Hey guys, I'm PDub's roommate and you guys had a couple questions about D&B? I'll do the best I can.
Alright, here's how it works, D&B cadets are on LOS which stands for Limited-On-Season Status and this means that you will not have to do intramurals (unfortunately, you will still do intramurals in Basic Cadet Training but after that, you won't have to participate anymore). During Marching Season, which is from August to November, we will be practicing Monday through Friday from about 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. After that, we will have practices on Tuesday and Thursday only from about 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
I personally did not think D&B took up a lot of time during my freshmen year and I thought it was a lot of fun. I mean sure, we did practice a lot during marching season but there was always plenty of time to do homework and other activities. I'm proud to say that D&B has the highest GPA average out of all of the Academy's club sports/teams and if you're struggling, we have an Academic program and Athletic program to help you get back on track. I benefitted from this and it's helped a lot.
The Cadet Jazz Ensemble meets every Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. but I'm not sure when they end. I'm sorry to say that I do not know much about them besides that but they are definitely a really great group to join if you're interested.
D&B has their own version of a Jazz Band and only a select few get to join but this group goes to play at the Wing Open (Boxing tournament) and other cool events and in this band, you can play woodwinds and non-marching instruments as well.
D&B will provide your instrument if you're wondering and unfortunately, we only have horns and a drum line/ pit so no woodwinds, sorry... Don't let that get you down though because we've taught many woodwinds players how to play Trumpet, Baritone, Euphonium, Mellophone, or Contra and they haven't had any complaints. If you're a beginning percussionist then we also will teach you how to play.
Well, if you have any other questions, please let me know. Hope to see you guys next year and Welcome Aboard. D&B is a great program and we'll be glad to have you.