BECOMING A MEMBER
Membership in the 2021 Blue Stars
The Blue Stars organization tirelessly seeks to become a world leader in the marching arts arena, especially in the areas of member character development and performance excellence.
Being in the Blue Stars is about more than just competitive success. It's about working side-by-side with the best friends you've ever had to put together a show that's engaging, breathtaking, and brings audiences to their feet, night after night. It's about being a part of an organization with a proud heritage that spans over 50 years. It's about giving everything you have to make your summer the most amazing experience of your life - not just for you, but for your fellow Blue Stars, for those who came before you, and for those who will wear the uniform in the years to come.
If you would like information pertaining to auditions, winter camps and summer performances fill out the Membership Interest Form to get updates and information about the 2021 season.
If you have a question that is not covered, please email corps director at director@bluestars.org.
Requirements of being a Blue StarS Member
There are six basic requirements:
Desire - The courage to come to the audition. You can’t march if you don’t take the first step.
Time - You need to have the ability to attend winter rehearsals, spring training and summer tour. During the winter, absences are excused for school functions. During the season, a member may be excused for a small absence on rare occasions, however this must be approved by the corps director. Apart from this, you will need to be able to move in with the corps (usually around May 20) and stay with the corps for the duration of the season (until the second weekend in August).
Finances - Membership fees need to be considered. While there are a limited number of scholarships available for those with a financial need, being able to pay the membership dues is an important part of the commitment.
Attitude - Sometimes drum corps is quite difficult. Your attitude in the face of stress will be the single most important factor in your success as a member of the Blue Stars.
Age - You can audition with the Blue Stars if you are between the age of fifteen and twenty-one. If you turn 22 on or after June 1st of 1999 you are eligible to march with the corps during the 2021 season. Note: Due to the cancellation of the 2020 season, the age limit has been raised to allow 2020 age-outs to march in 2021 (if you turn 23 on or after June 1, 1999 you are eligible to march).
Health - Daily rehearsals, performances and travel make drum corps even more intense and demanding than many collegiate level sports. Your body must be capable of holding up under tremendously stressful physical conditions. Members are required to have physician certified physical examinations before the beginning of spring training.
How much does it cost to march?
Registration Fee
The non-refundable registration fee is required each season by every person auditioning for the Blue Stars. This fee covers administrative expenses, facilities, Blue Stars Audition T-Shirt, and instruction during the first round of audition camps in November and December.
Note: the registration fee is different depending on when you pay (the fee goes up the longer you wait) and which camp you attend (one day audition camps are less expensive than weekend audition camps). Please see the Camp Schedule for complete details.
Camp Fees
Auditionees called back to the January (brass and percussion) or April (guard) camps pay a $200 camp fee to cover administrative expenses, facilities, and instruction. This camp fee (and any subsequent camp fees, if applicable) is applied to the Comprehensive Tour Fee upon acceptance of membership in the Blue Stars.
Comprehensive Tour Fee
The Comprehensive Tour Fee covers nearly all costs associated with the tour during the summer, including all room and board, all meals (except for free nights), all uniform parts, equipment, 10,000+ miles of travel, and hundreds of hours of quality instruction.
The operation of a world-class drum corps is very expensive. The amount the Blue Stars charges its members covers less than half of the actual cost of running a touring world-class drum corps.
The 2021 tour fee will be announced at the November/December audition camps.
Extras
The corps will provide every meal, except on designated free days, which typically happen three or four times during the summer tour. Typically on free days members have the option of going to a mall or movie theater, or they may have the opportunity to see a local monument, or experience something unique to that town or area of the country.
Caption Heads may require specific personal purchases for their sections (may need a specific mouthpiece, make-up, etc…). These items belong to the member at the conclusion of the season.
Members also pay for their own laundry (usually $10-$15 per visit, with one visit every 14-18 days) and occasional runs to Wal-Mart to pick up incidentals. The amount of extra money required for these sorts of things varies from person to person. $150 to $400 is a good rule of thumb; some have done it with less, some spend much more.
To receive information on auditioning, be sure you fill out a Membership Interest Form.