Here is a form to fill out to express interest in Purdue Bands. The other thing you will want to be sure to do
is when you are filling out your application to
Purdue, check the box to
express interest in band. This will put
you on the mailing list.
Once you have applied to Purdue and expressed interest in Purdue Bands you should be sent a band registration packet sometime in May or June. There is usually a registration deadline in mid-July. If you have not received a registration packet by the beginning of July or you expressed interest late and are worried that you may not receive your packet in time, please contact the trumpet section leader or the trumpet webmaster immediately. You may also contact the band office directly by phone (see contact page). If you have missed the deadline for submitting registration materials, you must contact the section leader immediately. (If you have missed the registration deadline there is a good chance that you will still be able to participate in band camp and audition activities. However, you must inform the section leader as to your circumstances and note that you may not be given priority in the selection process since taking care of business is an important aspect of being a part of the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band.)
Joining the Purdue “All American” Marching Band is the beginning of an experience that you will never forget. We encourage you to browse our website as you will probably find the answers to many of your questions on here as well as other interesting things you may not have known about us.
Here are a few tips if you are a freshmen and worried about adjusting to college life the first year and having time for band:
♠ Marching band is time consuming but you will likely find that band here is the same time demand as high school, and if you come from a very competitive band, it may even be less time consuming. The 2007 calendar is in the process of being updated so keep checking back to get an idea of our schedule. To summarize our schedule here at Purdue, we have one week of band camp. This is held the week before classes begin and runs on a schedule of about 8:30 am to 9:30 pm, Sunday to Saturday (Tuesday to Saturday for returning marchers). We then have band Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 5:30 during fall classes. You will never be bored on weekends since most Saturdays you will be busy with the exciting game day activities or other fun trumpet events.
♦ You may find your freshmen year challenging depending on your major and whether your high school classes adequately prepared you for Purdue level classes. However, this is not a reasonable excuse for not doing band your first year - your freshmen year will probably be your easiest year, especially if you are in engineering. We have many engineers and people with other difficult majors in band that have been able to succeed in their classes while still doing band.
♣ Marching band and the people you meet in marching band will help you adjust to college life and establish a network of friends to help you through much faster than if you hadn't gotten involved.
♥ Marching band is a very active organization and can be a good form of exercise that will help to keep off the infamous "freshmen fifteen" and maybe even help you lose weight!
♠ Tickets to the games can be expensive. Being in the band, you don't have to pay for tickets to football games. You can also go to volleyball games for free by playing in the volleyball band and men's or women's basketball games by being in Boiler Brass or Gold & Black Sound (GABS). (Note: Be prepared that Purdue will charge an activity fee for being in band which is rather ridiculous since we're doing them a great service.... Purdue administration can be a B_____ most of the time)
♦ By being in band you can earn two credits (even though it should be a lot more) of easy A, which can be a big help to the GPA.
One important thing to be
aware of is that there is a freshman orientation program on campus that is held
the same week as band camp that is known as “Boiler Gold Rush” or “BGR.” This program obviously conflicts with band
camp, and participating in both is not possible. However, incoming freshmen who
choose to be in the marching band over doing BGR
MIGHT able to attend the 4
major BGR informational sessions
free of charge
(BGR organization is often anything but
organized and can often be very ridiculous. As was the case last year, you
may not be guaranteed to go to these events since BGR leaders can be very stupid
and lose track of how many people have applied and how many seats are needed for
the band). The four informational sessions are:
1. Academics
2. Awareness of Alcohol and
Drugs
3. Residence Hall Life
4. Campus Safety (Don't be stupid)
IF YOU PLAN TO
TRY OUT FOR THE MARCHING BAND, YOU WILL NOT MISS ANYTHING OF VALUE BY "MISSING
OUT" ON BGR. Outside of the four main information sessions
that you will be allowed to attend, BGR is very much along the lines of what we
do in band camp but just not as intelligent. While it is a supposedly
great
program for students not involved in anything else, you
will get more
out of being in the band. BGR members
are divided into 15-20 member groups with their fellow incoming students and
have one team leader that is an upperclassman student. The group activities that occur outside of the
information sessions are usually awkward and mentally degrading “Getting-to-know-you”
activities. Contrast this to being a member
of the trumpet section of the AAMB, where you will instantly be in a group of
20-30 of your fellow incoming students with a common interest, along with
another 30-50 upperclassmen, including 6 or 7 trumpet student leaders who really want to see
you succeed at Purdue. We are a very
close section. We usually have a few section parties, plus fun activities
like roadtrips, paintball and other friendly athletic or social outings
throughout the year, whereas
official BGR activities end before classes begin. Most of the people you
meet in BGR you will probably not remain friends with and may not even see
again. By being in band you will be setting yourself up to make many
lasting friendships.
Being a member of the “All-American” Marching Band
will turn out to be a much greater benefit to you than BGR could ever
be!!!
Auditions for the “All American” band take place during band camp week. ALL marchers must audition every year - not just rookie marchers. Veteran members are not guaranteed a spot and should not blow off their audition. Auditions consist of a playing audition which will be done by a faculty member, (Sunday evening for rookies, Tuesday afternoon for returning marchers) and marching throughout the week that is watched closely by the student leaders and the faculty to determine who makes the band. The student leaders make their decisions based on the results from the playing auditions and marching/playing performance throughout the week. Keep in mind that a bad playing audition will not guarantee failure to make the band if satisfactory performance both in playing and marching is witnessed the rest of the week. However, the faculty is looking for strong players and a good playing audition will increase your chances of making the band significantly. All student leader selections are then reviewed and must be approved by the band faculty. The final selections for the band are announced individually or in small groups on Friday morning by the student leaders.
Playing auditions are usually done by Professor Mo Trout who is a very talented trumpet player and director of all the jazz bands here at Purdue. He also conducts the trumpet sectionals during band camp week. Playing auditions typically consist of (but not necessarily in this order):
1. Two octaves of two major scales of your choice.
2. Chromatic scale demonstrating your full range on the trumpet
3. Technical Etude which will be sent to you after submission of band registration materials.
4. Purdue Fight Song (Hail Purdue) - Note: Mo usually asks you to play the first part of Hail Purdue since it is the melody and has a higher range. However, the other parts should be practiced since you may not be assigned to first part. Downloadable sheet music for all fight songs and parts can be found on the Members Only page as well as downloadable audio tracks so you can hear what they sound like. Potential members, active members or alumni can email Dan Jemison at ddjemiso@purdue.edu, for the username and password to access the Members Only page.
Potential members and veterans will be evaluated on their marching ability throughout band camp week. There is typically a marching demonstration on Thursday evening of band camp week that serves as a final evaluation period before student leaders and faculty make their final selections for the band. This marching demonstration is subject to change but typically consists of a series of basic marching routines that demonstrate the core aspects of the various marching styles and techniques that are used by the Purdue Band during the season. The demonstration is typically performed by each section as a group while the rest of the band watches. Potential members and veterans will receive prior preparation for this demonstration from their student leaders and the faculty during the week.
Now,
you’re probably asking yourself, what is this band camp week going to be like? Well, I can assure you that it
isn’t all marching and music rehearsal.
During the week, many of the
important people from the University come
and visit and speak to us. This includes
President
France Cordova and head football coach Joe
Tiller. One of the highlights of band
camp 2001 was when
Coach Tiller came to talk to us. Our associate director of bands, “Coach” Bill
Kisinger, told the band that a couple of years ago he had told Coach Tiller
that he wanted to go to a Rose Bowl in the next couple years before he
retired. Well, we all know what happened
in 2000. Bill went on to say that his
stocks had gone down, so he would not be retiring for a few more years. He then said “How ‘bout a National Championship.” Coach Tiller’s response was, “Ask and you
shall receive.”
One more benefit of band camp is that one night (usually WEDNESDAY) during the week; Follett’s Purdue West bookstore opens its doors for a few hours to band members only. There are also significant discounts during this time such as 10% off all textbooks and 25% off all Purdue apparel and souvenirs.
In
conclusion, being a member of the “All American” band is much more than
anything you can imagine until you have actually experienced it. The sense of pride that each member of the
band feels from simply wearing the uniform speaks for itself.
You feel respected for doing something that
represents this great university. Simply
stepping out on the field to perform in front of 62,500 Purdue fans is an
experience that only people who have done it will understand. Try
getting that feeling from a high school band.
We even get little kids that come up to us and ask for our signatures which
gives you an idea of just what an impression we make on people.
The feeling in the stadium as band announcer Roy Johnson read the script
to “I Am An American” on September 22nd
2001, 11 days after the September 11th, was one of the most
incredible events any of us have ever experienced. We all had the same feeling two years later during a
special pre-game ceremony to mark the two year anniversary of the events of
September 11th. Then at El Paso in 2004, it was
amazing to receive a standing ovation from a large crowd of people whom many had
never heard us play before after playing our traditional version of America the
Beautiful with the "I Am An American" speech. The best quote about being in band at Purdue
is probably:
“When you are in the band,
you not only go to Purdue, you are Purdue”
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