This year is the first-ever season of Winter Percussion, a group of drummers learning and practicing percussion-based music. This group, consisting of 60+ people (including color guard), has multiple practices a week, at-home practice, competitions, and training camps.
On the outside, Winter Percussion appears to be a laid-back get-together of friends wanting to play music together. In reality, though, there is much more to it. “Every Monday and Thursday, we have practice after school from 5:30-8:30,” junior Kwaku Kwabia shares. Additionally, they have competitions every Saturday and occasional training camps that typically last around four-to-five hours.
Not only do students need to practice in school, it’s also crucial they practice outside of school. Junior Sean Kearney shares how he works hard outside of school. “I practice around 30 minutes a day, everyday, when we don’t have practice.” Sean has the dedication to get better and better, and he truly enjoys what he does.
Competitions are a big part of winter percussion; they provide the performers a goal to work towards and a reason to perfect their craft. Recently, the Winter Percussion team competed in Rolesville. “We came 1st place in our class,” senior Laura Doody explains. “And we came in 2nd overall.”
Although performing well in these competitions is a priority, it’s important to thoroughly enjoy what you’re doing. In the case of Sean Kearney, he loves the environment. “I really like doing performing arts and [have] a knack for playing the drums.” He didn’t join the Winter Percussion team with eyes solely on winning; he wanted to have fun, too.
Winter Percussion provides students an opportunity to pursue their passion in performing arts while learning and practicing percussion-based music. It also allows a calm, happy environment, where students can not only learn, but enjoy their time, too.