Memphis Sound Membership Information

You've made the corps! Now what?

Now that you have become a member of Memphis Sound, you are responsible for being the best member you can be. This involves not only your playing, but many other things as well. Be sure you practice your new instrument and any music that is given to you, and also practice marching technique when you can, including posture, snapping to attention, parade rest, dress center, etc. Also, take some time to learn about the drum corps activity, becoming acquainted with the corps and their music that we may see on the road. Another thing you need to do is start planning for camp weekends, sectional rehearsals and for the summer. First of all, try to deal with any conflicts you have... Make sure you get off of work (ask early!!!). The earlier you take care of conflicts, the easier it is. If you have an unavoidable conflict that relates to school, such as band concerts, etc. you will be excused from rehearsal, but be sure you call the corps office and your caption head early to let them know.

Camps and Rehearsals

Camps are one of the toughest parts of the year, and you need to be both physically and mentally prepared. Also, be sure you bring everything you'll need to have a productive weekend:

Clothing & Other Needed Items

Typical Camp Schedule

	Sweat pants and/or shorts. Clothing that allows for flexibility. No jeans.
	A good pair of athletic shoes
	Change of socks and underwear
	A jacket or coat for outdoor rehearsals in the winter/early spring.
	Advil - good for pain and inflammation, and especially good for your knees. They take a pounding at a camp weekend because you're on your feet most of the time.
	Lip balm
	Your set book - a small notepad that you use to write down your drill sets. Don't forget a pencil!
	Your instrument and any accessories, mouthpieces, valve oil, drumsticks, etc.
	Sleeping bag and/or air mattress
	Pillow
	Towel
	Toiletries - shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, contact lens solution, etc.
	If you wear contacts, bring an extra pair with you and/or your glasses in case you lose a lens

Friday

7PM - Check in

8PM - 11PM - Sectionals

11PM - Snack

12AM - Lights Out

Saturday

7AM - Wake, Stretch, Breakfast

8AM - 10AM - Sectionals

10AM - 12PM - Visual Rehearsal/Sectionals

12PM - Lunch

1PM - 6PM - Visuals/Sectionals

6PM - Dinner

7PM - 11PM - Sectionals/Ensemble Rehearsal

11PM - Snack

12AM - Lights Out

Sunday

7AM - Wake, Stretch, Breakfast

8AM - 12PM - Visual Rehearsal

12PM - Lunch

1PM - 3PM - Coordination

3PM - Show & Tell

4PM - Clean Facility

5PM - Dismissal

A little more about camps...

You need to be there early so you're ready to go promptly at 7 PM on Friday. As far as physical preparation, you'll want to have a regular exercise regimen before you get to camps - running and lifting weights are highly recommended. Also, get used to holding your instrument, with good posture, for extended periods of time. If you show up at camp out of shape, not only are you going to perform poorly, but camp will not be any fun. Be mentally prepared for a tough physical and mental workout. Marching in a drum corps show requires a high level of concentration, and at camps you'll need to memorize a lot of material, both music and drill. Be sure you work on memorization of music between camps, and run through the drill that you've learned in your head along with the music.

Summer Tour
CLICK Here for 2008 TOUR HANDBOOK
CLICK Here for 2008 Membership Handbook

What to bring

Essential Items
	Equipment/Uniform Items
	Mouthpieces, drumsticks, flags, etc.
	Set book and pencil (bring extra pencils, just in case)
	Music (it never hurts to study those articulations again)
	Shoes
	Underwear (briefs or boxer briefs recommended for males)
	Rehearsal clothing
	Lots of shorts and t-shirts - Umbros are good choices for shorts
	At least one pair of sweatpants or wind pants and a sweatshirt for those cooler days
	Good athletic shoes (2 pairs recommended in case one pair gets wet)
	Sunglasses and/or hat/visor - a summer out in the bright sun can cause significant eye damage, esp. for horn players.
	Hygiene items
	Towels
	Soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, and other toiletries
	Contact lens solution, extra contacts and/or eyeglasses (you might lose a contact on tour - bring extras if you wear contacts!)
	Fingernail clippers
	Free Day clothing - jeans/pants and a nice shirt
	Plenty of socks and underwear - at least 12 pairs of each
	Sleeping bag. Find a good, comfortable, COOL one that is easy to pack. Some members also bring a single sheet and sleep between the bag and the sheet in hot gyms
	Pillow
	A water cooler! Coleman and Rubbermaid both make these. We recommend a 1-gallon size cooler, since they're usually small enough to fit under your bus seat.
	Lip balm. Brass players, especially, DCT is the way to go. It's SPF 15 so your lips won't get sunburned. If you use something other than DCT, make sure it does not have camphor in it.
	Sunscreen! No-Ad is a favorite brand in the corps. Big bottles - very inexpensive. You will burn if you don't use sunscreen.
	Silver polish for horn players. Wright's Silver Cream is a popular choice.
	DEBIT or BANK CARD! There will be places you will need spending money, and you should avoid carrying cash! It doesn't cost anything to get your bank to issue a card that can be refilled as necessary for you to use on the road.
	Asthma inhaler if you have asthma, and any other essential medications

Recommended Items
	Jacket
	Flashlight for finding your way to the bathroom in a dark gym
	Gold Bond - good stuff. Get the green bottle unless you've never used it before, in which case you may want to get the yellow one.
	Aloe Vera gel - for when your sunscreen doesn't work!
	An extra set book
	An extra pair of shoes
	Laundry detergent, powder, not liquid
	Flip flops or sandals to wear to the shower and back
	Medical insurance card. Although the corps has your info, it is good to be prepared.
	Money for free days (Debit Card!)
	A roll of toilet paper. Many schools don't "stock up" during the summer and others have the very cheap stuff!
	Laundry bag - a large garbage bag works well for this, and keeps your dirty clothes from stinking up the clean ones.
	Phone card - bring phone card, even if it is the prepaid sort to call home.

How to pack

You'll be allowed to bring one suitcase, one carry-on, a sleeping bag, your pillow, and your water jug. You'll need to make the most of your suitcase and carry-on! Here's a recommendation on how to pack:

	Put some sweats or jeans in your carry-on. It often gets very cold on the bus at night
	Put the rest of your rehearsal clothes in your suitcase
	Put your set book, pencil, lip balm and anything else you use during rehearsal in a "fanny pack" so you don't have to keep transferring items between pockets from day to day.
	Brass players may also want to keep a bottle of valve oil and an extra set of gloves in theirs
	If you have asthma, you will want to keep an inhaler with you at all times
	Get a toiletry bag for your toiletry items, sunscreen, etc. This is handy for heading to the bathroom and keeps things separated in case one of your bottles leaks or breaks. Always put bottles of sunscreen, shampoo, etc. in your toiletry bag, and squeeze the air out of them before you pack them. Placing them in ziplock bags is an additional measure of security.
	Put all of your letter-writing stuff, walkman, reading materials, etc., in your carry-on. The bus is where most of your free time will be.
	The rest of your items can be distributed between your carry-on and suitcase as you see fit.

Typical Summer Tour Days

Generally, here's how things work. You'll have three kinds of days - Show days, rehearsal days, and free days (some free all day, some just in the evening).

On show days...

Around midnight - (one hour after show retreat is done) Get on the bus and drive to next location. You'll generally sleep on the bus after an hour or so of driving.

Sometime in the wee hours - Arrive at destination school, grab stuff from under the bus, go inside and crash on the gym floor.

Late morning - Wake up. "Late morning" varies every day. You'll ALWAYS get at least 8 hours of sleep, but "bus sleep" only counts as half. So, if you have a 4-hour drive, that counts as 2 hours, and you'll get 6 more hours on the floor when you arrive, so you'll wake up at around 10 AM. (6 hour drive, wake up around 11 AM, 8 hour drive, wake up around noon, etc.)

When you wake up - The Director will tell you what's going on for the day, then you have an hour before rehearsal starts to eat, shower if you want, get your equipment at the truck before rehearsal starts, and be on the field.

Rehearsal - Amount of rehearsal in a day depends a lot on how long the previous night's drive was (and thus when you woke up), as well as what time the show is and how long the drive to the show is. Generally on a show day, you'll have 4-6 hours of rehearsal. If you have more than 4, generally there will be an hour lunch break halfway through.

Show preparation - At the end of rehearsal will be the final run-through for the day, and a short meeting where the Director will let you know the details of the show and other info. After that, you'll generally have two hours to get ready for the show. This includes eating dinner, taking a shower, packing your stuff. You'll need to have your under-the-bus items out 1/2 hour before leaving and everything needs to be out 15 minutes before leaving (or warm-up, if staying at the show site). For the last 15 minutes, EVERYONE helps clean the school (helping cook crew clean and pack their truck, picking up and mopping the gym, hallways, and cafeteria, picking up and quick once-over of bathrooms and shower rooms). The drum major will tell you when you are done, and you can load the bus (or head to warm-up if staying at the show site). Also, if you're staying at the show site, you'll need to be in at least half uniform before warm-up starts (staff will let you know half or full beforehand). If there's a bus ride to the show site that's longer than 15 minutes or so, all equipment will go on the truck. Shorter rides, horns (except contras) will go on the bus with you (once again, the staff will let you know which). This portion of the day requires planning and time management - Be sure you're not late!

Pre-show warm-up, etc. - Warm-up will last around 45 minutes, then you'll walk to the stadium. The Director will talk to you about the show, and then you'll line up and go on.

After show - You may have a few minutes to grab a drink of water before retreat starts. Next is the retreat and announcing of scores. If we win the show, we get to do a victory concert (standstill at the front of the field or on the track) which will probably include a portion of the field show. With or without the victory concert, after you're done you'll have about an hour to get out of uniform and relax before the buses leave and the process begins again

On non-Show days, things are different

If it's a rehearsal day, you'll have 8 hours of rehearsal (2 four-hour blocks with an hour lunch break in the middle). If you have a free evening, you'll probably have 4-6 hours of rehearsal similar to a show day. If the entire day is free, you'll probably have an hour or hour and a half to practice on your own or within small sections, and you'll have the rest of the day off. (On free days/evenings, buses will be sent to various locations such as movie theaters, professional sporting events, or other attractions in the area.) Don't be late and miss the bus at the appointed pick-up time!