Dave Fujara
Dave Fujara, 20 Indiana University, Accounting and Finance Glassmen Contra, 2007-2009 How did you choose your corps? Many things factored into my initial decision to march with the Glassmen including location, past performances and a world-class staff. These things in addition to the awesome friends I've made through the corps are the reason I have marched with the Glassmen for three summers. In your experience, what's the best way to prepare for an audition? The best advice I can give is to practice, practice and practice. Make sure that you are comfortable with the audition materials and go into your audition feeling confident. Don't feel like you need to impress or outplay all the other auditionees, because in addition to the talent you bring into the audition, the staff is also looking to see how you can learn, grow and improve. What can a prospective corps member expect when he/she shows up for an audition weekend? As a prospective member you can expect three things. One, expect a lot of information thrown at you in a short amount of time. Two, expect to learn a lot. Three, expect to have a lot of fun. The first time you auditioned, was the process different from what you expected it to be? The process itself was pretty much what I expected it to be. You can expect that you will spend time learning technique and marching as a group. You'll also play as a group and individually. The entire weekend is the audition, not just the short amount of time you will spend playing individually for a staff member. Were you nervous at your audition? I was very nervous at my first audition with the notion that you had to be some kind of superhuman who never makes a mistake. When you have never marched in a corps before the only side of DCI you have probably seen is a performance, which essentially is the finished product. What you don't see are the hundreds of hours of hard work and dedication that go into making each performance the best it can be. That said, it is really easy to forget that corps members are just kids like you and me who love to perform. There are no superheroes in DCI, just dedicated individuals who work hard as a team and learn from their mistakes to make their 11 minutes on the field together the best that they can be. What do you think is most important for someone to take away from the audition experience? The most important thing to take away from the audition is the experience. You are going to get individual and group time with some of the finest educators in the world, and no matter what the outcome of the weekend is, you will have learned valuable skills and techniques. Any other advice? The most important thing to remember during the audition process is to have fun! Take a deep breath, relax and have fun! One "insider" tip that I like to give to auditionees is to take some time during the weekend to get to know the other people there. Get names and phone numbers, become Facebook friends and make plans to stay in touch. After all, it's very possible that these will be the people you spend your entire summer with, and you might just meet someone who will become your best friend ... I did! Oh! And be sure to try the different colors of juice during mealtimes, it's important to have a favorite! Best of luck to everyone this audition season! Learn more about corps audition dates, locations and additional info.