<p>I've been looking at their website. Do they not have any flute, clarinet, piccolos in their group? How does the whole audition thing work out? Is anyone here a part of it?</p>
<p>Lulz. 10 char</p>
<p>There are no flutes, as they would be inaudible; flute players are encouraged to switch to piccolo. There are clarinets and piccolos, though not a whole lot (they combine the two instruments into one section).</p>
<p>And... auditions? What auditions? Anyone can join on any instrument regardless of musical skill. If you already play an instrument, you can switch to a new one whenever you feel like it; quite a few people have done this, myself included.</p>
<p>The ability to play an instrument is not a requirement for membership in the band.</p>
<p>That should just about tell you everything you need to know.</p>
<p>To make docketgold's post a bit more specific, the following are also not requirements:</p>
<ol>
<li>The ability to read music</li>
<li>The ability to identify which instrument is which</li>
<li>The ability to distinguish music from noise</li>
</ol>
<p>I think everyone in the band can do #3, and they learn #2 pretty quick (mellophones tend to be the sticking point). Most learn #1 soon after joining if they don't know already (except the drums). Within a year or two, most can at least fake it on their instrument, and I think everyone can play the fight song.</p>
<p>The band has changed through time and will change some more.</p>
<p>When I joined in 1970, it was all male and we were good and did have auditions. There had always been auditions for the Spring/basketball band and because of its popularity, football auditions in '71. Girls joined in ?'72.</p>
<p>As to support, we had a donor that sent a million dollar donation to the University with the request that the President censor the band. He sent the check back (the letter was on the wall of the shak for many years).</p>
<p>We had a person that played windpipes. Several flutes. We did the first and second records. People went to the bathroom during the football game of the Rosebowls and to stay and watch/listen to the band play. David Ruiz's trumpet solo of the National Anthem made seasoned newsmen cry (and this during the end of Viet Nam). Many of the band's musicians (David among them who is a doc in Seattle) were professional musicians or music majors. Many of the songs still played today were arranged by band members then.</p>
<p>Come join the band</p>