Woodwinds & Brass

Marching Illini auditions for the 2025 season are now open.

audition process

Prospective students interested in joining the Marching Illini Woodwinds and Brass sections must complete a two-part audition process.  The first round is a playing audition.  If you are a music major and you have auditioned for the School of Music, you must still audition for the Marching Illini. All playing auditions begin in January and run through May.

Current Woodwind and Brass students who were in the Marching Illini this past fall do not need to submit a video audition if they are participating in an instrumental ensemble this spring.

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 Woodwinds and Brass

  • Introduce yourself, include your first and last name, your age, where you are from, and what year in school you will be in the fall
  • Two one octave major scales of your choice – ascending and descending
  • Chromatic scale – lowest note to highest note ascending only to demonstrate your range
  • Prepare a solo or etude that is three-five minutes in length which demonstrates your technical and lyrical abilities (this can be one piece of music or segments from multiple pieces or etudes).
  • Marching portion – submit a video of you marching a 16 count box drill while playing an F concert – low mark time for 8 counts, forward march 16, right flank 16 counts, slide for 16, backwards 16, slide for 16 and halt
  • Marching Video Example will be added shortly
  • You may audition on your concert or marching instrument for this round – f horn in place of a mellophone, flute instead of a piccolo, etc.
  • If you want to audition for multiple sections, you can – submit a video for each section you audition for
  • Watch this video about The Audition Process
  • Check out this sample Audition Video
  • Once you record your audition video, see the information below for submitting your Marching Illini Video Audition
  • Video submissions due on or before May 1 – all notifications will be sent out shortly after May 1