Del Mars winter drum line is now at its halfway point in its season. Winter drum line is much like a regular marching band, which takes place in the fall season. It is composed of a variety of instruments and has a drum major, who can be considered as a team captain. The winter drum line is composed only of different types of drums and percussion instruments, for example, marimba. The percussion section of the drum line doesn’t march; they stay in the front of the ensemble, primarily focused on the music. Percussion can also go by “Pit” or “ front ensemble.”
The season began in late November, but full rehearsals didn’t start until January. The drum line has regular practices on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. On weekdays, their practice times go from 6 pm – 9pm, and on weekends, their practice times are 10 am-5 pm. Drum line practices mostly consist of marching, learning new music and making choreography to bring their show to life. Drum line is also very beginner-friendly; past experience is not needed to join.
“We’re much stronger than we were last season,” said sophomore Ian Pedrosa, center snare, “We have a stronger staff, stronger performers and the confidence is just there, compared to last year.”
Senior Alessio Dyrby, tenor drums, said, “The most different thing from last season [compared to] this season is that everyone is 100% more locked in and we’re just getting better as a group. It’s going to be a good season.”
Drumline has had an extraordinary season this year, with more participants than ever before. Their confidence and hard work have been extraordinary. The theme for their show this year is streelights. They have all put in all their efforts to make this their best season and show ever. Members have expressed their satisfaction with the season.
“I think that we started out the competition really well, especially with our score and I think it’s really fun because you’re like in such an enclosed place with so few people,” said sophomore Evelyn Kim, bass one, “when we won first place it kind of started everyone off with like the correct mindset for the rest of the season.”
On Saturday, February 28, at San Mateo High School, the drum line participated in a 12 hour competition, where they brought home the first place trophy. Winning first place added fuel to their spirits to keep improving their show for this season, so it’s as engaging and extravagant as possible for both the audience and the judges.
The way the drum line gets scored is different than sports. They are scored by performance, like choreography and music quality. As well as dynamics (how well they control the volume of their music), clarity and lastly, marching technique. Percussion is scored a little differently than the rest of the ensemble; they get scored the same as the rest of the ensemble for music, but since they don’t march, the way they show performance is by using facial expressions and small stationary choreography.
“The first few weeks we learned a lot of music in a short amount of time,” said sophomore Chloe Yuen, center marimba. “The music is amazing and our instructor, Desmond, is amazing because he wrote the show, so it’s been really fun to learn more about our show.”
Members of the drum line are eager and looking forward to more competitions and showcases as the season progresses and nears its end in early April. To learn more information about Del Mar’s drum line and their upcoming competitions and showcases, follow the official drum line and percussion account on Instagram @dmhs_perc. A student-run account by Evelyn Kim, Chloe Yuen and Santiago Mercado Rocha. Their next competition will be at James Logan High School on March 28.
