re: LSU Band...How difficult is it to make the drum line?

Good advice from several here regarding how to be prepared for it. The two toughest sections to land a spot in with Tigerband are percussion/drum line and Tuba (JUMAS). The sections aren't as large as the trumpet or trombone sections, so figure fewer spots available is gonna make it that much tougher.

High school marching band experience can be helpful if you were in a particularly competitive marching band that demanded excellence in musicianship and M&M (marching and maneuvering). A HUGE help in preparing to audition successfully for a spot in the Tigerband drum line would most likely include summer marching with one of the drum corps across the US. During my time in Tigerband in the late 1980s, our drum corps was essentially made up of guys who had marched all summer with Phantom Regiment and Star of Indiana. It kept them sharp in the off season, and they spent several weeks together working closely on precision drills and playing - and it showed!

Good luck with the audition.

And no, I wasn't in the drum line. I was among the plethora of trumpets. Dr. Wickes said he could never have too many trumpets or trombones as long as they were talented. I snuck in with a late audition on the day Tigerband practice started in August. You won't get the chance for a late audition for drum line or JUMAS.