewa Marching Band for 2020 Who May Audition? Any CMU student may audition to become a member of the Chippewa Marching Band. All incoming freshmen and transfer students who are not Music Majors may schedule an audition in the spring. Incoming Music Majors who have passed their entrance audition for School of Music faculty may play their primary instrument in the marching band without further audition. All percussion majors must audition for placement in the field battery. All incoming freshmen and transfer students who wish to participate in the color guard must audition. Music majors who wish to play an instrument other than their major instrument must audition to do so. All instrumental music education majors will be accepted to the section that best suits their ability and training needs, as determined by the marching band director. Typically, once a student has been accepted to the marching band, he or she will not be required to audition in subsequent years.

Arranging for an Audition Auditions take place in conjunction with early Student Orientation sessions. Once accepted to the University, students will receive an information packet from the Orientation office. Be sure to select an Orientation session that coincides with auditions. Auditions are scheduled for the afternoon and evening before your Orientation session. This allows students to relax and focus on their audition before dealing with the excitement and rigor of a full day of Orientation and registration activities. Audition/Orientation pairings for 2020 are:

May 26/27; June 1*/2; June 2/3 ; June 3/4

*Drum Line Audition Day

Students may arrange for overnight housing at a nominal cost through the Orientation office, if desired. Often, students have stayed in one of the residence halls while family members have lodged at one of our local hotels. Many students and their families have found the overnight stay to be an excellent opportunity to explore the Mt. Pleasant community. If you have questions, call the CMU

Orientation office or visit their web site: https://www.cmich.edu/ess/academic_advising_assistance/New_Student_Orientation/Pages/default.aspx

Confirmation of your audition date and time will be mailed shortly before your Orientation session. Students who are unable to audition during the scheduled sessions may contact Dr. Batcheller at batch1jc@cmich.edu to see if an earlier audition may be scheduled.

Detailed materials will be mailed to all who register for an audition through the Orientation site. To receive additional information and to receive audition materials for your instrument or section NOW, please go to: https://forms.gle/xdhZgSGd4CBrrKh28 (or Scan the QR code on the cover of this packet).

New music majors will receive information in the mail and will be fitted for their uniforms when visiting campus for New Student Orientation.

Preparing for the Audition Students will be asked to demonstrate the best of their training. The emphasis in these auditions is on determining your skill level and your experience. There will be some physical movement in the audition so take time to warm up and dress to be comfortable. Winds and percussion will be asked to mark time while playing during a portion of the session (low impact mark time only: heels rise and fall, toes remain on the ground) to determine agility and coordination. Color Guard applicants will learn a short segment of flag and body work.

Woodwinds and Brass Brass and Woodwind players will audition individually beginning in the afternoon on each of the four dates listed above. Candidates will be provided with short, lyrical passage and a technical exercise. Be prepared to play "concert" B-flat, E-flat, and F major scales and a chromatic scale across your practical range.

A prepared solo is also welcome but not absolutely necessary. If you choose a lengthy work, select the passage or passages you are most enthusiastic about. Please bring a copy of the music with you even if you have it memorized. It is not necessary for solos to be accompanied. If you prefer, you may prepare something from your practice materials such as etudes or scale exercises. You could also

choose something you played in band this year, either from a method book or an individual piece. The combination of your prepared materials should demonstrate the best example of your tone quality and technical ability.

We can provide an instrument for Mellophone, Baritone, and Sousaphone auditions, though students are encouraged to play the instrument they have used to prepare for the audition. Students MUST provide their own mouthpieces. Students auditioning to play Mellophone may audition on either French horn or trumpet, if they prefer. Students auditioning to play piccolo may play all or part of their audition on flute, though some demonstration of piccolo skill is encouraged.

New Woodwinds and Brass will report for pre-season rehearsals on Sunday, August 23, at 10:00 am.

Percussion Students auditioning for the field battery will be asked to prepare several of our exercises and cadences on their desired instrument. Music will be mailed when an audition has been arranged.

Students will participate in a day-long audition session on Monday June 1. Returning members of the Drum Line will be on hand to combine efforts with incoming students to reach an initial placement of new members during the course of that day.

Those with limited experience in rudimental snare drumming and/or multiple tenor drums are encouraged to prepare as much of the bass drum material as possible. All students auditioning for the bass drum line should prepare the top bass part. Those auditioning for cymbals may read the top cymbal part. You may audition on more than one instrument (i.e. snare and tenors, tenors and bass drum, etc.).

Once selected, members of the drum line will be asked to come to campus July 23 – 25 for equipment fittings, basics instruction, and to make final part adjustments. The line will report for pre-season rehearsals on Saturday morning, August 22.

Color Guard Select one of the four audition dates listed above. Returning members of the Color Guard will work with auditioning students, as a group, in the early evening on your audition day.

The audition is designed to evaluate your ability to learn basic equipment work, simple choreography, etc. Equipment will be provided. We use six-foot weighted poles with 54" by 36" silks. If you are more comfortable with smaller equipment, you may bring a pole along to demonstrate your experience, though you will be asked to use our equipment for the learning session. If you have rifle experience, you may prepare a brief routine that best demonstrates your abilities, but this is NOT required. If you are accepted based upon this preliminary evaluation, you’ll be expected to join us for a mini-camp July 24 – 26, and to move to campus in time for our pre-season rehearsal camp, which begins on August 22.

More Information This and other information related to the Ninety-eighth Season of the Chippewa Marching Band is available at our web site, which will be updated as the season approaches. We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to CMU.

FIRE UP CHIPS! music.cmich.edu/cmb

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