Sacramento Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps

Please see the following list of frequently asked questions for more information. If you have any questions that are not answered below, please email us at MandarinsBrass@yahoo.com.

A. Simple, there are two ways to become a member. First, you can pre-register by sending an email to MandarinsBrass@yahoo.com withthe following information: your name, age, school, the instrument that you want to play and how long you have been playing that instrument. Second, attend the first rehearsal session and register in person.

A: Due to the popularity of the Mandarins Brass Academy, we are pleased to offer up the brass academy in three locations this year. We are hosting the MBA in Sacramento County, El Dorado County and Stanislaus County. Please feel free to attend the MBA that is closest to you.

A: The Mandarins Brass Academy costs $60 to join for the full season. We are keeping the cost as low as possible to allow as many area brass musicians as possible to join. This nominal fee covers the cost of printing music, musical instruction and use of the rehearsal location.

A: This is a qualified “YES”. While it is not a requirement to be in a high school or college band, we highly recommend that you be a member of your school band. The MBA is intended to be fully complementary and supportive of your school band program. It is only through daily practice in your band program that you be able to apply the brass fundamentals that will be introduced at the MBA. Our goal is for you to gain proficiency in your playing ability and the best way to do that is to participate in your school band.

A: We strongly recommend that you bring your own instrument. We will have a very limited supply of instruments as loaners during our MBA sessions. Unfortunately, loaners are only to be used during MBA sessions and are not available for you to take home. Also, if you want to borrow a Mandarins instrument, please bring your own mouthpiece. To make arrangements to use an instrument, send an email request to MandarinsBrass @yahoo.com.

A: No, there are no auditions. You simply need to attend one of the first MBA sessions, register and pay the dues.

A: The MBA meets once a month on Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00PM. We have selected Sunday afternoons for our rehearsals so that there are generally no school conflicts. Also, if you want to go to church on Sunday morning (or just sleep in) there should be no conflict.

A: While attending all rehearsals is not mandatory, it is highly recommended. During each session we will cover a different brass performance topic. If you miss a rehearsal session you will miss that aspect of brass performance. If you must miss a rehearsal for some reason, please email us at MandarinsBrass@yahoo.com.

A. Yes, you can still join. Simply come out to the next rehearsal and we will find a way of fitting you into the brass ensemble.

A: Throughout the season we will have one or two performances. For example, the Sacramento County MBA is scheduled to perform in a joint concert with the Elk Grove Community Band for their winter concert. We will also have at least one other joint performance with the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps In the winter.

A: The answer is a qualified yes. The MBA requires that you have a basic understanding of the instrument that you want to study. For example, everyone should know the fingerings or slide positions for their instrument of choice. We will then introduce some of the fundamentals of brass playing that will benefit brass musicians of all levels. It is highly encouraged, though, that anyone participating in the MBA has daily practice with their brass instrument.

A: No. The MBA is a non-marching ensemble. At times we may play a standstill performance, but marching is not required. However, good posture is required as it enhances good breathing techniques which is essential to excellent brass playing.

A: Absolutely not. The rehearsal times were chosen to try to avoid any conflicts with your school band rehearsals or performances. If there is a schedule conflict, we fully expect you to attend your school function.

A: Bring your instrument, notepad, pencil, drinking water and valve/slide oil. Most importantly bring a positive attitude to learn and a lot of energy to play!

A: All rehearsals and performances will be local to your area.

A: We are pleased to have on staff many of the professional brass instructors from the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps. Also, we have invited other area music educators to participate. All combined, our instructional staff has well over a hundred years of experience in performing and teaching brass musicianship.

A: Our rehearsals will be a fast paced three hour session so please make sure you are early to each session. Registration and setup will begin at 1:00PM with warm-ups beginning at 1:30PM. At the end of each rehearsal session we will invite all parents to a short show-and-tell performance of what we learned during that session.

A: We will play a wide variety of music ranging from technical studies to performance pieces that are specifically arranged for brass ensembles.

A: Each MBA session will be focused on a particular brass performance technique. For example, we will have sessions on proper breathing methods, achieving good tone quality, proper attacks and releases, fingering dexterity, etc. These techniques will be applied to exercises. These techniques will ultimately be demonstrated through the performance pieces.

A: The MBA is intended to help strengthen local band programs. The MBA provides school music directors the opportunity to send their students to the Academy where the students will focus on these specific brass techniques. Our hope is that the students will return to their band programs with a deeper understanding and appreciation for what it takes to be a proficient brass performer.

A: While the MBA is intended for area high school and college level musicians, we will consider 7th and 8th graders who have the ability to play at a high school level.

A: Yes, if you have the time and motivation, please feel free to attend the MBA sessions at other locations. There will be no additional charge for doing so. Being a member at one MBA makes you a member at all three!

A: No, while the MBA is sponsored in part by the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps, it is a separate entity. The Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps is a marching organization consisting of a full brass line, percussion line and color guard. The Corps tours throughout the United States during the summer and is a sanctioned World Class Drum and Bugle Corps through Drum Corps International. For more information see the website Mandarins.org

A: Yes. The brass performance techniques that are taught in the brass academy are consistent with those taught in the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps. Demonstrating these proficiencies is part of the Mandarins audition process. In the past two years, many members of the Mandarins Brass Academy have gone onto become full marching members of the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps. Membership in the MBA, however, is not a guarantee of acceptance into the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps.

A: For any additional information that is not mentioned here, please contact us at MandarinsBrass@yahoo.com

We look forward to seeing you at the first MBA rehearsal!!!