How to Get Into Drum Corps: A Step-by-Step Guide
Drum corps is one of the most demanding performance experiences available to young musicians and performers. The season runs about 85 days, covers thousands of miles on tour, and ends at a national championship. Getting in requires more than talent — it requires knowing how the process actually works.
> Quick Answer: To get into drum corps, find a corps you want to audition for, download their audition packet, and attend an audition camp (usually held on weekends in the fall and winter). You'll need to be between roughly 14 and 21 years old. Most corps use a multi-camp callback system, so showing consistent improvement and attending every event is more important than being perfect at your first audition.
>
What Is Drum Corps?
Drum corps is a competitive performance activity for brass, percussion, and color guard performers. Groups of up to 165 members march on a football field, performing original shows that combine music, movement, and visual design. The activity is governed by Drum Corps International (DCI), which runs a summer tour that ends each August at World Championships in Indianapolis.
It is not marching band. The skill level, physical demand, and time commitment are significantly higher. A typical DCI summer season runs from late May through early August, with members living and traveling together full-time.
Using a metronome consistently in your practice is one of the most basic ways to build the rhythmic precision that drum corps requires from day one.
Who Can Audition?
DCI sets the upper age limit at 21 years old, with one exception: if your 22nd birthday falls on or after June 1 of the performance year, you are still eligible to march that summer. Individual corps set their own minimum age requirements, which typically range from 14 to 16, though some corps will consider younger performers with exceptional ability.
If you are over 21, you are not locked out of drum corps entirely. Drum Corps Associates (DCA) is a separate organization with no upper age limit, and many all-age corps compete under that banner.
What Instruments Are in Drum Corps?
DCI drum corps are made up of three sections:
- Brass: Trumpet, mellophone (instead of French horn), baritone/euphonium, and tuba. All instruments are marching brass.
- Percussion: A marching battery (snare, tenors, bass drums) and a stationary front ensemble (mallet instruments, timpani, electronics).
- Color guard: Performers who use flags, rifles, sabers, and dance to enhance the visual program.
If you play a woodwind instrument — flute, clarinet, saxophone — you are not excluded. Many woodwind players successfully audition by switching to a brass instrument. Mellophones are a natural fit for flute and French horn players because of the similar embouchure feel. Corps instructional staffs are often willing to help with this transition.
How to Choose a Corps
DCI organizes corps into three competitive tiers: World Class (the top level, roughly 30 corps), Open Class (a slightly smaller and often more regional group), and All-Age (for DCA participants).
A few things to consider when choosing where to audition:
Location. Audition camps happen on weekends in the fall and winter, and you are expected to attend multiple camps throughout the process. Traveling to a corps on the other side of the country every month gets expensive and exhausting. Starting with a corps within reasonable driving distance is practical.
Show style. Watch several years of shows on YouTube before committing. Some corps favor classical programming and traditional aesthetics. Others use electronics heavily and lean into contemporary design. If a corps's shows don't resonate with you, a summer with them will be a long one.
Competitive tier. World Class corps like the Blue Devils or Bluecoats are among the most selective performing ensembles in the country. If this is your first audition, an Open Class corps may offer a better entry point, a more accessible audition process, and just as meaningful an experience.
DCI's auditions page at dci.org/auditions lists contact information and audition dates for all member corps.
How the Audition Process Works
This is where most guides fall short. The audition for drum corps is not a single tryout. It is a process that spans several months, and understanding that changes how you approach it.
Here's the typical sequence:
1. Download the audition packet. Every corps publishes an audition materials packet, usually in late summer or early fall. It contains the music you'll be expected to learn, any visual fundamentals you should know, and instructions for the audition. Download it immediately when it becomes available and start working through it.
2. Attend an audition camp or submit a video audition. Most corps hold weekend-long audition camps starting in November. These are usually Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon. The first day typically covers fundamental technique in large group settings (musicality, marching step-outs) so instructors can assess how you fit into the ensemble. There is usually a separate individual or small group audition as well. Many corps also offer virtual audition options for those who cannot travel. Audition camp registration fees typically run $50 to $150.
3. Receive a callback. Corps use a tiered callback system. After the initial camp, some performers are offered a contract on the spot. Many receive a callback invitation, meaning they are invited back for the next camp but are not yet contracted.
4. Attend callback camps. These winter and spring camps continue through January, February, and sometimes into April. Each one is another chance to demonstrate improvement. Contracts are offered on a rolling basis throughout this period.
5. Spring training and tour. Once contracted, members report for spring training, typically in mid-to-late May. From that point, it's full-time until finals in August.
What Evaluators Are Actually Looking For
Raw musical ability matters, but it is not the main filter, especially at the first camp. Here's what is being evaluated:
Coachability. Can you take a correction and apply it immediately? Instructors spend the weekend watching how every auditionee responds to feedback. Someone who adjusts quickly after one note from a tech stands out far more than someone with better chops who keeps making the same mistake.
Attitude. Corps live together and travel together for months. They are selecting people, not just performers. Showing up with a competitive chip, a defensive posture, or visible frustration when something goes wrong is a fast path to not getting a callback.
Consistent attendance. Many potential members cut themselves from the process by skipping camps. As one corps director put it plainly: the best way to earn a spot is to show up to everything. Progress between events is one of the primary selection criteria.
Physical readiness. You will be marching and playing simultaneously for extended periods. Being in decent cardiovascular shape before your first audition shows you understand what the activity demands.
How to Prepare for Your Audition
Start early. Get the audition packet the day it is released. Don't wait until a month before the first camp.
Practice the material, not just your instrument. The audition materials are specific. Learn the music as written, at tempo. Use a metronome throughout your practice so you're not just running the notes but locking in the timing.
Work with a teacher. A private lesson instructor or band director can help you identify weaknesses in the material before the audition. If someone at your school has marched drum corps, ask them for advice.
Prepare physically. Start walking or running regularly a few months before your first camp. The visual audition involves learning and executing marching technique, and fatigue affects your performance.
Dress practically. Audition camps involve a lot of movement. Wear athletic clothes and supportive shoes. Bring water, a pencil, and your music in a three-ring binder with page protectors.
What Does Drum Corps Cost?
Audition camp registration typically runs $50 to $150 per event, and you may attend several before receiving a contract. Once contracted, tuition covers the full summer: housing, meals, transportation, uniforms, equipment, and instruction. World Class corps tuition generally ranges from $5,000 to $6,500 for the 2025-2026 season. Open Class and smaller corps tend to be lower.
That number is high, but financial assistance is available. DCI offers scholarships for marching members, and many individual corps have their own scholarship programs. Phantom Regiment, for example, also allows members to set up fundraising pages to collect contributions from friends and family. Ask the corps you're auditioning for about scholarship deadlines early in the process, since many of these have cutoffs that fall before your contract is finalized.
What If You Don't Make It the First Time?
Most people don't get in on the first attempt at their top-choice corps. That's not a reason to stop.
About 65 percent of students make their chosen corps on their first try, according to DCI research. Another 25 percent make it after two auditions. The experience of going through the process, attending camps, and receiving staff feedback is valuable even when you don't get a contract.
If you don't make the corps you auditioned for, consider auditioning for a different corps at a comparable or slightly lower tier. Marching anywhere will sharpen your skills and make you a stronger candidate the following year. Some World Class corps also run affiliated Open Class programs specifically designed for performers who are working toward the top level.
Keep showing up. That phrase appears in virtually every corps's guidance, and it is accurate.