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Audition Process
Auditioning for the Boston Crusaders is a two-round process for all candidates. Round One begins immediately after finals and is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. Candidates participating in Round One are auditioning for an invitation to Round Two, which takes place at our December camp in Florida for all musicians and at our April camp for guard candidates.
To participate in Round One auditions, you have three options: attend a one-day audition nearby (Texas, New York (Rochester area) and Massachusetts), attend the full weekend camp in Florida, or you can audition for us via video which you post on the internet. (Video audition policies and procedures are available in our restricted "applicants" section, and are available to you once you have completed the online application.)
During the audition, each candidate will be pulled aside for an individual marching and music evaluation. Typically marching auditions will occur during sectional rehearsals and music auditions will occur during visual rehearsals. In addition to these individual auditions, your attitude, work ethic, financial situation, and performance throughout the weekend(s) will be taken into account as part of your overall audition performance.
You will be notified of your status as a candidate as close to the time of your audition as possible. When you do receive notification (usually in the form of an email letter), you will be given one of the following three numbers:
1. Your skill level is enough to earn a performance spot with the Boston Crusaders provided you attend camps, maintain your practice and preparation routine, and are up to date on your tuition payments and fees. We will evaluate you in further detail at Round Two.
2. You are a fine performer, but there are some areas of your performance you need to work on in order to receive a performance spot with the Boston Crusaders. You will be informed of what these areas are and asked to attend Round Two so that the staff can assess your improvement.
3. Your skill level is such that based on the other people auditioning and what is required of a member of the Boston Crusaders we are unable to offer you a spot at this time. For reference, some of our members take the lessons they have learned at auditions and come back the following year and are able to earn a performance spot with the corps.
Round One culminates at the end of the Florida camp in November. With several hundred applicants every year, the purpose of this process is to give every candidate as much attention as possible, something that has become increasingly difficult to do over a two day period.
Please note that no spots will be guaranteed until the conclusion of Round Two. We try to achieve a balance between the time we need to give you a full evaluation and the time you need to find alternatives should you not continue on the path with the Boston Crusaders
It is important to know that membership status is a rolling process. If you keep up with your attendance, preparation and financial commitments, you will have no problem retaining your spot. If you do not keep up with any one of these criteria, you may be moved to a different status, regardless of the time of year.
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