2017 BRASS AUDITION INFORMATION

TRUMPET

SPIRIT OF ATLANTA
P O BOX 801597
ACWORTH, GA 30101
membership@spiritdrumcorps.org
brass@spiritdrumcorps.org
www.spiritdrumcorps.org
2017 BRASS AUDITION INFORMATION
Congratulations! You are taking the first step toward joining the 40-year tradition of
performing with the Spirit of Atlanta. This is a tradition which is rich in musical excellence,
visual precision, powerful brass sounds, and entertaining performances.

In this packet you will find all of the information needed to successfully complete the
audition process for future membership.

Here is a brief overview of the audition process:

1. Perform your chromatic scale from your lowest note to your highest note, and
back down, on your instrument.
2. Perform a short lyrical etude. (Does not need to be memorized)
3. Perform a short technical etude. (Does not need to be memorized)
4. Perform short, memorized, exercises (“On The Move”) while marching a brief
choreographed routine.
5. Complete a visual audition.
6. Complete a physical fitness evaluation.

You should be prepared to perform on your regular instrument. Everything, but the
moving portions of the audition, can be performed on your concert instrument. French
horn players should be prepared to play a mellophone and should bring a mellophone
mouthpiece, if at all possible. Trombone and tuba players should be prepared to march
with a marching baritone/tuba during the marching portions of the audition. If you are
able to bring a marching instrument, please do so. The horn inventory for the corps is
limited.

Ultimately, our goal is for you to march and play to your fullest ability. We want this
process to be exciting, enjoyable and informative. We will work with you to help you
achieve these goals.

Our Brass Staff

Our staff is led by Freddy Martin, a member of the DCI and Spirit of Atlanta Hall of
Fame and is the corps’ Director Emeritus. His brass pedagogy, which has been
influenced by the great brass teachers of the 20th Century and developed over his
40-year drum corps career, is the cornerstone of how we teach at the Spirit of
Atlanta. Our staff, all students of Freddy, has over 180 years of drum corps
experience and are all accomplished world-class musicians and educators. We are
committed to providing you with a world-class brass education and a great drum
corps experience. Welcome!

2017 Brass Audition Information 1

SOME TIPS FOR PREPAR ING FOR THE AUDITION :

Tips
1 Practice slowly, but in rhythm. Only speed up the tempo when you can perform
accurately. A performance which is performed well, but under tempo, will score higher
than a faster, but uneven performance.
2 Always practice with a metronome and utilize a tuner often. Steady pulse and great
intonation are essential to your musical and visual success.
3 Focus on your sound being rich, vibrant, and consistent in all registers and ranges
4 Break everything down into smaller pieces and tackle everything a little bit at a time. Be
surgical in your preparation.
5 Get up and move. Constantly push yourself to try new things while on the move. Drum
corps is all about multi-tasking. Practice while standing in a yoga pose or play something
while casually strolling around a room.
6 Prepare your body. Drum corps is physically demanding. Being prepared physically will
allow you to perform at a higher level, stay healthy, avoid injury, and, ultimately, enjoy
your experience at a higher level.
7 Record yourself and self-evaluate. If possible, share the video with friends or anyone
whose opinion you respect. This information and process is an important part of growing
as a musician.
8 Set goals and develop a plan. Success is never an accident. A quality audition will be the
result of these efforts.

WHAT WILL I NEED TO BRING TO THE AUDITIO N?

Tips
1. A performer’s mindset! We want to see confident and assertive performers. You cannot
perform at your highest level trying to avoid mistakes. We are not looking for perfection.
We are looking for performers!
2. Wear clothes that allow you to move: standard exercise apparel and quality athletic
shoes with socks,
3. Your instrument, mouthpiece, and a marching horn, if at all possible. If not, you may be
rotating with other players on the corps’ instruments.
4. Your audition materials.
5. Good sight-reading skills—all low brass performers will be reading bass clef.
6. More specific camp related information will be sent closer to the camp.
7. Pencils, valve oil, a folding music stand, and white gloves.
8. 12” Latex balloons and a ¾”-1” PVC pipe joint adapter.

2017 Brass Audition Information 2

SPECIFICS ON THE AUD ITION PROCESS
1. Chromatic Scale is designed to demonstrate your command of the range of your
instrument. Speed is less important than evenness of sound, intonation, and overall
accuracy. You will play from the lowest note to the highest note of your choosing.
2. The Lyrical Etude is loosely based on the corps song, Georgia on My Mind. While often in a
jazz style, for the audition, the performer has the freedom to perform the selection as
expressively and in the style of their choosing. We are looking for performers! Take a risk! Be
musical and show us what type of performer you will be as a member of the Spirit of
Atlanta.
3. The Technical Etude is a variation on a classic brass exercise by Edwin Franko Goldman. The
performer has the freedom to choose their own tempo with a minimum tempo of mm=100.
Perform and show us what you can do on your instrument. Faster tempos will require
multiple tonguing techniques, and will be scored higher if performed well. Slower tempos,
performed with greater clarity and consistency, will be scored higher than performances at
faster tempos which are less accurate. Evenness of tempo and demonstrated technique is
essential, regardless of the tempo chosen by the performer.
4. On the Move is a series of basic warm-up exercises we use in our daily fundamentals. All of
these exercises are numbered—learn the numbers—and will be paired with some common
marching exercises and basic movement sequences. We mix and match these exercises
and will not always be performed in order. For your audition, you will be placed into small
groups, assigned a visual sequence which will be paired with one of the exercises from this
page. You will move and play a total of two different “On the Move” assignments for your
evaluation.
5. Fitness Evaluation. For the fitness evaluation, you will be asked to complete the following
brief workout, which will be timed. This workout may seem easy for some of you. Great! This
is a base-line evaluation, not an end goal. We will use this workout as a starting point for our
training this spring. If this workout is difficult for you, do not be discouraged, but begin to
prepare your body for this reality. Circuit training and interval training are the best ways to
prepare for a season of drum corps.
a. Run 400 meters
b. 25 air squats
c. 25 sit-ups
d. 15 burpees
e. Repeat the sequence one time
f. We would like for everyone to finish close to 15 minutes or better. Many of you may
complete this well under that time, which is awesome.
g. You will control your pace. You may rest or walk as needed.
6. Mouthpieces: Spirit of Atlanta has developed a partnership with Warburton mouthpieces
and all 2017 members will be given an opportunity to purchase a custom SOA Warburton
mouthpiece. For the audition, plan to perform on the mouthpiece you are most
accustomed to playing, which allows for a rich and vibrant sound.
7. Facebook: We utilize private Facebook groups to submit assignments and disseminate
information. If you do not have a Facebook account, set-up an account and you will be
added to the appropriate group if you receive a call-back/contract.
8. Balloons and PVC pipe: We utilize 12” latex balloons to train our breathing system and ¾’-1”
PVC pipe joint adapter without grooves or a cap to improve our breathing. Invest in both
items prior to your audition.

2017 Brass Audition Information 3

 SOME GREAT RESOURCES and APPS
Apps
Tonal Energy Tuner
APS Tuning Trainer
Frozen Ape Tempo
Couchto5K
My Fitness Pal
7 Minute Workout

Books
The Breathing Gym by Sam Pilafian and Pat Sheridan
Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind by Brian Frederiksen
The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
Drive by Daniel Pink
The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green
Lip Flexibilities: For All Brass Instruments by Bai Lin
Technical Studies by Herbert L. Clarke
Complete Conservatory Method by J. B. Arban

2017 Brass Audition Information 4

2017 Brass Audition Information 5
2017 Brass Audition Information 6
THE VISUAL AUDITION
All potential brass and battery percussion members will participate in a marching
audition. We do not expect you to come completely familiar with our technique and
approach, but, rather, we are looking at your ability to adapt to the program and how
well you visually blend with the other members of the corps. We are looking to see if you
are teachable, demonstrate consistent mental focus, and the consistency of your
overall movement skills.

The visual/marching audition will involve working in both large and small groups. Your
audition will be ongoing throughout the weekend. Every rep is a performance! There will
be a few moments of targeted evaluation, but the visual staff will be watching you all
of the time.

We’ll evaluate you on the following criteria:

• How quickly do you learn new material?
• How well do you take instruction and constructive feedback?
• Can you move athletically and artistically?
• What is your overall physical fitness and endurance?
• What is the quality of your stage presence and visual performance skill?
• How well do you play your instrument while also moving?

PHYSICAL CONDITION A ND PREPAREDNESS

Drum corps is a physically demanding activity and potential members need to be prepared to
be pushed to their physical limits. While we do not expect this high level of physical condition
at the first camp, and we will help you to prepare for the season, the more prepared you are
at the audition camp, the more successful and enjoyable this process will be for you.
Some things to consider:
How long can you run without stopping? This is an endurance sport. Start a program like
Couchto5K to build endurance. 30 minutes of sustained activity is a good starting point, but
you will need to be working toward over an hour by May.
How strong is your lower body? Drum corps puts a lot of strain on your legs. Don’t skip leg day!
Squats, calf crunches, leg lifts, scissor kicks, burpees, etc… as well as a range of various
stretches for these muscles is extremely important to your success.
How strong is your core and upper body? Get on a program of push-ups, crunches, burpees,
circuit training etc… and build those muscles. Controlling your body and performing at a level
will require a great deal of upper body strength.
Do you have pounds to lose? Drum corps is easier if you are not carrying around extra weight.
Extra weight puts strain on your muscles, joints, tendons etc…Start eating healthier, exercise,
and use an app to track your food intake, such as, My Fitness Pal, if you need to lose weight.
If you are being considered for membership in the corps, expect to be placed onto a physical
fitness routine and be held accountable to this preparation starting in December and
throughout the spring.

2017 Brass Audition Information 7

2017 VISUAL AUDITION INFORMATION

BASICS AND FIELD DIMENSIONS

SPIRIT OF ATLANTA
P O BOX 801597
ACWORTH, GA 30101

membership@spiritdrumcorps.org
brass@spiritdrumcorps.org
www.spiritdrumcorps.org
 Overview

The overall visual program in 2017 will aim to achieve a mixture of well trained
choreography and natural movement in all forms. Simplicity will be key to all aspects of
our movement and we will strive for all motion to be from the same source. Be ready to
commit to a program that will not consider Marching and Dance to be separate
concepts.

Posture

We will be looking for individuals to carry themselves with the tallest and broadest
image they can possibly project. One single line will cross through the entire body.
Head, Shoulders, Hips, Knees and Ankles will be completely aligned. This will be
referred to as the ‘Body Line.’

Take in a deep breath and inflate the upper body without breaking the body line. Keep
the shape that your upper body creates when inflated. Pull your shoulder blades
together slightly to achieve an even larger look. Keep the shoulders and neck muscles
as relaxed as possible. Your chin will be up and projected.

Feet

Your feet will be together at the heels and your toes will be separated at a comfortable
90-degree angle from each other. This will provide a solid bass for the performer.

Weight

Once you have established your entire body’s posture and foot positioning place all of
your weight on the front two thirds of your foot. If you are not wearing shoes you will feel
the skin of your heel slightly touching the floor.

This means that you will not have your weight distributed at all on your heels. This will
ensure your calf muscles and achilles tendon will be engaged and prepared for any
motion at any time. Your presence should be lifted tall through your spine and into your
head.
**The goal is to have your muscles engaged and ready for movement, however your body posture should
remain tall straight and to the box.
 Backward

Backward will be achieved with the longest of leg lines possible. Absolutely no knee
bend of any kind will occur. By not resting our heels on the ground no change in
height will occur either. You will initiate from the already engaged leg muscles and push
horizontally. Once that initial push has occurred you will reach back utilizing a Pendulum
Motion from the hip to achieve the desired distance.

Your foot will land with the exact same platform you had at the stationary
position. Place the entire platform on the ground at once and continue pushing with
that newly landed foot. Flex the foot on the crossing count just enough to allow the foot
to travel back but do not allow any bending of the knee. You will not touch the ground
toe first and roll backward onto the rest of the platform. This will lead to unwanted height
changes.

Tip: To alleviate ‘bouncing’ on your downbeats, keep the upper body lifted and learn to relax as many
muscles as possible to absorb shock. More tension=more bounce.

3 Things to remember:

1. Start already engaged with the weight on the full platform

2. Always Push using the entire leg and only push horizontally
3. Land every single step on the exact FULL platform described earlier
 Forward

Like backward you will initiate your forward motion from an engaged and forward
weighted position. We will think of a single step as follows: 1 E + A

Initiation

You will push from the stationary foot (Right), pendulum swing the starting leg (Left) and
land precisely on the downbeat with the back edge of your heel. Flex the foot, pull the
toes back, and completely stretch the arch of the foot to achieve the highest toe
possible. You will Vocalize (PUSH and One)

This brings you to beat 1.

On the ‘E’ of 1 you will flex the foot of the back leg (Right) and transfer the weight to the
leading leg. (Left)

On the ‘+’ of 1 you will find your back leg (Right) inline with the front leg (Left). The foot
will still be flexed.
You will feel your heel softly brush the ground through this motion.

On the ‘A’ of 1 you will find your back leg (Right) now continuing the pendulum swing
forward and about to achieve the next downbeat.

Repeat this process for every single forward step of the 2016 Production.

The larger the step size, the further you will roll through the platform on the
pushing leg. The “E” of each count becomes significant here to avoid knee bend.

3 Things to remember:

1. Do not lock the knee(s) at any point

2. Do not dip your hips up and down to
achieve a perfectly straight leg, utilize the foot flex.
3. Keep the heels as low as possible
to prevent harsh or heavy downbeats
 Sliding

To achieve a comfortable slide of the shoulders allow your Hips, Core, and Shoulders to split
the difference in 3 ways (30, 60, and 90 Degrees respectively). Your entire upper body will twist
in a corkscrew fashion to maintain lift and to smoothly round out the broad image we want. This
twist allows a healthy track for the knees and feet and does not force you to alter the prescribed
forward and backward techniques.

You will not change the leg or foot technique to accommodate any slide at any time.

*Tension is the enemy. Stay relaxed and use air to inflate and lift the upper body.

Tendu Step
(Tahn-Doo)

This foot technique is commonly referred to as ‘Toe Down’ or ‘Tendu’. From set position your
foot will travel forward remaining in turned out position as if your foot s gliding forward on ice.
Once that is achieved, you will “roll” through the platform from pinky toe and sequentially
through your other toes until the entire platform (not heel) is on the ground.

That sequential ‘roll’ is where our weight will smoothly transfer and prevent any harshness to
our sound and rigidness in our image. We will utilize this many times in our movements.

Jazz Running

Jazz Running or the largest extended step size will be done with the longest legs possible in
order to reach the furthest distances. Focusing on horizontal motion at the highest degree while
maintaining height and shape of the upper body will be key.

1. You will not Demi-plié at any time.

The legs must stay just as straight as forward marching

2. You will use the Tendu (toe down) foot shaping

3. Halting will be a pure redirection upward and

if you maintain the ‘Two Third’ weight on the platform
you will find that redirection to be easier.
 Motion Changes

Stopping or changing direction will be treated exactly the same utilizing the same parts of the
body and ultimately directing our energy in the same places.

The full platform described in our Posture section will be used on all forms of motion change.
You will also engage your core muscles (Abdominals and Groin areas) and maintain ‘lift’ from
the chest. The Tendu is critical in this area as the ‘roll’ from the toes will keep your movement
smooth and ultimately be easier to achieve.

Stopping

On the final count of movement you will place the entire platform with a POINTED foot into the
45 Degree angle we use in our stationary position. You will then bring the “back” leg (in time)
and distribute the weight evenly between both full platforms. (No heels are involved)

(Forward Marching)
We will use the Tendu step to soften the landing and absorb all possible shock.
As you place your weight on the foot each toe will touch the ground in succession and the
weight will smoothly pass through until the entire platform is on the ground.

This returns you to the very same stationary posture position we established before. Weight is
forward, heels are pushed inward, and calf muscles/achilles tendons are still engaged.

(Backward Marching)
You will reach back with your biggest toe and allow the weight to distribute smoothly across and
to the full platform. Do not allow your heels to be utilized.

This returns you to the very same stationary posture position we established before. Weight is
forward, heels are not utilized, and calf muscles/achilles tendons are still engaged.

Changing Direction

When changing direction you will place the foot as described above, you will utilize the same
muscle groupings, and you will maintain lift. Treat the direction change as a halt but instead of
bringing the back leg into a close you will simply continue to push into a new direction with a
smooth hip motion throughout.

Your last step (pointed foot) will always split the difference between the old and new
directions.
 Mark Time

The entire foot will come off the ground when you are marking time. This will allow you to feel
the same movement under your feet as if you are in motion. The feet will move to parallel on
the first two steps of the mark time and move back out to hold position the last two steps. The
right foot closes then the left on (place hold). The foot should come off the ground .5 inches and
should not create any extra upper body movement what so ever.
 Exercises to have learned before you audition

The following exercises are expected to be memorized and prepared for auditions. These will be
utilized for the entire horn line for all camps, spring training, and the regular season. Most will
have multiple variations but at least be prepared to perform these as you would your music for
each camp

Box I Box II
Forward 8 Forward 8
Forward slide 8 Backward Slide 8
Backward 8 Backward 8
Forward slide 8 Backward slide 8
 Circle Drill

Circle drill will teach us to use our eyes, comprehend interval/spacing, expand/contract forms,
maintain shape, and build stamina. The format involves always having the shoulders face a
center point of a circle. The following instructions involve movement toward, away, or around
that center point.

Part I Part II
Out for 8 Out for 8
In for 8 In for 8
Out for 8 Out for 8
Left for 16 Right for 16
Back for 16 Back for 16
In 8 In 8

Variation I is all “forward slides”

Variation II is all “backward slides”

*Note that “Back for 16” is always at a backward slide.

Step Size Change

Have the following step size change pattern memorized and be prepared to use that pattern in
just about any direction:

8 8 to 5 steps
16 16 to 5 steps
6 6 to 5 steps
12 12 to 5 steps

This pattern will be used in multiple combinations of backward and forward and will eventually
encompass into and out of jazz runs.
 Zig Zag

This exercise is an extension of the boxes however we are focusing on specific motion changes.
Have prepared this variation which will only involve Backward to Backward direction changes.

Back 8, Right 8 (Backward Slide), Back 8, Left 8 (Backward Slide), Back 8

**Repeat As Needed**
F I E L D D I M E N S I O N S_______________________________________

➢ 300' wide x 160' deep.

➢ 15' between yard lines.
➢ There are also 8 steps between yard lines. 15' x 12” = 180” / 8 steps = 22.5” per
step= STANDARD STEPSIZE
➢ NCAA hashes are exactly 60' from either sideline
➢ NCAA numbers are 21' (bottom) and 27' (top) from either sideline. We use these
as 11.25 & 14.5 steps from either sideline.
➢ There are 32 steps from either sideline to the nearest hash (22.5” step-size).
➢ There are 20 steps from hash to hash (at 24” each – see note below).
➢ The mid-hash is 30' or 16 steps from either hash or sideline.
➢ The center X (center field) is 20' from either hash (10 adjusted steps).

NOTE: The distance between hashes is 40 feet. 40' x 12” = 480” / 20 steps= 24” =
ADJUSTED STEPSIZE used between hashes. We use this adjusted step-size only
when marking off sets, not during a drill move. Many times we will mark sets off using
either only the front hash or back hash depending on the set.

A B B R E V I A T I O N S T O K N O W_____________________________

➢ ffsl = in front of the front sideline ► in = towards the 50

➢ bfsl = behind front sideline
➢ bbsl = behind back sideline
➢ fbsl = in front of back sideline
fbh = in front of back hash
➢ bbh = behind back hash
➢ bfh = behind front hash
➢ ffh = in front of front hash
►out = away from the 50
► on = on the referenced marking
► side 1 = the left side of the field, from
the audience perspective
► side 2 = the right side of the field, from
the audience perspective

>When it comes to learning drill, knowing about the field you are standing on is very
important.

Take advantage of everything on the field from the hashes to the ticks on the sidelines
and between hashes.
 Every tick is one yard or 36 inches. In our world that is 1.6
steps at our 8-5 step size (22.5").
The pictures below show steps 1-4 using the ticks on the front
sideline
Your first step will be just past halfway between the Yard line
and the first tick as shown below

Your second step away from the yard line is just past the
first tick. Your pinky toe will be touching the outside of
the tick.

The scary third step, no mans land. It's actually pretty easy.

As you can tell in the picture which ever foot is closest to the second tick (the left foot in
this picture) is the one that is on the tick with your heel on the edge. In 1st position your
heels almost split it, one foot on the field and one on the tick.

Step 4. Simple enough. You should be between the center

two ticks.

Knowing your individual dot on the field is just as important

as knowing your notes or dynamics in your music. Each
member should know, at least, their dot and mid set getting
to the dot. You may be asking, what is a mid set? Well a mid
set is the halfway point from one dot to your next one.
Knowing your mid set will help you determine step size and
correct pathway. To find your mid set you need to figure out
how many steps you moved front to back and how many
steps side to side. Then divide your Front to back by 2 and your side to side by 2 and
that should be your mid set.