The Cavaliers’ official audition page is the starting point for the current season and the section you want to join. Do not assume that a general drum corps exercise, a past video or another section’s instructions meet your assignment.
Find the correct pathway
Open The Cavaliers’ official auditions page and select your section. The page reviewed October 31, 2026 presents the 2027 audition cycle. Its section links control the current registration, materials and event choices. Check them again before paying or traveling.
For brass, the official brass page distinguishes registration, a virtual or live audition event, and a separate packet-purchase option. Read the current terms carefully: buying a packet alone is not the same action as registering for an event. Do not apply brass instructions to battery, guard or another role.
Turn the packet into a task list
- Record the exact season, section and packet version.
- List each exercise or excerpt, its tempo and any presentation requirement.
- Write down the registration, recording and event deadlines with their time zones.
- Check whether there is an assigned movement component, count-in or reference track.
- Keep questions for staff separate from your own assumptions.
Plan the work from a baseline
Make a short baseline recording of the assigned material. Choose one specific problem for the next practice block: a transition, articulation, sticking, phrase or movement sequence. Work slowly enough to identify what changes, then return to the required context. A qualified instructor can help separate a technical issue from a recording issue.
Keep a simple log: assignment, current problem, practice action, result and next question. Avoid logging only minutes. “Worked on excerpt two for twenty minutes” records time; “kept the transition steady at the assigned tempo in one complete take” describes evidence you can review.
Verify video and event logistics
For a recording, follow the section’s framing, sound, take, editing, file and upload instructions. Review the exported file and test the final link with the required access setting. For an in-person event, confirm location, check-in, equipment, meals, lodging and travel responsibility. Do not infer those arrangements from a previous season’s account.
Budget the decision points
Separate a packet, an audition event, callbacks, travel and eventual season costs. Ask for current payment and refund terms. If offered a callback, confirm what it means and what remains to be evaluated. A callback is not automatically a membership contract.
After the audition
Keep the stated follow-up date and staff contact. Record feedback while it is specific, then use it to choose your next practice goal. Ask official staff about current openings and eligibility. This independent checklist does not predict acceptance or replace The Cavaliers’ instructions. For broader comparisons, use the Drum Corps FAQ and the corps directory.