Purdue Audition Snare
Purdue Audition Snare
2020-2021
Snare Audition Packet Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contact Information
Director of Percussion at Purdue University
Dr. Pam Nave: pjnave@purdue.edu
These two people are responsible for the drumline as a whole. Dr. Nave is the professor who is
responsible for the percussion program at Purdue, and she is the faculty director of the Purdue Drumline
family. You can read more about her in the “Dr. Nave and the Philosophy of Percussion Education”
section. Caroline is the student section leader for the Purdue Drumline (PUDL). Reach out to either of
them if you have any questions about the PUDL as a whole!
In addition to Dr. Nave and Caroline, each section of the PUDL has two student segment leaders. In
homage to our history as a military band, we use a military naming style for our student leaders. The “1”
is the segment leader for the instrument, and the “10” is the assistant segment leader for the instrument.
This wording comes from the idea of marching in ranks of 10. In this style, the leader of the rank would
be on the far left (in the “1” spot), and the assistant leader would be on the far right (in the “10” spot).
The eight members of their rank would be between them (in spots 2-9). While we still use the titles of “1”
and “10,” the drumline does not necessarily march in this order. For example, the bass 1 and 10 march in
position based on which bass drum they play, not their rank. Feel free to reach out to your instrument’s
segment leaders if you have an instrument-specific question!
As a Big Ten University, our marching band does not compete against other marching bands. This is different
from the vast majority of American high schools, DCI/WGI, and even some universities — but the Purdue
University Drumline exists solely to entertain. And entertain we do! We wow tens of thousands of fans on
game days during football season. Each May, we perform for hundreds of thousands as the official marching
band of the Indy 500. In 2011, the band was selected to lead the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. And, since
then, the band has headlined the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin — twice! The hype behind our band makes
it an incredibly exciting organization to be a part of. While you may be new to the concept of an entertainment
band, it is not too different from a competitive band — thousands of auditionees have made the transition from
a competitive marching band to our entertainment band with no problem! And you can still do DCI/WGI on the
side if you have that competitive bug.
While most Big Ten bands exist for entertainment purposes, Purdue is the only school in our conference that
does not have a school of music. Many schools of music require their students to participate in the marching
band. Since we don’t have a school of music, no one at Purdue is required to try out for the marching band or
drumline. This helps us keep our drumline filled with highly positive, upbeat people who show up excited to
drum every day. One thing to keep in mind: just because none of our members are studying to be professional
musicians doesn’t mean we don’t take practicing/performing seriously! We still expect all of our members to
work hard, learn their stuff, and show up with a positive attitude.
Purdue is also unique in that “the Purdue Drumline” actually refers to four separate entities: (1) the
All-American Marching Band (AAMB) Drumline, (2) the Boiler Beats (Beats) Drumline, (3) the World’s Largest
Drum™ crew, and (4) the All-American Marching Band (AAMB) Drum Majors. While only the AAMB and Beats
drumlines are actual drumlines, we consider our whole ~80-person family “the Purdue Drumline.”
1. The AAMB Drumline is an instrumental section of the Purdue All-American Marching Band. They perform
with the AAMB at all AAMB performances, including captivating fans at Purdue’s home football games.
2. The Boiler Beats Drumline is not a section of the AAMB, but they are a huge part of the Purdue Drumline!
They operate as a tailgate drumline, entertaining fans throughout the hours leading up to Purdue’s home
football games.
3. The World’s Largest Drum™ is about 10 feet tall, and is a 98-year-old icon of the University! It is operated by
a crew of 7+ people, who perform athletic/acrobatic feats with the Drum. The Drum Crew is a subsection of
the AAMB Drumline, but they prioritize attitude, physicality, and public relations over percussive technique
and drumming ability. If you think you might be interested in the Drum Crew (or just want to see what we’re
talking about), check out the “Drum Crew’’ portion of the Purdue Drumline website.
4. The Drum Majors are two upperclassmen (sophomores and up) who have served in the AAMB before, and
are selected well before band camp begins. They represent the entire AAMB, but are still a part of our Drum-
line family.
This packet is for people interested in auditioning for a spot on the AAMB Drumline/the Beats Drumline. If
you are interested in the Drum Crew, check out the “Drum Crew” section of the PUDL website (the Drum Crew
have their own packet). Unfortunately, rookies are not eligible to be a Drum Major in their first season with the
AAMB — but maybe next year! Keep in mind that when you come to band camp, you are auditioning for the
“Drumline” — not specifically “the AAMB Drumline” or “the Beats Drumline.” At the end of band camp, Dr.
Nave and the Student Leaders will set the membership of the AAMB line and the Beats line using the body of
students who audition for “Drumline.” At the end of band camp, you may be offered a spot on the AAMB Drum-
line, the Beats Drumline, or one of our indoor ensembles.
Speaking of indoor ensembles, we have indoor ensembles! We have a plethora of concert bands and athlet-
ic bands — and we even offer a percussion ensemble in the Spring! We have some brief information about
these ensembles on the Purdue Drumline website, but you can find even more on the Purdue Bands and Or-
chestras website. You can participate in these ensembles while you are on the Drumline, or instead of being on
the Drumline.
We know this packet may seem overwhelming. But this packet contains all the information you need to fully
prepare yourself for band camp. On top of that, the PUDL website is a great resource you can use to learn more
and get any additional questions you may have answered. Yes, it will be a lot of work to prepare for band camp.
And, if you earn a spot on the line, it will be even more work to practice and rehearse every day during the sea-
son. But there’s nothing quite like standing on the 50 yard line in a jam-packed Ross-Ade and hitting the down-
beat of “Hail Purdue” for the first time.
Boiler up, hammer down, and we can’t wait to see you this August!
Sincerely,
Caroline Pomeroy
Section Leader, Purdue University Drumline
Snare Segment Leader, Purdue University Drumline
First off, a little about us! Caroline is this year’s Snare Segment Leader (or 1) and the Drumline Overall Section
Leader. This will be her fourth year with the AAMB drumline and second year on the Student Leadership team
(last year she was the Assistant Segment Leader). She’s a senior studying Aviation Management from northern
Virginia. Roman will be your Assistant Segment Leader (or 10) this season. He’s a junior majoring in Chemical
Engineering. We can’t wait to meet you all soon! In the meantime, we know the amount of information in this
packet can seem intimidating, so we wanted to give you some background and perspective on the snareline.
The snareline is an anchor for the drumline, and therefore the entire band. Typically, some of the most detail-
oriented musicians and strongest leaders in the band march snare, which makes our section a formidable one.
While being a part of our snareline can create a surge of pride, it can also lead to a bit of an ego, which can
have negative effects on playing quality in addition to personal relationships. We can only reach a high level of
musical cleanliness if we give up our personal definition of perfect to prioritize playing together with the snares
around us and the drumline as a whole.
Rudiments are another key to succeeding as a snare player, as they compose the backbone of our music, so it
is crucial to form a strong foundation upon them. Once you can utilize rudiments as tools instead of them being
a liability, learning and memorizing music becomes much more straightforward. Master them before the rest of
the music in this packet, and when you move on to warmups and cadences, seek out rudiments and use them
to your advantage!
Marching at Purdue bears resemblance to a corps style, but it also has a unique flavor. While our band has
rich roots as an ROTC military band, that history primarily contributes to our modern performances in the
form of traditions. Given that we perform at every home football game, our halftime shows typically aren’t as
intricate and difficult as a drum corps show that can take months to clean. Another difference is the length of
our performances. While halftime shows are in the 10-minute ballpark, between parading down the streets, the
pregame show, supporting the team from the stands, and postgame performances, we perform for hours each
game day. This all goes back to our band’s purpose of entertaining people rather than directly competing with
other bands. So, while many of our techniques come from corps style, Purdue creates a unique performing
experience by blending that style with military history and an overall desire to enjoy band and connect with the
audience.
Okay, stepping off of our soapbox now. Here are answers to a few questions we know many people have. Keep
in mind the following sections of the packet will address bigger topics more specifically.
• We do not march tilted drums
• We march System Blue drums
• There are 11 members of the AAMB snareline and anywhere from 6-11 on the Boiler Beats.
• The only reserved spots are for the 2 student leaders on the AAMB; veterans audition the same as
rookies each year.
With all the work aside, we also know how to have a good time, whether it be on or off the field. You’ll learn right
away that the drumline at Purdue is a big family, and each section has their own perks and traditions. You’ll learn
all about these traditions throughout the season, but Whacky Hat Wednesday, Section Shirt Thursday, Free-
Form Friday, days after eclipse day, S’night, and the Snare Cheer are a few snare-specific traditions to whet your
appetite.
If you have any questions that aren’t answered here or on the website, feel free to reach out to us! Each student
leader’s contact info (as well as Dr. Nave’s) can be found at the beginning of this packet, as well as on the
website under the “Contact” section.
Good luck!
Caroline Pomeroy
Snare Segment Leader (1)
Roman Cyliax
Snare Assistant Segment Leader (10)
She began her career with Purdue University Bands and Orchestras
in 1999, and has been a figurehead in the department and the Big Ten
ever since. In 2008, she was appointed Director of “All State Marimba
and Percussion Ensemble” for the Indiana Music Educators National
Conference, and is a member of the Percussive Arts Society. Dr. Nave is
also the percussion section leader for the Lafayette Citizens Band and is
on the community band’s Advisory Board. To this date, she remains the
only female percussion director in D1 athletics. Dr. Nave’s current duties
with the Purdue University Bands and Orchestras Department include
Director of all Percussion Studies (a studio of ~110 percussion students),
Assistant Director of the Marching Band, Drumline Instructor, Operations
Advisor, and private percussion instructor. As of June 2020, Dr. Nave also
serves as the treasurer of Purdue’s chapter of Pi Kappa Pi, an academic
honors fraternity on campus. She is also very dedicated to her wife,
Courtney, her three children, Parker, Johnathon, and Charlotte, their cat
Casper, and their dog Gustov Holst Gus Gus Spartacus D.R. Nave.
My ideal thought of percussion education lies with a totalization philosophy in percussion. The student will
have a firm foundation in technique on all instruments — simultaneously, they may pursue higher levels of
musicianship on a single instrument.
A totalization approach offers students the opportunity to emphasize one instrument while still covering
traditional percussion instruments. If carefully designed and implemented, this may prove to be an effective
approach to the curriculum for the 21st century. Several traditional areas of percussion need to remain in all
undergraduate curricula. I believe that the study of traditional percussion instruments such as snare drum,
cymbals, keyboard instruments, timpani, etc., and the “auxiliary instruments” should be included in every
undergraduate curriculum. Percussionists at Purdue University should be expected to possess basic technique
and knowledge of the literature on these instruments. The mastery of these instruments is important not only to
promote percussionists’ professional knowledge, but also because all areas of percussion relate to one another
as “one big matrix” (interview with Michael Udow, 2001). To be a true percussionist, I believe it is important to
have an understanding and appreciation of all areas of percussion.
I also believe that students should have a basic knowledge of Latin and African instruments and styles. These
instruments and styles are written into contemporary music, ranging from percussion ensembles to orchestral
works, from concert band music to drum and bugle corps arrangements — so a competent percussionist should
know how to handle them. Additionally, a percussionist playing in a large ensemble or in musical theatre may
encounter contemporary orchestral and concert band composers such as David Gillingham, Leonard Bernstein,
George Gershwin, Frank Ticheli, and Libby Larson. These composers expect percussionists in the ensemble
will be capable of playing music for any percussion instrument. The average professional percussionist will face
these situations at some point in his or her career and must have the training to handle them.
I believe that how soon and the degree to which a student should specialize is different for every student. If a
student enters my percussion studio and cannot read keyboard music, they will study xylophone and marimba
until they gain basic reading competency technique, regardless of their wishes for specialization, for the reasons
mentioned in the paragraph above. On the contrary, if a student enters my studio and proves their competency in
the basic areas of percussion, I will allow them to emphasize a favorite instrument. I have found that students have
more motivation if they are allowed a measure of control in choosing the direction of their education, whether this
means selecting which instrument to emphasize or which solo to play on the instrument I have dictated. In general,
undergraduates will spend their first year or two developing their proficiency in the basics. But when the case
arises that a talented underclassman wants to focus on one instrument, I feel ethically obligated to provide the
opportunity for him or her to do so, with the support of my knowledge and teaching skills.
Regardless of what talent you enter the music/band program with, you will leave Purdue University with
knowledge regarding several facets of the percussion world. My hope is that you, as a percussionist, may
continue your playing and performing within the communities in which you live.
Auditioning
Hopefully you’re reading this while enjoying the summer weather and getting ready for an exciting upcoming
season. With the 2020-2021 season approaching, Dr. Nave and the Student Leaders would like to give you an
idea of what to expect when you arrive for Tech Weekend/Band Camp, as well as what we recommend you do
to be as prepared as possible!
9:00am The Drum Room and Room 30 will become available for
practicing/warming up.
10:00am – 11:30pm Block A of open auditions in Dr. Nave’s office. (Open to all members)
11:30am – 1:00pm Block B of open auditions in Dr. Nave’s office. (Open to all members)
12:00pm Band camp registration opens in the lobby of Elliott
(Everyone must do this, even if they have already auditioned.)
1:00pm Intermediate Results Announced
1:00pm – 2:00pm Break for lunch
2:00pm Mandatory Welcome Session for ALL rookies (AAMB event)
2:00pm – 4:00pm Block C of open auditions in Dr. Nave’s office. (Open to returning
members only)
4:00pm – 6:00pm Block D of open auditions in Dr. Nave’s office. (Open to all members)
6:00pm Intermediate Results Announced
6:00pm – 7:00pm Break for dinner
7:00pm – 9:00pm Open auditions for special cases/circumstances. You
cannot sign up for this time slot in advance.
After Auditions End Initial Placement Results Announced
With that in mind, you can audition on as many instruments as you like (and you may also be asked to switch in-
struments during Sunday Auditions or Band Camp). If you are planning on auditioning for multiple instruments,
be sure to register for one audition spot for each instrument.
2. PRACTICE WITH THE RIGHT STICKS: We will be using Roger Carter sticks this season, so if you’re able
to get your hands on a pair this summer, start practicing with them before Tech Weekend/Band Camp! If you
make the line, we will supply you with sticks to last throughout the season.
3. PRACTICE ALL OF THE MUSIC IN THIS PACKET: This point is stressed every year, yet students almost
always find themselves behind during Band Camp. If you have pregame music, the fight songs, and the oth-
er cadences memorized (or at least prepared), your audition day and Band Camp will be a lot less stressful
(and way more fun)! Start getting these out of the way as soon as possible so you can focus on the audition
cadence once it is released in July!
4. CHECK OUT THE TECHNIQUE SECTION: Every drumline handles playing and marching technique a little
differently. While Dr. Nave and the Student Leaders won’t expect rookies to have our technique mastered
prior to Band Camp, try to get a head start by checking out the Technique section in this packet and on the
PUDL website.
5. REFLECT ON YOUR ATTITUDE: Attitude is a key factor during auditions. Dr. Nave and the Student Lead-
ers want to work and perform with people who are positive, mature, and willing to cooperate with their
fellow drummers and band members!
6. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AUDITION DAY: On audition day, the drum room will be filled with rookie and
veteran drummers who are all auditioning for the PUDL! Take this time to start getting to know everyone,
practicing with others, and learning from veterans/Student Leaders! This is a great opportunity to get your
lingering questions answered, or to work with other drummers going through the same process you are!
7. HAVE FUN: The whole line is full of energetic, upbeat drummers who want to work and perform with oth-
er people who love drumming! This excited energy is precisely what helps motivate the football team, the
crowd, and all who watch either line perform!
As the name suggests, you will spend Band Camp with the rest of the AAMB and follow the same itinerary as
them. When this year’s itinerary is posted, you will be able to find it on the Purdue Bands and Orchestras website.
The Purdue Drumline does not tolerate poor behavior or bad attitudes.
No exceptions.
There are also stretching tutorials under the “Health/Wellness” section of the PUDL website. Utilizing these
stretches, as well as light cardio/strength training, will help you get your body into optimal shape before coming
to Band Camp. The week goes by so much faster if you’re not constantly worried about feeling light-headed or
that your back/legs are hurting. Of course, if you do find yourself injured or hurt during Band Camp, tell a Stu-
dent Leader or director right away so they can get you help!
If you don’t make one of the lines this year, don’t be a stranger! Many past members (including some Student
Leaders) did not make the line in their first year auditioning! No matter what, there is a place for you in the Pur-
due percussion family, and everyone is encouraged to stick with the program, improve throughout the year, and
come back stronger than ever next season!
If you have any questions while preparing, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Nave or any of the Student Leaders and
we’ll be happy to help. You can find our contact info at the front of this packet and on the “Contact” page of the
PUDL website.
Good luck, happy practicing, and we can’t wait to see you at auditions!
Marching Technique
We will spend plenty of time honing marching technique at Band Camp. In the meantime, here’s a basic overview of
the major concepts. While we don’t expect rookies to show up with our technique mastered, this section is designed
to help give new members a head start. You should also check out the supplemental videos on the PUDL Web-
site (under “Technique Overview”). We use glide-step for forward/backwards marching and crabbing for sideways
marching. Here’s an outline of these marching techniques:
Posture/Set Position
Let’s start from the bottom and work up. Balls of the feet are on the set dot or yard line, and the feet are pointed
straight ahead, with toes together. The knees are straight, but never locked, and hips are centered directly over feet.
The torso provides the “power” for the posture; the core is engaged, the chest is out (think of “filling up” the empty
space in the harness), and the shoulders are pulled back. The back is not only straight, but should also feel extended.
Think of a string running through your spine and out the top of your head that’s being pulled toward the sky. The head
is looking forward and slightly up, so that the chin is parallel to the ground. A good way to test this is with the “L” trick:
make an “L” with your thumb and pointer finger, touch the thumb to the bottom of the neck, and push your chin up as
far as your pointer finger reaches. Finally, eyes are looking in the same upward direction, not down at the ground.
Backward Marching/Crabbing
Most aspects of what’s outlined above for forward marching are applicable to backward marching. Instead of rolling
through steps, the feet are always raised up on their platforms. The same goes for crabbing, but with one exception.
When crabbing left or right, the front foot should remain on the yardline while the back foot should be slightly behind
the yardline. (If you’re crabbing left, the right foot is the front foot. If you’re crabbing right, the left foot is the front foot.)
This requires a slightly altered first step, which we outline in the video. Keeping the feet parallel to each other usually
requires more attention when marching backward or crabbing than compared to forward marching, so be mindful of
that when practicing your technique.
Remember to check out the “Technique Overview” page of the PUDL website for videos outlining these con-
cepts. And you can always email an SL if you still have questions after that. Most importantly, keep in mind that
we will explain all of these concepts in depth during Tech Weekend and Band Camp, so don’t stress too much
if you’re having trouble picking them up on your own.
This is merely where the fingers go. Moving the stick is a whole other process. To avoid too much written informa-
tion, this content is covered on the “Technique Overview” section of the PUDL website, so do yourself a favor and
check it out. Traditional grip will hurt your hand for a while if you’re not used to it. Use band-aids to your advan-
tage, and remember that while consistent practicing is important, taking frequent breaks is important, too!
Tacet Position
When you aren’t playing the drum or doing some sort of visual effect, your sticks should remain in “tacet” position.
Unless otherwise noted, the beads of the sticks should be slightly above the drumhead, and as close to the center
of the drumhead as possible. They should almost touch the head, but never rest directly on the drumhead.
Stroke Types
Now that we’ve covered how to hold the sticks, we can go over how to actually hit the drum. On the Purdue
snareline, every stroke of the stick is initiated by a wrist movement. Any other movement outside of the wrist
should be a side-effect of the wrist rotating first. Everything should be natural, with constant fluid motion. The
head has a lot of tension on it, so when you hit it, the stick will bounce back away from the head. Use this to your
advantage rather than making your muscles do 100% of the work! The strokes we will discuss apply equally to
both the right and left hands.
Here, we like to think of every stroke as either a legato stroke or a variant of that. Legato strokes are played with
the stick beginning and ending the stroke in the same position. Work on allowing the stick to naturally rebound
off the drum head. While being relaxed is important, we also have to be heard through more than almost 400
other band members, so don’t be afraid to hit the drum! The concept of legato strokes is at the core of our drum-
ming style, so spend time working on achieving this relaxed feel. Once you’re comfortable with legato strokes,
start working on playing them at different heights. Legatos can be played at any dynamic level. While we are a
loud drumline, if we played everything as loud as possible, we’d sound overly dissonant, so it’s also important to
develop a wide range of dynamics.
All strokes start the same: by striking the drum head. What happens after the hit is where the differences lie.
“Up” strokes start by striking the head at a low height and letting the stick rebound up to a higher height before
stopping it. Conversely, down strokes are where the stick hits the head from a higher height than it rebounds to.
In theory, these skills are simple, but in practice, lots of bad habits can crop up if you’re not careful, so check out
the “Technique Overview” section of the PUDL website for tips on avoiding these.
Playing Zones
We play most of our notes in the center of the head. If “edge” is notated in the music, play about an inch from
the rim at 2 o’clock on the head. Rim shots are played by simply moving the stick back (to around 5 o’clock on
the head) so the stick strikes the head and rim simultaneously, with the bead about 3 inches from the rim. Rim
notation is played at 12 o’clock on the drumhead, directly onto the rim. Again, refer to the “Technique Overview”
section of the PUDL website for specifics.
Additional Thoughts
While this section is not exhaustive, it should give you a good foundation to begin practicing our technique
before Tech Weekend and Band Camp. Use this as a guideline, but expect changes and tweaks to happen
throughout band camp and the season. If you have technique questions that aren’t answered here or on the
PUDL website, they will be answered in person during Tech Weekend and Band Camp. But if you have a press-
ing question, you can always contact the snare SLs via the information at the front of this packet and on the
“Contact” section of the PUDL website!
Music Introduction
Welcome to the music portion of the Purdue Drumline audition packet! Here you will find all of the music you
need to audition for the AAMB Drumline and the Boiler Beats Drumline. We play a multitude of music through-
out the season: warm-ups, stands tunes, fight songs, exercises, cadences, show-music, drum cheers, and more!
This packet covers the basics that you need for auditions and band camp, including rudiments, warm-ups, and
the cadence cycle (particularly the audition cadence — once it’s released on July 1). Keep in mind that while the
cadences are important, the warm-ups, exercises, and rudiments outlined in this packet are just as important,
so don’t forget to work on them too.
The AAMB Drumline learns a new show for every home football game, which could entail anywhere from 1 to
4 weeks of practice. A new show usually has about 3 to 5 pieces of *masterable* music with drill that will need
to be fully memorized and performance-ready by various short-term deadlines set by Dr. Nave. This means you
could be memorizing a new song each day and be expected to perform an entirely new show by the end of one
week! The key word is “memorizing”: all music will have to be fully memorized by showtime. With that in mind,
there won’t be time to learn the music in this packet during the season. The better you know the music in this
packet before Band Camp, the easier Band Camp and the season will be.
Practice Tips
1. Rudiments, rudiments, rudiments! There are rudiments throughout all of our cadences and show music
pieces, so you will have a much easier time learning the cadences and show music if you have the rudiments
mastered. The 26 Standard American Rudiments are in this packet, so make sure to get them all down com-
fortably before diving too deeply into the cadences.
2. Play it slow and break it down! If you find yourself tripping over a measure and can’t figure out why, play
it at a very slow tempo and see what feels awkward or difficult. Then focus on playing that part by itself with-
in the measure slowly until you get more comfortable. Then add back parts of the measure, still at a slow
tempo, until you’re playing the entire measure comfortably. For example, if you’re struggling with beat 2, start
by playing only beat 2, then beats 1 and 2, then beats 1-3, and then the entire measure. Finally, slightly pick
up the tempo until you’re playing the whole measure at the written tempo.
3. Always use a metronome! You might be practicing at an incorrect or inconsistent tempo, even if you
don’t know it, so a metronome is always helpful to understand how each measure fits together and sounds
together. This will also help you build a solid internal-metronome; we perform without a metronome so it’s
good to eventually not have to rely on one.
4. Small chunks lead to big success! Don’t try to push through an entire piece without working on smaller
portions of it first. This strategy will help with the line’s cleanliness, as well as helping you develop a strong
attention-to-detail and memorization skills. Try playing four bars at a time (or letter-to-letter chunks) until
you get comfortable, then add on another chunk. The key here is to add on to chunks, not just to play small
chunks separately. Again, this strategy is to help you memorize effectively, build muscle memory, and get
comfortable with new music.
5. Don’t practice for too long at once – take a break! If you practice for too long, your brain might get
too fried to fully retain what you’re practicing, so make sure to take breaks every once in a while. Dr. Nave
recommends taking 5-minute breaks in between 23-minute chunks of practicing for an hour to an hour and
a half EVERY DAY. You don’t want to burn yourself out, but you also want to retain and solidify the music, so
daily repetition for a “short” amount of time is key.
Rudiments
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
-Robert Collier
Warmups
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is
not an act, but a habit.” - Will Durant
Cadences
“Practice creates confidence. Confidence empowers you.”
– Simone Biles
Pregame AND
Fight Songs
“A band is not proud because it performs well;
it performs well because it is proud.”
-George Parks
Honor, Varsity, and Hail Purdue are our three fight songs. We frequently play these songs
outside of pregame. We also play different versions of these songs. The music in this
packet is marked to indicate:
- Long Honor vs Short Honor vs Honor Tag
- Long Varsity vs Short Varsity vs Varsity Tag
- Hail IC (Intro/Chorus) vs Hail PSP (Play/Sing/Play) vs Hail PP (Play/Play) vs Quickie
But if you have any lingering questions, or want to learn even more, check out the PUDL website at
purduedrumline.com. There, you can find detailed advice regarding marching and playing technique under the
“Technique Overview” page. Keep in mind that we do not expect any rookies to have the PUDL technique
mastered prior to Tech Weekend/Band Camp ― but the videos in this section may help give you a leg up before
arriving.
You can get advice from our more health-savvy upperclassmen regarding how to get your body into the best
physical shape possible before band camp. We have recommended tutorials for stretching, as well as a Health/
Wellness guide to help you eat/exercise well, under the “Health/Wellness” page.
Additionally, you can learn more about our indoor ensembles under the “Ensembles” page, or the World’s
Largest Drum™ under the “Drum Crew” page. You can find our whole library of music, including some super old
cadences, under the “Music Database” page (but please, be sure to learn this year’s music before learning ca-
dences we haven’t played since 2012!!). Lastly, you can find the answers to some questions we get from rookies
every year under our “FAQ” page, or contact this year’s student leaders using the “Contact” page.
We hope this packet has been informative and helpful for you as you prepare for your first PUDL Tech Weekend
and AAMB Band Camp. Best of luck with preparing and auditioning, and we can’t wait to start working with you
soon!
Sincerely, Dr. Nave, Caroline, and the rest of the 2020-2021 Student Leadership team.