Two seniors win drumline competition, travel to state and world competition later
MHS students will be traveling to Colorado Springs on April 14th for State and to Dayton, Ohio on April 18th-21st for World Championships performing a rendition of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Update 4/16/18: The band won first at their state competition!
On March 31st, the Rocky Mountain Percussion Association (RMPA) hosted a competition at Longmont High School. The event hosted over 25 different indoor drumlines from around the state, all competing for first place in their “class.” A class is the equivalent of a division in most sports.
There are varying levels of competition, as well as different types of groups. For example, There are concert groups, similar to our school’s percussion ensemble, and marching groups, similar to a marching band, though only percussion. The varying classes include A, Open, and World.
Mead High’s very own seniors Robert McKenna and Mariana Tiscareño participated in this competition with the Longmont High School Indoor Percussion ensemble, winning their 2nd competition in a row in their division this season. The ensemble has won 7 (now 8) total state championships since 1998, with the past 4 (now 5) being consecutive.
When preparing for their performances the students practice usually upwards of 16 hours per week.
“The hardest part [of practicing] has been not just learning the music, but learning how to perform,” according to McKenna, “How to make the faces and move. It’s also the funnest part because I get to go *******”
The performance is not simply musical, it is dramatic in its entirety. Students get into character through costume as well as acting. The music they play works in accordance with the storyline of the text they’ve chosen, this year the band chose Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
When asked why they chose that piece, Tiscareño responded, “Our director, the one who writes our music, works with a band in California. They used a wood floor last year. They were trying to figure out what to do with this wood floor when one day it just clicked. The Tell-Tale Heart would work perfectly with this”
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“One side is a modern take on a victorian look. That’s supposed to be the sane side. When we turn that side towards the audience we show that he’s not that crazy, but when we turn the other side towards the audience we show just how crazy he is” [Tiscareño On the Costume]
“One side is a modern take on a victorian look. That’s supposed to be the sane side. When we turn that side towards the audience we show that he’s not that crazy, but when we turn the other side towards the audience we show just how crazy he is” [Tiscareño On the Costume]
“One side is a modern take on a victorian look. That’s supposed to be the sane side. When we turn that side towards the audience we show that he’s not that crazy, but when we turn the other side towards the audience we show just how crazy he is” [Tiscareño On the Costume]
The band has two competitions coming up, one in Colorado Springs on April 14th, for their state championships, and the other in Dayton, Ohio from April 18th-21st.
“I’m excited for Dayton, but I’m really nervous for State because we’re state champions and we gotta defend that title,” said McKenna when asked how he felt about the upcoming competitions.
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Tiscareño and McKenna are congratulated for coming in first.
“One side is a modern take on a victorian look. That’s supposed to be the sane side. When we turn that side towards the audience we show that he’s not that crazy, but when we turn the other side towards the audience we show just how crazy he is” [Tiscareño On the Costume]
“One side is a modern take on a victorian look. That’s supposed to be the sane side. When we turn that side towards the audience we show that he’s not that crazy, but when we turn the other side towards the audience we show just how crazy he is” [Tiscareño On the Costume]
“One side is a modern take on a victorian look. That’s supposed to be the sane side. When we turn that side towards the audience we show that he’s not that crazy, but when we turn the other side towards the audience we show just how crazy he is” [Tiscareño On the Costume]
“My favorite part, because I love playing music so much,” Says Tiscareño, “I love getting together and making music together. I love watching everyone else’s shows”
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Shelby Lewis • Apr 17, 2018 at 9:14 am
Good luck to them when they go to state!