My S26 will likely major in engineering. He knows he wants to join the marching band in college. He’s pretty sure he wants to go to Bama with his brother, but is concerned about the band. Last year 750 auditioned for 400 spots. So, I am looking for a couple other colleges that would be “marching band safety” schools for him.
We know there are a lot of differences in how bands work. I’ve looked up some, but I feel like it’s just a long, long process. So, if you know how a band works, please post here.
Things we are looking at:
Are there auditions?
If so, when are results posted?
Are there auditions every year?
Do all members march during all halftimes?
Do all members march pregame?
Do all members travel when the full band travels (bowl games, etc)?
Anything else?
For Bama:
Yes, there are auditions in the spring.
Results are sent May 1.
Members need to reaudition, unless in a seated band in the spring.
All members march halftime
Not all members march pregame, but most do.
All members travel.
We’re looking for somewhere he’d know he’d be able to participate in before the May 1 deadline. So either no auditions, or results May 1 or earlier.
Thanks.
I can add that U of Michigan doesn’t give audition results until mid-July.
We don’t really have a list yet. This is a big part of what he’s looking for, so it hasn’t gotten very far. But he would like warmer than Michigan ideally. And engineering as an option. Under $25k/year for tuition and room/board. Other than that, we are open for ideas. And Bama hits that with the scholarship, so if he gets in the band, I think he’d go there. It’s still 20 months away, so things could change.
I don’t know anything about deadlines and auditions, but I do know a little about the CU Boulder marching band – because I’m in-state, and my son is in HS marching band, and a huge percentage of our students end up at CU Boulder, and many of our band kids end up joining the marching band there. So I’ve heard a bit from our HS grads and their families. I know that it’s not super-competitive, and I also know that a considerable percentage of the CU marching band is made up of engineering students (don’t know why). So you might want to check that out.
According to a Reddit thread, these were some schools that either had no auditions or that only had auditions for the drumline and color guard that I thought had a chance of meeting a $25k/year budget via merit aid.
Baylor (TX): About 15k undergrads
Marshall (WV): About 8k undergrads
New Mexico State: About 12k undergrads
South Dakota State: About 10k undergrads
Below are some other schools with multiple ABET-accredited fields that he may want to check out:
U. of Dayton (OH): About 8400 undergrads. Register for band camp and enroll in the Marching Band class with no auditions: Welcome : University of Dayton, Ohio
U. of Kansas: About 19k undergrads. In looking at the summer info packet, it appears that attendance at band camp and enrolling in a class will get one in the Marching Band, though I’d verify with the university: Join the Band | School of Music.
North Dakota State: About 10k undergrads and only the drumline and Color Guard have auditions. GSMB FAQs
U. of Nebraska – Lincoln: About 19k undergrads. It appears as though they accept video auditions and that auditions start in February and go through June 15. So I suspect that if you son did an audition video early in the spring, that he’d know before May 1 if he was accepted. Marching Band Auditions | Band | Nebraska
One school that might not meet the requirement is West Virginia as it does require an audition, but its website didn’t indicate when auditions were. An inquiry might be helpful to see if a video audition could occur before May 1.
And a couple more:
U. of Houston (TX): This one might be worth an inquiry, as it indicates that there are auditions, but only some instruments (like piccolo) seem to have an audition required: Bands - University of Houston. Students who get a $1k or $1500 scholarship are often then eligible for in-state pricing here.
U. of Louisville (KY): It appears as though one can just sign up, as the auditions are for placement purposes, not for inclusion within the band: CMB Audition Information | UofL Bands. Additionally, I’ve heard very good things about Louisville’s engineering school and its hands-on philosophy.
Similar at Colorado State. Seems like if you marched in high school, it’s no problem to make the band. They seem laid back and like they have a lot of fun. Lots of engineers and the honors engineering dorm is right near the stadium.
I only have experience with university of Delaware marching band which auditions in the summer - when in summer depends on section. Might not know if you get in until two weeks before band camp. It is competitive, but not sure how competitive. <Edited to note the drumline is very competitive; not as sure about the other sections>. The price point might be high too. It is great for engineering though. My kid was ok with prospect of not getting on and trying again following year.
I just was looking at West Virginia U and it says they send results April 15. That’s a good one for a back up.
I look through the list and see if I can find other info too. He wants to march without a secondary audition, and I’m not finding that info easily. We know Michigan has a challenge every Friday for the next week’s half-time and that only those who make that cut do the travel. They cut about 1/3 each week. He is completely uninterested in that.
He is hoping to be NM. Working towards it, but we will see how it goes.
Oh I also think Rutgers marching band was completely non competitive like anyone who wanted to join got on. Might have to look into it more though. Also great for engineering. I do think engineering and band tend to go together for some reason at a lot of schools - not sure why!
From the site:
Is there an audition?
There is no formal audition to join the Marching Scarlet Knights. If you want to join the band and can make the commitment, we would love to have you!
Colorado State is much more generous with merit. Also, merit available for engineering, a 1k scholarship for honors and I believe $600 for band members.
There are tons of jobs in the music industry if one is inclined to study music. However, marching band is what our kids do. Just like playing football or lacrosse or golf. Band kids love the drill, the show, the creativity, their instrument, the other musicians who are their “people” that they find at band camp and have tons of friends on campus immediately. They represent their universities in the community and at home and away games. D1 programs are quite large and well funded by their athletic depts. They attend bowl games. So as far as im concermed, their eyes are on the prize of the connections they make with staff and University faculty, with study groups, with the leadership opportunities that are organically a part of a marching band - Squad Leader, Section Leader, oh, how about the prize of time management?? Come on @gouf78, let’s hear it for the band!
Is Western Michigan under consideration? Website says audition is required but 99% are accepted. A friend of mine has a daughter who is attending Western Michigan as an OOS student, marching in the band, and loving her whole experience.
