Great Expectations!

2010 is here and we are at the commencement of another amazing indoor drum line season. Mixed in with Winter Guard International regional competitions will be previews, local competitions, aggressive rehearsal schedules, road trips and beautiful memories, all of which will culminate at the “Sport of the Arts” World Percussion Finals in Dayton, Ohio, April 15 – 17.

Wow

Franklin Central High School is honored to once again host the Indianapolis Percussion Regional, and what a show! On March 6th, thirty-six ensembles (as of 1/4/10) will be performing. Considering last year’s level of performances at the Indy Percussion Regional, fans should expect this year’s exciting event to be full of many WOW moments. This regional includes SEVEN Independent World Units:

Blue Knights

Evolution

Freedom Percussion

Gateway Indoor

Matrix

Music City Mystique

and the 2009 PIW World Champions

Rhythm X.

The drum lines competing at the Indy Regional will perform with an intensity and excellence matched only at the highest levels of pageantry arts.

Milestones

The WGI Indy Percussion Regional is another demonstration of how far the pageantry art of indoor drum line competition has progressed. Remember when seven independent drum lines would have made for a national competition? I remember my first involvement at WGI World Finals and taking my students to watch the handful of World Independent groups warming up in the lot. I would say to my students, “If you think this is great, you should see the lot at DCI Finals.” No longer is this the case. If you have not roamed the lot at WGI Finals, you are missing a spectacular exhibition of technique, musicianship and showmanship.

Chicken or the Egg?

Perhaps at one time, some might have considered the WGI winter indoor season the off season for the DCI summer season. If you witnessed the 2009 DCI Finals in Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, you probably picked up on influences from the previous 2009 WGI Sport of the Arts World Finals. With staff, design teams and students participating in both indoor and outdoor seasons, I wonder which season is the chicken and which is the egg?

A New Generation

The indoor drum line activity has now matured to a new generation of directors, designers and instructors who began their participation in the activity as performers and now stepped across the front time line to be the directors, instructors and innovators of the activity.

Educational Opportunities

Drumming gets in your blood and no where is it better demonstrated than the level of performances exhibited by the indoor drum lines. There are many opportunities available for student performers to learn and improve. The growth of the activity, demonstrated by the performance level of individual players, reveals the impact of the many educational opportunities.

Join Us!

On March 6th, and 7th, you will have an opportunity to share with the performers as they push percussion performance another notch higher. Please join us in Indianapolis!