Marching Illini Auditions for the 2025 season are now open!

audition process

  • You may participate in several Guard Clinics throughout the spring semester to prepare for the Audition Day
  • No final decisions are made during the Guard Clinics and these are not required to make the team
  • Prospective students interested in joining the Marching Illini Color Guard must participate in our auditions in April
  • The Marching Illini Color Guard Auditions consist of technique, fundamentals, and learning the audition routine
  • You will not be required to choreograph routines during the audition
  • All materials, routines, music, and equipment will be taught via video

Instructions for Submitting a Marching Illini Video Audition

  • Create your audition video FIRST – be sure you can upload it to the audition platform OR if you have multiple videos, edit them and submit your video audition in 1 link either through YouTube or GoogleDrive
  • Submit our on-line audition registration form
  • Upload a video in the audition form OR copy a link to your video in the field provided – if you submitted the audition registration form already without your video audition, send Professor Houser (bhouser2@illinois.edu) an email with a link to your audition video
  • Submit the audition registration form

Audition Requirements for Color Guard

  • Please make sure you wear clothing that allows for movement and isn’t too loose on the body
  • Introduce yourself, your first & last name, age, where you are from, and what year in school you will be in the fall
  • Review and learn the following AUDITION VIDEO
  • Watch this video about The Audition Process
  • Once you record your audition video, see the information below for submitting your Marching Illini Video Audition
  • Round 1 Video submissions due April 1 at 11:59pm
  • Those chosen to move on to the final audition will be requested to come to campus
  • Round 2 Tentative Schedule
  • 9:00-9:30 – Audition Check In
  • 9:30-9:40 – Welcome, intros. and audition day overview
  • 9:40-10:05 – Body warm up (stretching and some light dance fundamentals)
  • 10:05-10:30 – Flag warm up
  • 10:30-10:40 – Break (measurements)
  • 10:40-11:35 – Teaching of audition routine
  • 11:35-11:45 – Run throughs and independent time to work through routine
  • 11:45-12:00 – Break/Audition walk throughs
  • 12:00-1:10 – Judged run throughs
  • 1:15-1:30 – Thank you, clean up, final measurements
  • Final Audition Results!