Marching Band Auditions

Complete and submit the Marching Band Application Form. Follow the instructions for your specific instrument.

Download the appropriate music for your video.

Auditions must be for the instruments represented in the audition music below. If you do not see your instrument and have questions, please email the director, Dr. Seipp, at band@liberty.edu.

Brass & Woodwind Audition Music

LU Fight Song

“Fan The Flames” – Complete LU Fight Song MP3 with drum breaks sample (you are welcome to include this as a background for your video, but is not necessary, and just as long as your instrument playing is dominantly heard).  Your audition should only include one verse while marching only one box.

Perform a “box in 8” while playing our fight song, Fan the Flames. To complete the “box in 8”, march forward 8 steps, left 8 steps, back 8 steps, and right 8 steps, ending at the position where you started—just once through the music and box. (The steps will be in ‘cut-time’ with the music).

While your video must be in ‘one take’, you can make as many videos as you like and just send us your best take—only one version, please. You can use any means of recording the video that you like. You will upload the product to YouTube per the instructions below in Step V.

NOTE: Do not submit a video before you fill out the Marching Band Application Form in Step I.

Additional Details:

• State your name and briefly tell us why you’d like to join the Spirit of the Mountain!
• Begin at attention. Our marching style is a “heel-to-toe” roll step. You will march forward 8 counts with the first 4 cut-time measures of the piece.
• Next, transition into a left slide for 8 counts. During a slide, your feet point and move in the direction of the slide, but your upper body and shoulders remain straight ahead, pointed toward the sideline.
• Next, you will march back 8 counts. Backward marching is up on the toes, and you drag the forward part of your foot gently along the ground, balancing on the balls of your feet.
• Finally, a right slide, very similar to the left slide, has your feet pointed and moving in the direction of the slide while your upper body and shoulders remain straight ahead as in the Left Slide.
• For the audition, march this box while playing the music. You will find that the music will require marching just one complete box.
• Refer to the Marching Instruction Video for further instructions on how to complete your audition video.

Upload your finished video to YouTube as an unlisted video. By doing this, no one can see the video except for whoever has access to the link. Copy and paste the entire video URL from the address bar to the box labeled “Video URL” in your application. We will correspond with you promptly regarding your entrance into our band program after we have reviewed your completed video.

The final step, your Scholarship/Commitment agreement, will be assigned accordingly following your audition video submission.

Students may only submit one video. If you are not selected during the audition process to participate in the marching band and wish to discuss your audition further, contact the Band Office at band@liberty.edu.

To create a YouTube Account and Upload Your Video to Your Application:

1. To begin, click “Sign In” on the YouTube homepage in the upper right corner.
2. Select the option to “Create An Account”
3. You will need to establish a Google account; if you already have a Google email you can use that email as your username.
4. Fill in the required information to finalize your YouTube account.
5. Once your account has been set up and you are logged in, select the “Upload” button on the YouTube homepage, located to the right of the search engine.
6. Select the Arrow to upload your video.
7. There will be a drop-down menu with options to make the video Public, Unlisted, or Private. Select the option for UNLISTED (this ensures that only those who have the link can view the video).
8. Title the video with your Name (i.e. John Smith Marching Band Audition)
9. Copy and paste the entire YouTube URL from the address bar to the box labeled “Video URL” on your Application/Audition page (you will need to log in to your application again exactly as you did previously for Step I).

Complete and submit the Marching Band Application Form. Follow the instructions for your specific instrument.

The video audition must be submitted using the following guidelines:

Battery

Mallets

• Make sure your entire upper body is always visible in the video
• Make sure there’s an audible metronome throughout the video
• Play 3 different scales of your choosing,
  • 16th notes
  • two octaves
  • quarter note = 120 or faster
• Play both the two mallet and four mallet Audition Etudes, pausing to change metronome tempo
  • If you do not have access to a mallet instrument for your audition, please contact Mr. Detwiler at jmdetwiler@liberty.edu

Drum Set

Fall 2025 Marching Band Percussion Audition Etudes

Freshmen/Incoming First Time Applicants

Upload your finished video(s) to YouTube as “Unlisted”. By doing this, no one can see the video without the URL link. Copy and paste the entire video URL from the address bar to the box labeled “Video URL” in your application. If you have more than one video, or are auditioning for more than one instrument, either create a playlist in Youtube, and paste the link to that playlist in the “Video URL” box, or upload them all to a public google drive or dropbox folder, and put the URL to that drive/folder in your application.

Veterans/Returners

Upload your video to YouTube or to your Dropbox or Google Drive, and ensure that the share permissions are “anyone with the link can view”
Create an email with the subject “Percussion Audition – [first name] [last name] [instrument]” and put the URL to your video in the body of the email. Send that email to jmdetwiler@liberty.edu

We’ll take some time to review your video and application, and we’ll reach out with a decision shortly after the deadline on April 6th.

The final step, your Scholarship/Commitment agreement, will be assigned accordingly following your audition video submission.

To create a YouTube Account and Upload Your Video to Your Application:

1. To begin, click “Sign In” on the YouTube homepage in the upper right corner.
2. Select the option to “Create An Account”
3. You will need to establish a Google account; if you already have a Google email you can use that email as your username.
4. Fill in the required information to finalize your YouTube account.
5. Once your account has been set up and you are logged in, select the “Upload” button on the YouTube homepage, located to the right of the search engine.
6. Select the Arrow to upload your video.
7. There will be a drop-down menu with options to make the video Public, Unlisted, or Private. Select the option for UNLISTED (this ensures that only those who have the link can view the video).
8. Title the video with your Name (i.e. John Smith Marching Band Audition)
9. Copy and paste the entire YouTube URL from the address bar to the box labeled “Video URL” on your Application/Audition page (you will need to log in to your application again exactly as you did previously for Step I). Also, email the link to Dr. Goddard at band@liberty.edu.

Complete and submit the Marching Band Application Form. Follow the instructions for your specific instrument.

Please prepare a 2-3 minute audition routine with music accompaniment. Usually, auditionees perform a routine from high school with their own band music. You may also make up your own routine to any music selection you choose.

• Include at least one toss in your audition routine. If you have weapon or dance experience, please include that (although weapon and dance experience are not required).

Upload your finished video to YouTube as an unlisted video. By doing this, no one can see the video except for whoever has access to the link. Copy and paste the entire video URL from the address bar to the box labeled “Video URL” in your application. We will correspond with you promptly regarding your entrance into our band program after we have reviewed your completed video.

The final step, your Scholarship/Commitment agreement, will be assigned accordingly following your audition video submission.

Students may only submit one video. If you are not selected during the audition process to participate in the marching band and wish to discuss your audition further, contact the Band Office at band@liberty.edu.

To create a YouTube Account and Upload Your Video to Your Application:

1. To begin, click “Sign In” on the YouTube homepage in the upper right corner.
2. Select the option to “Create An Account”
3. You will need to establish a Google account; if you already have a Google email you can use that email as your username.
4. Fill in the required information to finalize your YouTube account.
5. Once your account has been set up and you are logged in, select the “Upload” button on the YouTube homepage, located to the right of the search engine.
6. Select the Arrow to upload your video.
7. There will be a drop-down menu with options to make the video Public, Unlisted, or Private. Select the option for UNLISTED (this ensures that only those who have the link can view the video).
8. Title the video with your Name (i.e. John Smith Marching Band Audition)
9. Copy and paste the entire YouTube URL from the address bar to the box labeled “Video URL” on your Application/Audition page (you will need to log in to your application again exactly as you did previously for Step I). Also, email the link to the Band Office at band@liberty.edu.