Troopers Membership FAQ's

Please review these FAQ's before submitting questions to the Troopers Administrative offices.

How old do I need to be to join? Membership ages range from 16-22 years old. We actively recruit high school and college-age members. The Corps typically has an average age of about 18 years old.

How much does it cost? 2008 tuition fees have been set at  $1450.00 per member for the summer tour. This fee covers instruction, equipment usage, housing, most meals, and travel for a full ten week summer season. Tuition is paid in monthly installments, following a payment schedule, starting in the winter months. Camp fees (not including transportation costs) are $50.00 per camp. A complete fee schedule is located here or may be obtained by contacting the corps offices in the early winter.

What other money will I need? In addition to your membership and camp fees, you will need to pay for travel expenses to and from camps during the winter. You are also required to purchase  marching shoes, socks, t-shirts and gloves. The only money you NEED is for meals during your days off, meals en route to camps, replacing personal items and laundry. We generally do laundry every 14 days and you should expect to pay $5 to $10 per laundry day.

Are there ways to reduce the fees? There are a variety of ways to reduce your membership fee. There are self-initiated sponsorship programs in place that you can utilize to meet your tuition responsibilities. Through our members sponsorship program, many members get most (if not all) of their tution responsibilities paid for. There are scholarship programs including one supported by the Troopers Alumni Association.

Do I have to audition? When will I find out if I'm in? While talent is important; commitment, desire, and financial responsibility are key requirements. After attending a winter audition camp & talking with your instructors, you will be told if you have made the line. Remember though, we can only fill 150 spots each year.

Can I audition for Drum Major? No, sorry. The Drum Major is chosen from within the organization by the corps director.

Will I have to miss any/much school to join? School commitments come first as long as we know about them in advance. If you are in high school, depending on your school's schedule, you may need to request that you take your final exams early. If this will be the case for you, please talk to someone on the administrative team ASAP.

What is "camp"? Winter and spring camps are simply 3 days of intense rehearsals during the winter and spring months. We typically schedule 1 camp per month between November and May. In order to be prepared for the summer months, we use these camps to work on music technique and memorization, basic marching skills and guard dance and carriage work. We will also start learning our drill at the late spring camps.

What if I can't make all the camps? The key to a successful summer is the winter program! However, bad weather or school conflicts sometimes prevent perfect camp attendance. As long as you communicate regularly with the Trooper office and your caption head, absences will be evaluated and excused depending upon the circumstance. Unexcused absences can cause you to be to be removed from the roster all together.

How do I get to camp? You may drive, fly or plan to take the Troopers busses to each camp. The offices will post the Trooper bus schedule (with applicable fee schedule) on the master schedule page as each camp date approaches.

How will I get from the airport to the camp location? If you plan to fly to camps, you must make your reservations to fly into the designated airport for each camp location. We will not be able to pick you up if you arrive at other airports. To arrange for airport pick up, all you need to do is notify us of your flight arrangements in advance by sending in a camp RSVP form. Before making any flight reservations, be sure to check the pick up schedules!

What is the summer practice schedule like? Starting in May, corps members will move in to Wyoming for the summer. After move-in, you will go through an intensive rehearsal schedule for 1-2 weeks (all-days). This will entail 12-14 hours per day. While on tour, you will rehearse approx. 8 hours per day.

What's a typical day like in the summer? We have a show almost every night while on tour. Typically we arrive at the show around 6pm and perform around 8pm. After the show, we will "roll" between 11pm and midnight for out next destination. We arrive between 2-6am, bed-down for a few hours and get up for breakfast. We rehearse, eat lunch, rehearse, eat dinner, shower and load for the next show. The next day it starts all over again!


How does the Corps travel and feed over 180 people on the road? The Corps will travel in a vehicle complement of 4 motor coach buses, a staff van, and two tractor-trailers. One truck carries all of the equipment and uniforms. The other is a refrigerated trailer that has been converted into a mobile kitchen. On the road, the Corps is very self-sufficient. We make every effort to provide well-balanced, nutritional meals for a variety of tastes.

My Band Director says marching will hurt my "concert chops". Will it? With certified music educators on our staff, we take great care to use correct embouchure and performance techniques. The only exception would be the actual marching percussion as there are some differences to the sticking on a marching instrument vs. concert percussion.

Participation in a drum corps program will help build your "chops" and also your confidence. If your band director has questions or concerns, have them come to camp with you to see for themselves that our goal is a quality experience through quality instruction.

Am I ready for something like this? Should I wait and do this next year? Even though your window of opportunity may seem limitless, many potential members miss out by waiting too long and become ineligible due to age. Only you know if you are ready for the challenges of drum corps; but if you really want to do this, we want to help you make it a reality. Participate at a camp & let your drum corps journey begin!