Anyone who will be under the age of 23 as of 12:01am on April 1st of the competitive season can be a part of the ensemble. Although our membership consists of high school and college age members, students of all ages may come to our clinics or auditions.

We don’t know how many plan to audition again, however no one is guaranteed a spot whether they are a veteran or not. Every prospective member must complete the audition process regardless of their marching history.

WGI discourages independent ensembles from utilizing membership composed of any high school students who were previously enrolled in an active high school program and have not yet graduated.
We will evaluate a prospective high school member’s ability to participate in BKPE on a case-by-case basis.

You should bring sticks, a water bottle, and a printout of any audition materials that you have received after purchasing the Admin Fee. Battery members should wear athletic clothes and shoes appropriate for marching & movement.

The day will start with unloading our equipment and checking in at registration. Throughout the auditions the staff will be evaluating your musical & performance skill level, as well as your overall attitude and improvement throughout the day and from one weekend to the next. Lunch will be provided at the Clinic. Lunch and dinner will be provided at Auditions.

You do not need to attend all three weekends to be offered a contract, but it is to your advantage to attend as many weekends as you are able including the BKXperience Clinic on September 8th. By coming to all three weekends you’re allowing the staff to see you consistently performing at your best as well as your growth from one weekend to the next.

Rehearsals are on Sundays through October. Starting in mid-November rehearsals are Saturday and Sunday. From January through April we go to Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. We also have a 4-day camp weekend during the last weekend of December.

You can view the full calendar at: https://ascendperformingarts.org/calendar/

We highly encourage our members who are interested to march drum corps. Once you’ve become a contracted member, you need to communicate your drum corps audition plans with your caption head.

For the 2020 season, member fees will be between $2,000 and $2,150. This covers the cost of instructional staff, show design, equipment, your uniform, rehearsal space, circuit fees, and the Dayton trip for WGI championships.

We offer a number of ways for members to help cover some of the costs of marching through scholarships, information packets on finding sponsorships, as well as other fundraisers. It is important that you have a plan ready at auditions to cover your member fees if you’re offered a contract.

If you have any other questions, please email them to Keenan Evans at keenan.evans@ascendperformingarts.org.