WHAT IS THE COLLECTIVE?

The Collective is a space where students thrive within a creative and educational environment - no matter your age or instrument of choice. Gain exclusive access to Crossmen’s techniques, exercises and training materials.

Our goal is that, through the basic musical, performance and leadership skills, The Collective is the catalyst for preparing an audition for the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps, but also gains you access to what it takes to be a part of the Crossmen Winds and the San Antonio Community Wind Ensemble.The Collective is driven by our World Class administrative and educational team who are committed to taking your skills to the next level.

With the intention to educate through the basic musical, performance and leadership skills, The Collaborative is the catalyst for preparing an audition for the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps, but also gains you access to what it takes to be a part of the Crossmen Winds and the San Antonio Community Wind Ensemble.

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WHO IS THE COLLECTIVE FOR?

The Collective is for the fan, the aspirer, the committed and advanced performer, musician and artists. Anyone with interest or experience with marching band, drum corps, indoor within the realms of brass, percussion or color guard are welcome to join The Collective. Every student has the chance to learn from our World Class educational team. The Collective is a commonplace in which we learn and experience music, performance and pageantry together. It is a place in which students will learn and improve upon their abilities on and off the field.

It's important to note that The Collective is the catalyst to your connection to the drum corps, Crossmen Winds and San Antonio Wind Ensemble.

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HOW DO I AUDITION FOR THE DRUM CORPS?

It starts with The Collective. In order to be considered for the drum corps, you must be formally evaluated through video submissions. This is an additional fee and with this fee comes personal feedback from the caption manager and/or staff. 

There are multiple options and opportunities we want to provide every student to feel prepared for the opportunity to become a Crossmen. In order to take the next steps:

1. Get your education packet (Bronze, Silver or Gold Package) TODAY!
2. Book private lessons or plan for a formal evaluation this Winter! More information to come.
3. Attend all classes, lessons and in-person events as asked or required from our educational team.

NEXT: MEMBER CAMPS

Crossmen will not be hosting any in-person experience camps for the remainder of 2020. Any in-person camps are slated for March 2020 and onward. Please be advised that plans can change at any time, but we will do everything to ensure a timely response. As of November 2020, for the sake of safety and control, all in-person camps will be for contract members only. More information will be released after the new year. Please expect that there may be modifications or cancellations due to the current health crisis.

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CAN I AUDITION TO BE A DRUM MAJOR?

Crossmen is actively working on providing you a Drum Major Leadership Camp that will involve formal evaluations. STAY TUNED!

We are in the FINAL stages of choosing our Drum Majors. Check in Fall 2021 for more information on our Leadership programs and the pathway to become a Crossmen Drum Major!

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IS THERE AN AGE REQUIREMENT?

There is no age limit to join The Collective! It is open to all, regardless of age. To join the drum corps, we recommend that students are between the ages of 15-21.

EDUCATORS - Please contact us for discounted prices for your students (5+ students).

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WHAT IS THE AGE-OUT POLICY FOR THE 2021 SEASON?

All students, whether you were contracted, actively auditioning, or still have interest in joining the Crossmen AND 2020 was supposed to be your age-out year, you are eligible to march in 2021. If 2021 is your age-out year, it will remain so. The age-out age is defined as 22 for Summer 2021, 23 if your birthday falls on or after June 1, 2021.

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WILL THERE BE ANY LIVE, IN-PERSON EVENTS?

We are more and more optimistic as the CDC and our administration make progress with vaccinations. With the uncertainty surrounding the timeline for traditional in-person camps, our current (ever changing) plan is for virtual activities ONLY through April 2021. All in-person camps will be by invite only for those who have signed up and continue to actively participate in The Collective. The sooner you sign up, the more likely you are to maximize the value of your experience!

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WHAT IF THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC MAKE THINGS WORSE?

It’s a reality we are all very well aware of, BUT ARE PREPARED FOR. No matter what happens in 2021 and beyond, our mission with the Crossmen, through youth development and music & performance education, is to assist young people in becoming outstanding individuals on and off the field. Although we may focus more heavily on virtual education, individual growth, personal motivation, perseverance and continued developmental skills will be expected from all who join The Collective.

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WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2021 SUMMER TOUR?

Information on our annual summer tour is extremely fluid and ever-changing. We ask for your patience and understanding at this time. Know that the season will look extremely different than a traditional one. It will come with many changes, adjustments and requirements not typically mandated. Once we solidify what our modified season looks like we will post all the details here.

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I HAVE NEVER MARCHED OR AUDITIONED FOR A DRUM CORPS. WHERE TO START?

The Collective is designed to help introduce drum corps methods and evaluation process to new students within the music, marching and performing arts. You will have an educational experience like no other and you’ll meet the hard working people known as the Crossmen family. 

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TUITION IS $3,950. WHAT AM I PAYING FOR?

Tuition fees fund Crossmen Production’s year-round expenses, such as payroll, insurance, debt, utilities,  musical instruments, maintenance, equipment, fundraising, and other expenses needed to achieve Crossmen Productions’ mission.

Your Tuition and other contributions to Crossmen Productions are essential, and are allocated to support Crossmen’s year-long financial commitments. 

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HOW DOES CROSSMEN HANDLE SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS?

We take our members' safety very seriously. All sleeping arrangements (gym, cafeteria, hotel) are handled similarly, based on gender and by age. Please refer to the safety policies in regards to Youth Safety where we go in depth on our plan wherever we rest our heads.

Although our location for Spring Training and tour are TBD, we are actively working on getting this information to our cast members and families as soon as possible.

We will end the season in Indianapolis, IN at Trafalgar FFA, with performances in and around Indianapolis - including Lucas Oil Stadium.

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WHAT WILL THEY SPEND THEIR TIME DOING THIS SUMMER?

Since the beginning of the planning stages for the 2021 season, our goal has always been to make this as much of a drum corps experience as possible. Our intention is to create a 10 minute drum corps show, travel the state and the country. All of which, we plan to have full control of our surroundings.

This includes 3-a-days, rehearsing typically in three blocks throughout the day. We are aware of the extended time our members will be in a "bubble" format and we are actively planning for down-time to be enjoyable, entertaining and memorable.

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HOW RIGOROUS IS THE SCHEDULE THIS SUMMER?

More than ever before, Crossmen will be stationary for nearly 7 weeks. Every student’s experience is our first priority over everything else. Although we will be managing under very different and unique circumstances, the plan is to make it as similar to what a pre-COVID-19 season would look like. We are developing a world class drum corps show. We will do 3-a-days. However, we intend to add ample amount of rest time and free days or half days to take a break from the daily grind.

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WHAT TYPE OF DOWN TIME, LIBERTIES AND FREEDOMS WILL THEY HAVE?

We will consider our housing location a "bubble". In order to get us from start to finish of the season, we expect every member, staff and volunteer to honor and respect the rules of the bubble. We will create opportunities for the members to have fun in their down time - nothing has been conceptualized yet, but we will also give them a voice in what they want.

The biggest challenge that is different than any other season is that members will not get to visit with friends and family in the bubble or on the road. There is no hugging grandma at a show or visiting with friends in other drum corps. There is no going down the street after the performance to grab food or a drink. It will be a drastic change, but will be necessary to give the members a world class experience in a SAFE environment.

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WHAT ARE THE RULES OF BEHAVIOR REGARDING ALCOHOL, SMOKING AND DRUGS?

Please refer to the safety policy in regards to smoking, alcohol and drugs.

The student leadership is develops a Member handbook that will reflect our policies from a member's perspective. This handbook will guide and set expectations for all members through this coming Summer.

Handbook will be ready for distribution in April, 2021.

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WHAT IS CROSSMEN'S POLICY ON THE COVID-19 VACCINATION(S)?

If/When vaccines become generally available for your age group before Spring Training (June 25), we will require a vaccination.  We ask that all cast members, staff and volunteers work to become vaccinated as soon as possible.

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