How to audition for Drum Corps International: a high school student's guide

Drum Corps International is the governing body of the world's most competitive marching ensembles. The corps perform a single show, perfected over twelve weeks, in front of judges and audiences at stadium shows across the country. The season ends with World Championships in Indianapolis in August. DCI is divided into two classes: World Class — the top tier. About 22 corps, including the Blue Devils (Concord, CA), the Cavaliers (Rosemont, IL), Carolina Crown (Fort Mill, SC), Boston Crusaders, Bluecoats, Phantom Regiment, Santa Clara Vanguard, and the Cadets. These corps tour the entire summer, compete every weekend, and are full-time touring ensembles for three months. The Blue Devils have won the World Championship 21 times (most recently 2023), making them the most decorated corps in DCI history. Open Class — the developmental tier. Slightly smaller ensembles, shorter tours, lower cost, lower commitment. Many Open Class corps feed directly into World Class corps the following year. Great option for a first-time member or a younger player who isn't ready for World Class. DCI is NOT the same as marching band, despite the visual similarities. Marching band is part of a school. DCI corps are independent year-round nonprofits. There is no woodwind section in DCI — only brass, percussion, and color guard. The shows are designed at the professional level. The membership is auditioned annually and turns over almost completely every few years.

DCI's age limit is one of the most important things to understand before considering an audition. You are eligible to march in a World Class or Open Class corps as long as you do not turn 22 before June 1 of the season year. The day you turn 22 (if it falls before June 1) is your "age-out" — you can never march again. In practice this means: → The youngest members are usually 15 or 16 (rising sophomores or juniors in high school) → The average member is 19-20 (college age) → The oldest members are 21, in their "age-out year" — their final season The age-out rule is strict and there are no exceptions. Many members talk about their age-out summer as the most emotional season of their life, because it is the last time they will ever march. Most corps have rituals for honoring age-outs at the final show. For a high school student, this means you have a window of roughly five to six summers if you want to march. Most members start at 16 or 17 and march three or four seasons. Some march all six years they're eligible. The members who win World Championships are almost always the ones who have marched multiple years and earned a position in the lead section.

The DCI audition season runs from November through February, with most corps holding their main camps in November and December. The process at most corps looks like this: Step 1 — Video pre-screen. Most corps ask for a video submission before you attend an in-person camp. The video usually includes scales, a prepared piece, sight-reading, and sometimes a fundamentals exercise (long tones, articulation studies, etc.). The pre-screen filters out players who aren't yet at the level. Step 2 — Audition camp. If you pass the pre-screen, you're invited to an audition camp at the corps' rehearsal facility. Camps run Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. You'll play through the corps' music, learn marching fundamentals, get coached by the staff, and be evaluated continuously across the weekend. Step 3 — Callback camps. Most corps run multiple camps from November through February. After each camp, the staff makes cuts and invites the remaining players back for the next camp. The lineup is usually finalized in February or March. Step 4 — Spring training. From late May through early June, the corps lives at its rehearsal facility 24/7, learning the full show. This is where the magic happens, and where many members realize how intense the season actually is. Step 5 — Tour. From early June through mid-August, the corps lives on buses and sleeps on gym floors across the country. Rehearsals are 10-12 hours a day. Performances are usually 2-3 nights a week. If you make it from pre-screen through spring training without being cut, you are part of that summer's corps.

DCI is expensive. There is no way around this. Tuition for a World Class corps in 2025 ranges from roughly $3,500 to $6,500 for the summer, depending on the corps. This covers housing on tour, food, instruction, uniforms, equipment, transportation, and the cost of running a touring nonprofit. Things tuition does not cover: → Audition camp fees (typically $75-$150 per camp; most members attend 2-4 camps) → Travel to and from audition camps (can be significant if you don't live near a corps) → Personal gear: reeds, sticks, mouthpieces, stick bags, marching shoes → Travel to spring training and home from finals → Any meals not provided by the corps (rare, but happens on travel days) A realistic all-in cost for marching one season at a World Class corps: $5,000-$8,000 for tuition plus travel and gear. Most corps offer scholarships, payment plans, and "corps store" jobs that members can do during the season to offset costs. The Blue Devils, Cavaliers, and several other corps have especially robust scholarship programs. Apply for these aggressively — they are real money and most members underuse them. Open Class corps are typically $2,000-$4,000 for the season, which makes them a great option for a first-time member or for a family that wants to test whether DCI is the right fit before committing to a full World Class season.

DCI corps have three sections, and the audition process is slightly different for each. Brass — trumpet, mellophone, baritone, euphonium, contrabass (tuba). Most corps want players with strong fundamentals, good range, and the ability to play loud without losing tone quality. Brass players in DCI typically have at least two years of strong high-school band experience plus private lessons. The audition focuses on tone, range, technical facility, and ability to learn the corps' style quickly. Brass sections are usually 60-80 members in a World Class corps. Percussion — split into battery (snares, tenors, basses, cymbals) and front ensemble (marimbas, vibes, timpani, auxiliary). The audition for battery is the most physically demanding in DCI; the audition for front ensemble is the most technically demanding. Both require very specific skills that go well beyond what most high school programs teach. Many DCI percussionists take private lessons specifically with someone who has marched, often a recent age-out. Color guard — flags, sabres, rifles, dance. Color guard auditions are heavily focused on dance technique, body control, equipment work, and the ability to learn choreography quickly. Color guard members tend to have backgrounds in dance, gymnastics, and/or winter guard. If your kid plays a woodwind instrument, they cannot march in DCI. The only options for woodwind players are college marching band, indoor winds (WGI Winds), or non-DCI marching ensembles.

Marching DCI is one of the most credentialed extracurriculars a young musician can have on a college application. Music school admissions officers, college band directors, and music education professors all know what it means to march a season with the Blue Devils or the Cavaliers. It tells them three things: the kid can play at a high level, the kid can survive an intense team environment for twelve straight weeks, and the kid is willing to work very hard for something they love. Concrete ways DCI helps with college: → Music school auditions: many music school faculty have direct connections to specific corps. A DCI alum is treated as a known quantity. "He marched Crown" is itself a recommendation. → College band scholarships: most college band directors have marched themselves, and they actively recruit DCI members. A kid who just marched a World Class corps will get top-tier scholarship offers from multiple Power 5 college bands. → Drum line auditions at college: most competitive college drumlines are stacked with DCI alums. Marching helps make those lines. → Music education programs at colleges: programs like Eastman, North Texas, Indiana, Michigan, Florida State, and many others see DCI experience as a strong positive signal. The credential matters most for students applying to music schools or to college programs where the band is a central feature. For a student applying to a STEM program at a school where the band is small, DCI is still impressive — but it's not specifically rewarded the same way.

DCI is a serious commitment. Before deciding to audition, work through these questions honestly: → Can the family afford $5,000-$8,000 for one summer, with no guarantee the kid gets a spot? Even if the kid is cut at a January camp, the audition camp fees and travel are non-refundable. → Can the kid physically handle the season? Twelve weeks of 10-12 hour rehearsals in summer heat is genuinely brutal. Knee and back injuries are common. Most members lose weight over the summer. → Is the kid willing to give up their summer entirely? No internship, no summer job, no family vacation. Tour goes from early June to mid-August. → Does the kid actually want this, or do they think they want it because someone else does? Members who survive the season are the ones who genuinely love the activity. The ones who joined to please a band director or parent often quit by week three. For the right kid, DCI is one of the most formative experiences of their life. Alumni talk about it for decades. Many describe marching summer as the best thing they ever did. For the wrong kid, it is twelve weeks of misery followed by a major financial hit and a soured relationship with music. The best way to find out which group your kid is in: attend a regional show together in the summer before audition season. Most DCI tours have a show within driving distance of every part of the country between June and August. Watch a corps perform live. Talk to members in the parking lot after the show. They will tell you the truth about what the season is really like — both the magic and the suffering. Tickets are at dci.org.

If your kid is a serious brass, percussion, or color guard player who has been thinking about DCI: 1. Identify two or three corps the kid might want to audition for. Don't audition for ten — the audition camp costs add up fast, and corps staff notice when a kid is showing up to every camp without focusing. 2. Watch the corps' most recent show on the FloMarching streaming service or on YouTube. Pay attention to the section the kid would play in. Note the difficulty of the music and the visual demand. 3. Get private lessons specifically with someone who has marched, ideally with the corps the kid is interested in. Recent age-outs often teach lessons for $40-$75 an hour and can help a student prepare for auditions in a way no other teacher can. 4. Submit pre-screen videos in October-November. Attend the first audition camp the corps invites the kid to. Listen carefully to the feedback. Most members audition multiple seasons before making a corps. 5. Have the financial conversation with the family before the kid commits. Tuition is due before the season starts, usually in installments through the spring. Late payments can cost a member their spot. The kids who march are the ones who put in the preparation. The kids who watch from the stands are usually the ones who started thinking about it too late. If your kid has the talent and the drive, the time to start preparing is the fall of their sophomore year of high school.