Music Checklist

Music Checklist: Preparing for Auditions and Band Camp

If you're trying out for the Purdue Drumline, there is an abundance of music that you will need to be familiar with and have memorized. What follows is a full list of music that you will need to have memorized prior to the audition date. Everything on this list must be memorized unless otherwise noted. This cannot be stressed enough.

Audition Music

You will audition in front of Dr. Nave and the leadership team. While the leadership has input in the audition process, Dr. Nave makes the final decisions and cuts. Your audition time will consist of three pieces:

Rudimental long roll
- Open roll; slow > fast > slow
Rudiments
- Memorize all of them. These can be found on the Drumline Music page. Dr. Nave will ask you to play a number of them.
- Will be played slow > fast > slow
Audition Cadence
- This year's cadence has not been released yet. Sign up for our email list to be notified when it's published!

While having a good audition is important, it is not enough to secure a spot on the AAMB or Boiler Beats. You must have the cadence sequence and pregame memorized prior to band camp as well. If you are auditioning for cymbals, you must be prepared for the cymbal-specific audition. Additionally, you should arrive to band camp with a solid understanding of our drum cheers. More information about each of these things can be found below.

Cadence Sequence

When parade marching (marching the band from one place to another), the drumline plays a pre-set list of cadences, with fight songs and other songs placed between and played at the cue of the drum majors. This list of cadences is referred to as our 'Cadence Sequence.' The cadence sequence is what we play a vast majority of the time that we have drums on.

While the Boiler Beats will not parade as often as the AAMB Drumline, the vast majority of their repertoire consists of the same cadences. They are challenging, yet crowd-friendly pieces that fit well for Boiler Beats performances.

This is the 2018-2019 Cadence Sequence. The order is open for re-arranging:

Funky Fives/Suncoast (aka Funcoast)
Cletus
Casper
Heat Wave
Chunky
GT (Good Times)

All of this music can be found on the Drumline Music page. Be sure to memorize all of the above cadences, in addition to the audition cadence.

Pre-Game Music

Before every home game, the band performs a standard pre-game show. For the most part, this show is the same every game. We will be learning this show on the last day of band camp. There will be no time to learn this music during band camp, so it all must be memorized before you come to auditions. All of this music can be found on the Drumline Music page, under your respective instrument. A link is at the bottom of this page.

Since all auditionees go through band camp, even Boiler Beats members will have to memorize this music.

Cymbal Auditions

Cymbal auditions have more audition material than other sections. Check the c ymbal audition page for more information.

Drum Cheers

We also have a series of short 'drum cheers' that are played by the AAMB during shorter breaks and by the Boiler Beats for tailgating fans. The rest of the AAMB has various hand movements, spoken words, and dances that correspond with these cheers. These cheers are really made to fill time, so that there is never down time wherever the band is or wherever the Boiler Beats are performing. These are simple, and there is no reason they shouldn't be memorized. However, they are not top-priority, and we will spend time learning them during band camp. All of this music can be found on the Drumline Music page, under "Sheet Music" on the right sidebar. A link is at the bottom of this page.