Answer: Joseph, in terms of getting warmups and necessary materials: if you will visit www.prideofthemountains.com , there is a link in the left-hand column under Resources titled Percussion Audition. You will find the required materials for auditions as well as some additional musical resources. The music is separated by instrument so you can view and download those instrument sets that you are interested in auditioning on. We encourage everyone to be "real" with themselves in regard to what you believe that you can work up and play well on that day. You will be in sectionals most of the day and everyone will be pulled out of rehearsal one at a time to be heard individually. A decision about who should play what instrument will be made and announced at 4:00pm. There will then be a short battery rehearsal, and then dismissal. The schedule is now posted - so check it out for more details. The cool part about this group is that no matter what an individual ends up playing, you are guaranteed to have a good time! Best of luck!

Answer: Allison,it's perfectly natural to be a bit apprehensive about entering a new program and getting used to its dynamics. Everyone brings a different level of ability to the "Pride of the Mountains." What we all have in common is a good work ethic and a willingness to give our best. Your heart is in the right place. We have a great support network of leadership, instructional staff, and directors whose primary goal is the success of each member of the band. As long as you bring your passion and willingness to work, you will fit right in.

Answer: Antoinette, You are entirely correct. As with any high school marching band, many students wish to be a part of marching band in addition to a sport or time-intensive organization. However, most of our scheduling conflicts are with classes required for a student’s specific major. This happens most often with nursing students and, surprisingly, music education students. We make every attempt to work around conflicts and special accommodations are made for students with legitimate conflicts. The “Pride of the Mountains” marching band staff prioritizes our students’ grades. In fact, in order to interview for any staff position, a student must have a certain GPA. We do this to assure that we do not place more work on a student who is already struggling to keep up in his or her classes. In terms of our daily schedule, we practice far less than many other college bands. We meet for only two hours on three days a week, with the addition of game days and competitions. This assists in providing students with enough time for class work as well as other organizations. Once the season is over, typically mid-November, we no longer require the students to come to the designated class period any more, which gives them extra time to devote to their core class exams and final projects. There will always be scheduling conflicts if we wish to include well rounded students. Most important to us here at Western Carolina University is that every student who wishes to participate in a music program is given every opportunity to do so.

Answer: Samantha, We would love to have you in our band! Our requirements for entering winds, percussion, and guard differ slightly. Percussion and guard hold auditions during the summer, and the dates for these will be up under the links entitled “Percussion Auditions” and “Colorguard Auditions” on the left side of our home page. Our wind instrument requirements are going to be very different next year for the very first time! Instead of having prospective members send in audio tapes of an audition, whomever would like to be in the band only needs to attend a Freshman camp on the Friday and Saturday before band camp begins and the dates for this will be on our website calendar. In this Freshman camp, we will teach our marching style, music, and the traditions of our band, and the rest of the band will arrive Saturday and Sunday. We will be making more decisions about the specifics of this Freshman camp as we go through the Spring Semester, so keep looking on the website, and keep in touch! One of the best ways to let us know that you would like to come and be part of the band is to fill out a new member interest and new member commitment form, and these are located under the “Forms” link on the main webpage.

Answer: Carrie, Actually, we do not have any age requirements on our colorguard! All we ask is that you are enrolled and taking classes at either Western Carolina University or Southwestern Community College and that you sign up for the course through the University. We do, however, hold auditions since our band has grown so much in the past few years, and these auditions are held typically in May and June of each year. For more specific information on our auditions, please look for the “colorguard auditions” link on the left side of the main webpage. Thanks Carrie and hopefully we’ll see you when you get to college!