Pittsburgh Steeline

The Pittsburgh Steeline is an independent, professional drumline from Pittsburgh, PA. We provide exciting, positive, family-friendly entertainment at all Steelers home games.

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Steeline 2023 Audition Information Page! 

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of the 2023 Pittsburgh Steeline. As a member, you have the once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of the official drumline of the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as a fun, talented, and supportive community of fellow drummers.  We perform live at every Steelers home game as a paid, professional drumline.  Below, you will find everything you need to know about this year’s auditions. 
    
1.    Basic Audition Requirements
2.    Audition Dates, Locations, Times
3.    Audition Procedure and Criteria
4.    Downloadable Audition Music
5.    Link to Register For 2023 Auditions*

*If you plan to audition, you must register at the link at the bottom of this page. It is extremely important that we have this information in advance.

*Also at the bottom of the page is a short informational YouTube video that shows footage of the audition process and what to expect!

Basic Audition Requirements:

Auditions are open to anyone 18 years of age or older.  Ideal candidates will have a background in rudimental drumming and spent time drumming in drumlines, but all musicians and performers are welcome.  All auditionees must register for auditions using the link at the bottom of this page.

Our full line consists of 9 snare drums, 4 tenors (six packs), 5 tonal bass drums, 4 “boom” drummers (flat mounted marching bass drums), and 5 cymbal players.

Background Check: Anyone contracted by the Pittsburgh Steeline may be required to submit a standard background check, typical of most employers. Any check that shows conviction of a crime, NOT INCLUDING misdemeanors or traffic violations might not be eligible for membership, depending on the circumstances.


Audition Dates, Locations, Times:

Steeline auditions will be held on the following dates:

Sunday, June 4th, 2023, 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM

Sunday, June 11th, 2023, 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM

In person attendance at both dates is required for the audition, however if attendance at one or both dates is impossible for any reason, please contact us at PGHSteeline@gmail.com for information regarding video auditions.

Location:

Pitcairn Park Building

557 Broadway Boulevard

Pitcairn, PA 15140

 

 

Audition Procedure and Criteria:

What to Expect

This will be a “rehearsal” style audition, where everyone will drum through the audition material as a group, on the drum(s) of your choice, and be evaluated by our audition panel in real time. The audition will take place on two consecutive Sundays. Our expectation is that all auditionees attend both audition dates. If attendance at one or more of the audition dates is impossible, please reach out to us via email at PGHSteeline@gmail.com for information on video auditions.

The Steeline will provide all drums, cymbals, and bass drum mallets. Auditionees trying out for snare or tenor should provide their own sticks. Expect to rotate on and off of drums and play through all audition music, receive feedback and suggestions from our leadership team, and make changes and modifications as needed. If you have auditioned for college/DCI/indoor drumlines in the past, expect a very similar process. Audition music does not need to be memorized, but keep in mind that the Steeline does not supply music stands. If you need to read music, you will need to supply your own music stand.


Procedure

Auditionees will be evaluated by the Steeline leadership team, including our director, section leaders, and other staff.  This evaluation will be based on:

Musicianship: You will be evaluated on how well you play drums and how accurately you play the music on the page. Musicianship evaluation criteria include rhythmic accuracy, sound quality, musicality, technique, tempo, timing, etc.  You will be evaluated on your ability to adapt and make small adjustments to your playing in real time based on feedback from our leadership team.

 

Performance: You will be evaluated on your ability to entertain and engage an audience while you drum.  Members of the Steeline are expected to be dynamic, enthusiastic, energetic performers who pump up Steelers fans and are fun to watch! Confidence, charisma, and giving off good vibes. These all go a long way!

 

Attitude: We are looking for individuals who are easy to get along/work with, have good communication skills, possess a solution-driven attitude, and a positive mindset about what they do.

Availability: All members of the Steeline must give reasonable assurance that they can attend all ten Steelers home games (schedule available at www.steelers.com by mid-April), as well as weekly Wednesday evening rehearsals in Pittsburgh (7:00 PM to 10:00 PM) that run from late June through mid-December. In addition, any full-time Pittsburgh Steeline member must live inside of 100 miles and less than 2 hrs drive from downtown Pittsburgh. Individuals not meeting both of these criteria who are still interested in auditioning may audition as alternates (see below).

 

All Steelers home games are held at Acrisure Stadium. Our rehearsals are all held at a few different easily-accessible school and community center locations, all of which are located in or near Monroeville, PA in Pittsburgh’s East Suburbs. A formal schedule including specific rehearsal locations will be shared at the audition.  Attending the weekly Wednesday rehearsals and Steelers home games is the only required time commitment to be a full-time member of the Steeline.*

*In addition to Steelers home games, the Steeline maintains an active schedule of additional appearances/performances throughout the Pittsburgh area (parades, charity events, corporate functions, Steelers special events, etc.).  While none of these events are individually required for membership, part of our evaluation will be assessing your potential availability/willingness to perform at some of these (paid) events throughout the season.  

Alternate Performers

In addition to the 27 "full-time" musicians we employ, positions in the Steeline are available for "alternate" performers.  Alternates are required to come to one rehearsal a month, and fill in for full-time musicians if someone is absent from a game or we are short for another performance.  Alternate spots are available to anyone who is deemed qualified via the audition process and interested in this role.  There is no limit on how many alternates we take.  Alternate performers must be responsible enough to learn and maintain music on their own and be prepared to replace an absent person on short notice.  More details about alternate responsibilities will be provided at auditions.

 

Downloadable Audition Music:

Please prepare the 4 music selections at the link below.   You are welcome to audition for as many sections in the ensemble as you would like, however we encourage auditionees to focus on the section that they feel they are best at. 

We will play the following four pieces:

Steel Cats, Sargento, Let’s Go Steelers, and Jam and Toast

The link below will take you to a standard Google Drive folder that contains .PDF files and audio files of all the music needed for the audition. Depending on the device you are using, you will likely need to have Google Drive installed to view, download, or print the sheet music or listen to the audio samples.  If you have tech issues accessing the music or audio files, email us at PGHSteeline@gmail.com and we can help!

CLICK HERE FOR AUDITION MUSIC

Audition Registration

All prospective auditionees must register for auditions by filling out the form below.  Please fill this out and submit ASAP.  The sooner we have your info, the better!