Students auditioning for the Hawkeye Marching Band have the option to audition in person during their Becoming a Hawkeye Program or via a video submission.
Students auditioning in person during a Becoming a Hawkeye (BAH) Program must indicate on their audition registration form which date they are attending. Please note that the final three BAH session date (July 15) is not an option for auditioning for the HMB. Please choose from one of the following dates, and be sure to register for Becoming a Hawkeye Program date as soon as registration opens on March 4:
| June 12 | June 14 | June 17 | June 20 |
| June 21 | June 24 | June 26 | June 28 |
| July 1 | July 8 | July 10 | July 12 |
*Please note that we highly recommend that families not solidify their travel arrangements to campus (flights, hotel rooms, etc.) until the student has received confirmation of their Becoming a Hawkeye Program date.
To register for your Hawkeye Marching Band audition:
Step 1 - Accept your admission to the University of Iowa. Only accepted students are eligible to audition.
Step 2 - Fill out your audition registration form online as soon as possible. Someone from the UI Bands Office will contact you to confirm the details of your audition.
*Current UI students who wish to audition in person must set up an audition with Dr. Bush between April 22 and May 3.
Option 1 - Live Audition
Auditions during Becoming a Hawkeye Orientation Sessions will occur at 3:30PM CDT, in Voxman Music Building (4th floor). For your convenience, a CAMBUS shuttle to the Voxman Music Building will be available immediately following your BAH session.
Students should be prepared to perform the following:
- Ascending Chromatic Scale (slowly, in quarter notes, breathing when necessary; starting with your lowest comfortable note, and ending with the highest note you can play with a great sound)
- Prepared Etude: perform the audition etude for your instrument. Be sure to follow all instructions for tempo, style, dynamics, and articulations. Etudes are linked below.
- Perform On Iowa on your selected instrument. Be sure to follow the road map for the D.S. al Coda. Tempo is ♩. (dotted quarter note) = 144 BPM. Be sure to match style, dynamics, phrasing, and articulations of the recording. On Iowa parts are linked below.
- Sight-reading
Option 2: Video Audition
In the video, perform the following on your instrument:
- Ascending Chromatic Scale (slowly, in quarter notes, breathing when necessary; starting with your lowest comfortable note, and ending with the highest note you can play with a great sound)
- Prepared Etude: perform the audition etude for your instrument. Be sure to follow all instructions for tempo, style, dynamics, and articulations. Etudes are linked below.
- Perform On Iowa on your selected instrument. Be sure to follow the road map for the D.S. al Coda. Tempo is ♩. (dotted quarter note) = 144 BPM. Be sure to match style, dynamics, phrasing, and articulations of the recording. On Iowa parts are linked below.
- A member of the HMB staff will contact you after you register to audition to arrange for a sight-reading audition on Zoom.
Video recording requirements:
- The video should be a single, unedited take – please no clips or fades, no audio enhancement or filtering.
- Please perform the chromatic scale, etude, and On Iowa back-to-back as a single video. You must be visible and seen playing your instrument in the audition video.
- Upload the video to YouTube as an unlisted video, and make sure it has the appropriate privacy settings so that it may be accessed by the HMB staff. Please include your name and instrument in the title of the video.
- Sousaphone players have the option to audition using a tuba; baritone players may use a euphonium; mellophone players may use a French horn; piccolo players may use a flute.
- If you are auditioning on more than one instrument, please submit separate video auditions for each instrument.
All video auditions must be submitted by 11:59 PM on July 1, 2024.
Audition Etudes and On Iowa parts for each instrument:
For any other questions you can consult the HMB FAQs below, contact HMB Ops manager Kathy Ford, HMB Assoc. Director Dr. Nick Miller, or HMB director Dr. Eric Bush.