Marching Knights

How much does it cost to be in the Marching Knights? What are your band fees?

Marching Knights is a course in the School of Performing Arts at UCF. Students are required to register and pay tuition for this two-credit hour course. (Students in drumline, color guard, dance team, and majorettes will register for an additional third credit hour to cover their extra rehearsals during the week.) You will need to purchase a pair of black marching shoes if you don’t already own one, but other than tuition and a nominal supplies fee of $37 (paid with your tuition), there are no other costs for being in Marching Knights. Instrument rental (if needed), dry cleaning for your uniform, and travel costs are all included in your tuition for this course. No band fees!

I’m taking a lot of classes this semester. How much time does Marching Knights take up?

Saturday home game days are pretty full days. For rehearsals, the full band meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6:00 to 8:30 PM. We intentionally schedule Marching Knights at a time that won’t interfere with most other classes (and it’s a little bit cooler outside during hot months!). Drumline and auxiliaries meet at 5:00 on Monday and Wednesday for a little extra sectional time. Occasionally, when we are making good progress with our show learning and we don’t have a home game the following day, the director may opt to cancel some Friday rehearsals, or let rehearsals out early. We try to be respectful of your time—we know that everyone is very busy!

How often do the Marching Knights travel?

That varies from year-to-year depending on our football schedule. Most years, we will try to go to at least one away game (if it’s not too far away), and try to do one outreach event such as an exhibition performance for a high school marching competition. When our football team is in a post-season bowl game, we almost always will travel with them. The good news is that your travel costs (even your meals) are all paid for whenever we go on trips off campus!

Do the Marching Knights compete in any sort of competitions?

We aim to be one of the very best college marching bands in the country. We do this by producing fun and exciting halftime shows, keeping our fans excited and engaged at athletic events, and representing our university with class and pride wherever we perform. Across the country, college marching bands are perceived to be successful or not based on how well they accomplish exactly these tasks—not on how adjudicators rate a particular performance against other bands. We love performing, we love our fans, and we love our school—and THAT is why the Marching Knights do what we do.

How many different halftime shows do the Marching Knights perform every year?

The Marching Knights will almost never do the exact same halftime show twice at a football game. Depending on our football schedule, we try to create a new halftime show for every UCF home game. And even though we may not do a new show from scratch for every game, we almost always change up something (even if it’s just one song) to give our fans some variety. Our shows for the season are planned to try and maximize variety, keeping in mind we may have limited time to prepare some of these shows.

I’ve heard it’s possible to join the Marching Knights even though I’m attending a community or state college. Is this true?

UCF currently has agreements with Valencia College and Seminole State College that allow students at those schools to dual-enroll at UCF for the specific purpose of participating in marching band. This special agreement applies only to marching band and not to any other musical ensembles at UCF. There is a very specific set of procedures that must be followed for students wishing to dual enroll; please see the Community/State College Students page for specific details and deadlines.

Do the Marching Knights have a band camp?

Yes! Much like high school marching band, we run a preseason band camp just before classes begin to get a head start on our fundamental marching technique, begin learning music for the season ahead, and start learning drill for our pregame and first halftime shows. Band camp typically begins on a Sunday eight days before classes start, and runs through Saturday (two days before classes start). Drumline and auxiliaries will begin their camp a few days before the rest of the band (see the Band Camp page for exact dates). Attendance at band camp is mandatory for everyone participating in Marching Knights, so care should be taken to avoid scheduling conflicts during the week before fall classes start.

I am living on-campus or affiliated housing. Is it possible to move in early when band camp begins?

Yes! On-campus and affiliated housing will allow you to move in one week early on the first day of full band camp. There is an extra cost (On-Campus Housing: $150, Campus-Affiliated Housing: $200) to cover your expenses for the week. Registration to move into on-campus housing will begin in July through the myUCF Housing Portal. Questions about this should be directed to UCF Housing & Residence Life. If you are living off-campus next year, you will have to contact your apartment complex or housing provider directly to discuss the possibility of early move-in. For More information, see band camp.


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