November Dubuque Rehearsal & Audition Weekend

November 7, 2016

The first Dubuque rehearsal and audition for the 2017 Colts will be held November 25-27, at the Five Flags Center in Dubuque, Iowa. The cost for this first rehearsal is $175, ($125 for returning members) and covers your meals, overnight accommodations, instruction, and materials. The rehearsal fee is paid when you register at the facility if you did not pay in advance. CLICK HERE for a Google map to the facility. Students interested in auditioning for the 2017 Colts are expected to attend one of the November audition dates, but are not required to attend both. The other November camp option is the week prior in Perry, Kansas to be held November 18-20.

Always check www.colts.org within a few hours of leaving for Dubuque for any last-minute updates!

Registration will begin at 6:30 p.m. Rehearsal begins at 8:00 p.m. Friday, November 25, and will conclude at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Please arrive at 6:30 p.m. to register and unload equipment.

TRAVEL PLANS
We provide ground transportation anytime to and from the Dubuque Regional Airport (DBQ) for Dubuque camps. We can also accommodate flights into surrounding airports (Quad Cities, Madison, Rockford, or Cedar Rapids) but you must notify us prior to booking. MLI (Moline) and CID (Cedar Rapids) are very close to Dubuque and reasonable in fare. ORD (O'Hare) and MDW (Midway) travel MUST land prior to 3:30 p.m. on Friday and depart no earlier than 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. If you plan on using either of these airports, please let colts@colts.org know prior to booking flights.

If you need help finding a ride to camp, or to arrange rides from an airport or bus station, please notify us ASAP by email at colts@colts.org or call 563-582-4872. You can also help fellow members by offering a ride in your vehicle. You can let us know if you have extra room or if need a ride on your RSVP. All flight details should also be listed on your RSVP.

PARKING
Parking is available after 6 p.m. on Friday in the city lot next to the Five Flags at the corner of 5th and Main Streets. Parking is also available behind the Holiday Inn, as well as in the Five Flags Center Ramp on the corner of 4th and Iowa Streets. As most of this parking is metered on Saturday, all should be sensitive and aware of where you park to avoid getting ticketed.

RSVP, APPLICATION AND MEDICAL FORM
Please RSVP regardless of your plans for this camp, so we can keep you up to date. Please also submit a Member Application on the Colts website if you have not already done so. Returning your application in advance will save you a great deal of time when you check in. Please print, fill out, and have the Colts Medical History Form signed in advance of your arrival. You will turn this in when you check in for camp. The Medical Form also provides permission to participate in our activities. Students 18 or older may sign their own Medical Form. Any student 17 or younger will need a parent or guardian signature to participate. Please email colts@colts.org if you have any questions regarding any of our forms. The application and medical forms only need to be submitted once per year unless information changes. The RSVP should be submitted each month by interested students.

WHAT TO BRING
Students stay overnight in the arena on the floor, as you will all summer. Bring changes of clothes, shower supplies, towel, sleeping bag and pillow, comfortable clothes for rehearsal (no jeans please), and tennis shoes (no high tops, please). Many students will bring an inflatable mattress with a battery-powered air pump. Please bring a binder with plastic sleeves for your music and any hand-outs. You will receive an audition t-shirt at check in to write your name on that you will wear for all rehearsal segments of the weekend. To speed up the check in process, it is recommended that you email a picture of yourself (think headshot or selfie) to jason@colts.org. Include your name (first and last) and which audition camp you will be attending in the email. This picture is printed on your audition form so our instructional team can quickly learn your name and face. There will also be a camera at check in if you are unable to submit a picture ahead of time.

Brass: Please bring your own mouthpiece, marching instrument, music stand, binder for music, and gloves. If you do not have access to an instrument and will need one provided, please contact colts@colts.org. Be prepared to play the exercises and excerpts provided in the brass packet that best fits your area of interest: Trumpet, Mellophone, Baritone/Euphonium, or Tuba. You may also demonstrate your abilities with any piece, etude or excerpt you feel comfortable with. For the Sunday afternoon performance, please wear the audition t-shirt and jeans.

Color Guard: Bring lightweight, workout clothing for rehearsals (no jeans), black pants or shorts and a black shirt for Sunday's performance, your own rifle and/or sabre (if you can), and knee pads (if you like). There is no need to purchase any special equipment for rehearsals. You will wear your audition t-shirt for most rehearsal segments through the weekend.

Percussion: Please bring your own sticks or mallets and your practice pad. Prospective members should be familiar with the exercise packet that best fits your area of interest: Battery, Cymbals, or Front Ensemble. Front ensemble students may, but are not required to, perform a short segment from a personal selection. Cymbal students should prepare a short musical and visual phrase of your choice. We will provide all instruments for camps. We will evaluate you individually, and as a part of the group. Please wear the audition t-shirt and jeans for the Sunday afternoon performance.

MEMBERSHIP CONTRACTS
All positions in the corps are open. Following the weekend, you will receive 1) an offer of membership, 2) a recall for a second audition, or 3) a suggestion that you come back again next year. Most will receive a recall to a second rehearsal, so please plan accordingly.

SCHEDULE CONFLICTS
Camp attendance is critical to our and your success. If you cannot attend this rehearsal but are planning to attend an upcoming audition, you must be in touch in advance through the RSVP form. It is important to communicate with your caption head as well. Too much communication is better than not enough.
If you have schedule conflicts with our preseason rehearsals, talk with us. Attending part of the weekend is better than not attending at all. Do not lose your opportunity to perform with the Colts over a lack of communication.

PARENTS
An informational meeting for parents will be held Friday evening at 9:00 pm at the Five Flags Center. Bring all of your questions! We know you have plenty of them. A similar meeting will also take place at the December and January rehearsal weekends if you are unable to attend this month.
Parents are strongly encouraged to attend the weekend. Parental support is what makes the Colts successful, and you are needed to give the kids the incredible Colts experience we are known for. Also, this is the best way for you to find out all about our program, meet the other parents and get comfortable with what this is all about. You will find a very welcoming and exciting opportunity here.
Parents will cook and serve the meals throughout the weekend, coordinate sewing projects, and occasionally assist with some repair work or construction projects. We can always find something to do for anyone willing to lend a hand.
Parents are welcome to stay overnight in designated rooms at the Five Flags Center with sleeping bags/air mattresses. If parents are interested in hotel accommodations, we recommend the Holiday Inn for this rehearsal, as it is attached to the Arena in which we are rehearsing. Please call 563-556-2000 and ask for the Colts Drum Corps rate for $76 per night. For all events, we recommend the Hampton Inn for your stay in Dubuque. Auditioning students are expected to stay with the group overnight in the arena. As always, call us with any questions you may have.
Parents are encouraged to sign onto the email mailing list at www.colts.org to receive Colts information via email.
Volunteers at camp generally gather at the end of breakfast on Saturday at 9 am to divide for Saturday projects. If you arrive at a random time, the kitchen or the check in table are always good places to start with questions about where to jump in.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON PERFORMANCE
A performance including all participants of the weekend is held Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at the Five Flags Center. You will be amazed at the progress we make in just one short weekend.

EMAIL AND WEBSITE
Please make sure you have received audition information in your area of interest! These materials are emailed to you after requesting information for the current season. Join our facebook groups for your area of interest! These pages will help you meet other members prior to auditions and clarify questions you may have.
General Interest Group
Brass Interest Group
Percussion Interest Group
Guard Interest Group
Make sure you have signed onto the email distribution list with your current email address, and check your email frequently! Encourage your parents to sign up for the membership emailings too.

Welcome! We are excited to have you as a part of the Colts family!

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