The Penn State Blue Band Feature Twirler is an auditioned position chosen yearly. Auditions for the 2008 Feature Twirler will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2008 in the IM Gym #3 on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. Warm-ups will begin at 8:30 am; the auditions will begin at 9 am.
All applicants must be accepted to Penn State University — either as an undergraduate or graduate student — to be eligible for auditions. An assignment to another campus location may be transferred to University Park for a successful candidate.
Prepare your own routine and bring a cassette tape or CD of your music. A sound system will be provided. Judging is based on the following:
Please see the judging form in the audition packet for a more detailed explanation.
The routine should be continuous and last four to six minutes. You are required to perform one, two, and three baton twirling, strutting, and dancing. It is recommended that you use a variety of music displaying different tempos (rhythms). Additional equipment may be used, but is not required.
Also included in the audition will be a 30–40 second improvisational routine. We will give you a tape of music, allow two minutes for you to listen to it, then have you perform a routine to it. As indicated above, this will account for ten points of your total score. You will be scored on presentation, content, and consistency of movement (flow) for this routine. This portion of the audition will occur after all candidates have performed their prepared creative routines and before each candidate's interview.
Please wear appropriate clothing. You should wear a twirling costume so we can judge body lines. In general, you should present yourself in the manner you would want an audience to view you in either our stadium or arena.
We will have four judges. Two will be associated with the current marching band and two will have trained background in twirling and dance. The latter two may or may not have been involved with the Penn State Blue Band. Auditions will be closed to the public.
The application form (available here) must be filled out at least one week prior to auditions. Upon completion of the form, please mail a picture of yourself to the Blue Band Office (photos will not be returned). This helps in identifying and remembering your application and audition. In the top right hand corner of the form mark your class as of Fall 2006 (Fr., So., Jr., Sr.).
If you have further questions, please contact:
Kathy Smith Bamat
Band Front Coordinator
(814) 863-8406