Join The Colts

You Belong Here!

Learn more about video auditions.

Membership in the Colts is an amazing experience for you and your entire family, and one that takes tremendous dedication, hard work and personal responsibility.

Our audition process includes evaluation of your talent and experience, but we also consider your commitment, attitude, financial and personal responsibility, and attendance, as well as parental support and participation.

THERE IS NO OBLIGATION TO BECOME A MEMBER BY ATTENDING REHEARSAL OR BY RETURNING ANY MATERIALS. Find out what we are all about. Even if you don’t become a Colt, you will learn a great deal. You will participate in the ensemble and perform as a member of the Colts. In the process, we will assess your skills, answer your questions, and you will be more comfortable with our program and our family.

Following is a step-by-step guide to the information you need to become a member of the Colts!


Attend

  1. Request Information. This is your initial entry to our student database and lets us know which section and/or instrument you're interested in. Our 2020 Membership Brochure is available online here.

  2. Sign up for our email list, and encourage your parents to do the same. All communication is done through our email distribution list. It's faster and far less expensive than traditional mail.
  3. Fill out a 2020 Application in advance of your attendance. Submitting the application in advance will save you considerable time at check-in during the weekend audition camps.
  4. Join our Facebook groups! We use our Facebook groups to communicate important details about camps and general membership throughout the audition process. Make sure you've joined the interest group for your section:
  5. Make plans to audition! RSVP as soon as you can to let us know that you will be attending. You can always update your request later if your plans change. We can help you find a ride or with other special arrangements through your comments on the RSVP form.
    • We provide ground transportation from the Dubuque Regional Airport (DBQ) for Dubuque camps. We can often accommodate flights into surrounding airports (Quad Cities, Madison, Rockford, or Cedar Rapids). You MUST notify the office prior to booking a flight into anywhere other than Dubuque. MLI (Moline) and CID (Cedar Rapids) are very close to Dubuque and reasonable in fare.
    • Please note that the Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, and Moline airports close over night. Do not plan on spending the night before or after the camp at these airports.
    • ORD (O'Hare) travel MUST land prior to 3:30 PM on Friday and depart no earlier than 7:30 PM on Sunday. MDW (Midway) travel MUST land prior to 2:30 PM on Friday and depart no earlier than 8:30 PM on Sunday. If you plan on using either of these airports please let the office know prior to booking flights.
    • For our one-day camps, students will need to provide their own transportation between the airport and our rehearsal facility, as well as their own lodging, if needed, before or after our event.

    We expect all potential Colts to RSVP in advance of each camp. This allows us to prepare for your attendance.

The three-day audition camps and one-day audition camps provide full auditions and evaluations of prospective members with the intent of finalizing membership in the Colts. You will receive detailed instruction on all aspects of your skills with the intent of offering you membership, or guidance on how to become a member of the Colts. After attending one of these auditions you will receive a letter officially notifying you of your membership status in the corps. See “JOIN” below for further details.

Offers of full membership will be extended following each audition. If there are special circumstances that make attendance at one of these events impossible, first RSVP and then contact your caption head to express your interest in a spot, and to discuss preparations you should make for the next rehearsal (for color guard, this could be in April following WGI).

Three-day events typically begin with check-in and unloading at 6:00 PM on Friday and conclude around 4:00 PM on Sunday. One-day events typically start with check-in and unloading at 8:00 AM and conclude around 6:00 PM

Auditions take place in November and December for all sections. Recall auditions and rehearsals will continue in January and February for brass, January for percussion, and April for color guard. When a student is offered membership in the Colts, attendance at these events is expected.

Click here for the full schedule of Colts audition dates.

Prepare

  1. Prepare for your audition. Audition packets will be sent via email after you fill out an Information Request
  2. Attend rehearsal! Always check the home page at colts.org within a few hours of leaving for camp! Any updates or changes will always be posted here first. Specific monthly rehearsal information is released a week or so prior to each rehearsal.
  3. Become familiar with our calendar. Our pre-season schedule is limited, so attendance is expected of all members at all of our events. Attending part of the camp is better than not at all. If you have conflicts, talk to us, we will work with you! COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL!

The cost for your first rehearsal is $200 (or $150 for returning members) which includes all audition and application fees. Pay the fees online for your first camp in advance and SAVE $25. Deadline for advance payment discount for the camps is the Monday immediately before a camp at 11:00 PM Each subsequent camp you attend is $75. This fee covers the cost of these rehearsals and does not apply toward your summer tuition.

Join

Following your first rehearsal, you will receive a letter from us that will be one of the following:

  • An offer of full membership for the upcoming season.
  • A recall for a second and final audition because we need to see you make improvements in specific areas of your performance or conditioning.
  • An offer to continue to come to camps so that you can continue to improve your skills in the event that a spot opens up during the winter or spring. If no spot opens up, you are encouraged to take what you learn so that you can audition again next year.

Try at least one weekend before deciding anything about the Colts. A life-changing summer of travel, achievement, and success awaits you. Being here will make that happen. You'll never know if you don’t try!