Step 1: Preliminary Placement Audition

• Incoming Freshman and Transfer Students
  1. After a student has been accepted into the University, they will receive a form upon which they may indicate their desire to participate in the UI Bands.
  2. Upon returning this form, the student will then be scheduled by the Office of Admissions and Records for a preliminary placement audition in the Harding Band Building. This audition is scheduled on the same day as the students' placement examinations during their chosen new student orientation session. Upon request, alternative arrangements can be made.
  3. During this preliminary audition, students may indicate their interest in participating in one of the Concert Bands and/or the Marching Illini (depending on position availability; see details below for earlier Marching Illini auditions, during which there is the greatest number of positions available). The preliminary audition will consist only of sight-reading.
  
  
• Current U of I students
  • Any UI student who has not taken a preliminary placement audition must do so before participating in the UI Bands. Contact the University Bands Office before the first day of classes to schedule your preliminary placement audition. One may request to audition for the Marching Illini during this audition (subject to position availability)
  
  
• Please note:
  • A preliminary placement audition is not required when a member is auditioning solely for the Marching Illini or UI Basketball Band. To fill the much-coveted positions in athletic bands, students may choose to take a spring audition for the Marching Illini, or a fall audition for the Basketball Band. Check the UI Bands Announcements or the MI News pages for possible recent information.
  • Marching Illini auditions may also serve as preliminary placement auditions if placement in one of the concert bands is desired in addition to placement in the Marching Illini. Contact UI Bands for information after February 1 for Marching Illini audition information, or after September 1 for Basketball Band audition information.
  • For concert bands only, continuing and incoming UI music majors are invited to skip to Step 2, Seating Auditions.

Step 2: Placement/Seating Auditions at the beginning of the semester
Placement/Seating auditions for the Concert Bands employ specially prepared excerpts, available from the UI Bands Library prior to the auditions. The student, after individual preparation, will then perform the selected excerpts on an individual basis in their audition. Results are posted promptly after all auditions for the ensemble have taken place.

Placement/Seating auditions are on a first-come, first-served basis during the assigned ensemble audition period, and therefore no appointment or individual scheduling is necessary.