CHANGING LIVES. BEAT BY BEAT.
FAQs
Q: Who is eligible to be in All-City?
A: All students residing in the St. Cloud School District #742 (public & private) as well as area districts who do not have their own summer marching programs are eligible to join All-City without audition. Members must be completing 7th grade to join a summer season.
Q: Is it true you do not have to audition to be in All-City?
A: Yes! Anyone who meets the above criteria can join automatically without audition, however once you are in you may not get the position you want. Instructors assign positions based on what is good for the overall group (i.e. a flag may end up in Honor Guard, a snare drummer may be switched to bass drum, etc)
Q: When does the All-City season officially start?
A: Rehearsals begin in early spring with occasional rehearsals scheduled. The official start is the first full week after graduation with the opening of Spat camp.
Q: Why do you call it Spat camp?
A: It's a take off on military training called Boot Camp. Bands don't wear boots but they used to wear Spats, a white piece of leather that fit over the shoe to make them all look the same. Hence Spat Camp has become the traditional name of training
camp for our marching bands.
Q: Is it expensive to be in All-City?
A: Absolutely not. In fact, most students don't pay a dime toward their season assessment. All-City works very hard to provide numerous opportunities for students to fundraise the costs. Regardless of financial situation, SCAC strives to make this
activity available to everyone.
Q: Do you have to play an instrument to be in All-City?
A: Of course not. There are plenty of sections that do no require a musical background including Honor Guard (American Squad, banner, etc), Colorguard (flag line, rifle line), etc.
Q: Does All-City take a lot of time?
A: Parades begin in mid-June and continue into mid-July. Some would say there aren't enough parades while most would say they have enough time to work jobs, vacation with family, etc. Parades are held mostly on weekends with rehearsals one
evening a week.
Q: What is the difference between summer and winter season?
A: The summer season is for parade marching where winter is divided into Winter guard & Winter drumline. Both winter seasons start rehearsals in late fall (Oct /Nov), begin competitions in mid-January and continue on weekends until the end of
March. It's a great way for band students to try colorguard or to play a percussion instrument.
Q: What is a Unity Rope?
A: The Unity Rope is an All-City tradition that started in the mid 1990's. Each season at Spat camp, one long rope is cut and divided among all students & staff. The rope represents the idea that we all are bound by one rope. The color of the rope
varies from year to year based on the primary colors of the show. It is worn at all times on the body to symbolize our team, hard work & unity.
Q: When did All-City start?
A: The St. Cloud All City Marching Band started in 1984 after St. Cloud School District 742 cut funding for the individual marching band programs in both area high schools. With the help of a strong booster group, the city of St. Cloud, business leaders and several individuals, a new marching band was created – The St. Cloud All-City High School Marching Band. This new band was unique in that it combined students from different area high schools, representing a unified St. Cloud! Today's summer and winter programs enjoy a mix of students from nearly a dozen different area schools.
Q: Do the colors worn by All-City represent any of the schools?
A: No. In the beginning, the All-City uniform proudly displayed colors of red, white & blue. In 2000 a fresh new look of navy blue, white & silver was created for a more modern & exciting approach. The colors worn by the colorguard vary every year
based on the theme & show.