Our Season Begins
The Rutgers Drumline is the marching battery percussion section of the Rutgers University Marching Scarlet Knights, The Pride of New Jersey. The season begins for the drumline during the summer months. Five all-day rehearsals are held during June, July and August for all interested and returning members. These rehearsals are not mandatory but we urge everyone to attend as many as possible. Doing so greatly improves your chances of being placed on the instrument of your choice. We currently accept all interested persons into our section, however auditions are held the day before camp to determine who will be playing which instrument. Hard work and a positive attitude are always rewarded in our group regardless of your skill level. Check our schedule page for the list of pre-camp rehearsal dates and times. If you would like to attend a pre-camp rehearsal, download our exercise packet and bring it with you. We will learn most of our exercises, cadences and the first show tune before the first day of camp. New members will find band camp extremely difficult if they have not attended our pre-camp rehearsals! New members as well as returning members should make every effort to attend.
Our Staff
A world-renowned name in percussion and professor at Mason Gross, Dennis DeLucia leads the Rutgers Drumline as percussion captain head. Dennis has worked with a long list of drum corps including the Hawthorne Muchachos, The Bridgemen, Star of Indiana, The Crossmen, Sunrisers and the Caballero's. You may have seen Dennis on TV broadcasts of DCI's World Championships held every summer on PBS. He is honored to be the first percussionist inducted in to the DCI Hall of Fame and the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. He is also the 2004 recipient of the Sabian Lifetime Achievement Award. Dennis is currently endorsed by Yamaha, Sabian and Vic Firth.
Returning with us for a second season will be Aaron Ragsdale. A doctoral student at Mason Gross, Aaron has extensive experience with the big mid-west college bands and is a PASIC regular. He has earned a Master of Music degree from the University of Arkansas and a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Oklahoma.
Band Camp
The 2006-2007 season officially starts for the entire Marching Scarlet Knights Marching Band on August 18th, the first day of band camp. Camp is held at Camp Echo Lake in upstate New York. All members are required to attend... no exceptions can be made. During camp we will add drill to our first show and finish memorizing our music. Camp is the most important time during the season because we have so much time together. Once you survive camp, it is all downhill from there. Hard work during camp pays off extremely will during season. You will also find yourself with 20 new friends before you step foot on campus as a 1st year. Band camp will run through August 25th.
The Football Season
Rutgers University (New Brunswick/Piscataway) is home to Big East conference NCAA Division I football. It doesn't get any better than this! We play pre-game, half-time and post-game shows for every home game as well as a couple away games. During the year we learn three separate half-time field shows and a book of stand tunes and grooves. Game days are filled with countless Rutgers traditions and often a huge crowd in Rutgers Stadium. We like to call Rutgers "The Birthplace of Collegiate Football" because the very first inter-college football game was played right here, Rutgers vs. Princeton in 1869 (6-4 RU). We also perform at a variety of University functions and high school exhibitions. Last year we hosted a BOA regional championship high school band show.
So How Do I Join?
If you think you're interested in joining, or even just want to play with us during the summer, send an e-mail to our captains. You should also visit the Rutgers University Athletic Bands website and fill out an information request form. There is no obligation if you'd like to come drum with us during the summer. If you would like to play with us during the year, however, you should attend as many pre-camp rehearsals as possible so that you can get the spot you deserve in the line! All Rutgers University students (any campus, any college) as well as any New Jersey community college student is eligible to join. You will even receive a 1 credit A for the fall semester.
But I have more questions!
Shoot an e-mail to one of our captains, Allison or our friendly director, Tim Smith. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
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