2025 audition information.

2025 AUDITION PACKETS ARE LIVE! Anyone interested in auditioning for the 2025 Colts should submit an interest form to be added to our emailing list and connect with our staff!

WHY COLTS?

Our passion for individual growth is key to reaching our goals; nurturing leaders who make a positive impact on their world. We welcome people from all backgrounds, value integrity, and foster a culture of innovation. These values have been the hallmark of our drum corps for over 60 years. They’ve helped motivate an upward trajectory that led to recent back-to-back 9th place finishes at the 2023 and 2024 DCI World Championships including our highest score ever at DCI Finals. We're excited to see where the momentum takes us and WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO BE A PART OF IT.

THE AUDITION PROCESS

Enroll in the Red Zone to receive your audition packet. Once you have your materials prepared, you should submit a video audition and plan to attend one of our live events this offseason to receieve 1 of the 4 results listed below. All students auditioning for the 2025 Colts will need to pay the Red Zone enrollment fee ($125). Each audition event will cost $100.

WHAT'S INCLUDED AND WHAT MAKES OUR PACKET UNIQUE?

The audition packet gives you everything you need to audition for the 2025 Colts including Soundslice training tools. In Soundslice, you'll receive online exercises accompanied by a video to help guide you through the specifics of each lesson and be able to play along with our educational team and a metronome.

Start your journey to be a part of the 2025 Colts by following the step-by-step process below!

Here's all you need to do to get started...

  1. Submit an interest form to be added to our email list and connect with our staff.
  2. Enroll in the Red Zone.
  3. Submit a video to: colts@colts.org (This is optional, but highly encouraged to receive the most feedback from our staff). If you already have a video you submitted for another audition, go ahead and send it in. We may ask for a callback video using the exercises found in the your RED ZONE audition packet.
  4. Register for an upcoming audition camp.
Audition Information

Results

Once you audition or submit a video, you will get one of four results:

  1. An offer of membership in the 2025 Colts. Contracted members are expected to attend all remaining three-day camps when their section is scheduled: January (brass and percussion), February (brass only); April (full corps). Please plan accordingly.
  2. An invitation to attend one of our in-person callback/rehearsal events. A callback gives our staff an opportunity to assess your growth after you receive some initial feedback. We will only offer a callback if we believe you have a legitimate shot to earn a position in the Colts.
  3. A recommendation to join Colt Cadets so you get a full summer of drum corps experience to help you become better prepared to earn a Colts position in the future. The Colt Cadets staff are great educators and many of the techniques they use are identical to Colts. (Age restrictions may apply.)
  4. A suggestion to refine your skills using the materials offered in the RED ZONE and try again next year.

Submit & Join

If you are attending any audition camps you will need to register. Always check our website within a few hours of leaving for camp for any updates or last-minute changes in schedule (especially due to the unpredictability of winter weather). Specific camp information is released a week or so prior to each event. Become familiar with our calendar. If you have conflicts, talk to us — we will work with you! COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL!

Fill out a 2025 Application in advance of your camp attendance. Submitting the application in advance will save you considerable time at registration before our in-person callback/rehearsal events. All attendees need to submit an application online.

Encourage your parents to sign up for our email list as well. All communication is done through our email distribution list.

Join our Facebook group! We use our Facebook groups to communicate important details about camps and general membership throughout the audition process. We also have a Facebook group for parents.

Submit a Medical & Release Form. This is required of all students prior to in-person attendance.

Flight Info (Dubuque Camps)

For camps scheduled to take place in Dubuque, we can accommodate flights into surrounding airports (Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids, Madison, or Rockford) but you MUST notify us prior to booking. MLI (Moline) and CID (Cedar Rapids) are very close to Dubuque and reasonable in fare. Please note that the Cedar Rapids and Moline airports close overnight. Do not plan on spending the night before or after camp at these airports.

Chicago Shuttle \ We will run one shuttle on Friday and Sunday to Chicago’s O'Hare Airport. The shuttle (bus or van depending on the number traveling) will depart O’Hare at 3:30 PM on Friday. The shuttle will be scheduled to arrive at O’Hare on Sunday evening at 5:00 PM. Anyone wishing to fly into Chicago's Midway Airport must arrange their own transportation to O'Hare to board the Colts shuttle. ORD (Chicago O'Hare) travel MUST land prior to 3:00 PM on Friday and depart no earlier than 6:30 PM on Sunday. If you plan on using either of these airports, please let Kathleen (kathleen@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 Kathleen ASAP by email. You can also help fellow members by offering a ride in your vehicle. On your RSVP, please let us know if you have extra room or if you cannot find a ride. All flight details should also be listed on your RSVP.