Percussion Scholastic A (PSA)

Wapakoneta HS — "In Plain Sight"

This show has a very engaging opening, as it draws you in with the sounds of mysterious whispers and intriguing piano tones before piecing together the full ensemble. Those same whispering echoes are a consistent motif throughout the show, particularly in a memorable ballad movement. The entire front ensemble is positioned in the bottom right corner of the floor, which allows the floor’s design — which looks somewhat like an optical illusion fading from black in the back left to white in the front right — to show through more prominently. 

Tippecanoe HS — "More than Machines"

Tippecanoe has one of the simpler visual designs I’ve seen yet, with an almost entirely white floor, an almost entirely black uniform, and one tall prop that opens the show right in the center of the floor. The show opens by constantly adding to an upper-octave eight-note pattern, before building to an aggressive opening statement. The prop serves as the stage for an impressive split cymbal feature, which is one of the highlights of Tippecanoe’s program. It also serves as a cage of sorts for one of the group’s color guard performers, who breaks out during the show’s ballad.

Springboro HS — "Anomaly"

The third of back-to-back groups with largely black-and-white color schemes, Springboro’s floor fades from black-and-white checkers into a fully white floor from left to right, with one bright orange square — likely some sort of symbolism for the show’s title, as something that sticks out from norm and expectation — positioned in the top left corner. While Springboro has just a nine-person battery, the group packs a fuller sound than you might expect at first glance, backed most notably by its full bass line. Two of the group’s performers reveal orange undershirts, continuing the color-orange motif, during the show’s recognizable middle movement, “Mad World” by Gary Jules. By the end of the piece, all nine battery members have unzipped and removed their hoodie-like uniform tops to reveal the bright shade of orange before transitioning into a strong, up-tempo closer. 

Northeastern HS — "Invictus"

Northeastern’s show opens with the quote, “Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul,” the opening stanza from William Ernest Henley’s 1888 poem, “Invictus,” backed by moving string patches and low, swelling chords. Multiple narrative references are made to the poem throughout the show, particularly at key points of transition to new movements and tones of performance. Several solos and solis are littered throughout this production, seeming to allude to the individual achievement that is presented by the poem.

Hamilton HS — "Bend"

This unique theme is developed right from the start through high pitch-bending synth tones, which are a constant throughout the show. Hamilton’s floor also has four curved lines with subsequent props that stick up from the ends of each line and bend outward, as if to turn the 2D lines on the floor into 3D lines that extend from the floor itself. The theme isn’t quite as fully expanded upon visually as it is musically, but the electronic tones used definitely create a cool, intriguing sound while also driving the show’s tangible concept.

Kettering Fairmont HS — "The Floor is Lava"

Kettering Fairmont’s visual approach is apparent from the minute the ensemble takes the stage, as its floor is directly emulative of a house’s blueprint, but its theme is outside the box to say the least. The show opens with one member shouting, “Guys, the floor is lava,” which is met by every battery member quickly searching to find and stay on a portion of the blueprint that qualifies as anything but flooring. Throughout the show, two of the blueprint’s “rooms” are covered with a lava-textured tarp, and are subsequently avoided for the remainder of the performance. This one’s certainly creative and unique, and isn’t at all what you’d expect it to be about when you initially see the visual design. 

Olentangy Liberty HS — "Lady in Black: The Curse of Sarah Winchester"

With a hard-wood floor design and window structures lining the back of the floor. Olentangy Liberty’s design is, in a way, the more tangible version of the group that performed directly before it. Other props display different types of house-front images, accompanied by one bunk-bed prop. From the beginning, narration develops a ghost story being told by the ensemble, alluding that the “house” in question is haunted. “Uninvited” by Alanis Morissette serves as the show's ballad, as several of the spirits supposedly haunting the house take the floor as color guard performers in one of the show’s more engaging moments.

Fairborn HS — "Character Building"

For Fairborn’s production, three brick wall props line the back left corner of a bright blue floor, and several rectangular blocks are positioned throughout the floor, each one of which is revealed to have a different word written on it throughout the show. Some of those words are positive, like hope and confidence, and some are negative, like fear and doubt. Fairborn has another undersized battery that still carries significant sound, despite just three snares, two tenors, two cymbals and three basses. 

East Irondequoit HS — "Peace by Piece"

With a large, gold “peace” sign filling a significant portion of its floor, East Irondequoit’s theme is apparent from the start. By way of early narrations, set to tribal percussion rhythms, it’s made clear that the show is meant to encourage unity and the breaking down of social barriers. East Irondequoit’s production includes a tenor feature set to Konnakol rhythms, emulative of the bold music style Blue Devils brought to DCI this summer in “Dreams and Nighthawks.” A majority of the show’s music carries that kind of Indian vibe to it, with several sitar passages being presented throughout the program. John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” serves as the inspiration for East Irondequoit’s final movement, the chorus of which is sung by the full ensemble to close the show. 

Bellbrook HS — "Pedal to the Metal"

The show opens with the sounds of a car starting, followed by the iconic countdown sound effect from Nintendo’s Mario Kart games, and Bellbrook is off to the races. In the second movement, four cocktail drum sets are entered into the floor, played by Bellbrook’s four snare drummers. This show is built on driving rhythms and has a steady emphasis on bass guitar and low-register piano notes — especially in its middle movement — which makes for a cool, grooving sound.

Kings HS — "Four on the Floor"

The floor design for Kings’ show is certainly unique, very eye-catching, and quite literal; on its blackground lies a sideways yellow number ‘4’, which is partially covered by the word “for,” softly drawn in a cursive font. The show opens with quarter notes played in groups of four, which leads into an opening movement of “Dies Irae.” The battery spends a lot of its time around four blue scaffolding props which have four concert bass drums hanging within them, which provides an intriguing integration of props. One of the more recognizable songs used in a PSA show this weekend, Kings features themes of The Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” in its second movement. 

Sycamore HS — "On and Off"

Red is the dominant color from the minute Sycamore takes the floor, as the ensemble’s uniforms, cubic props and a lot of its floor are largely covered in shades of the first color in the rainbow. Sycamore opened its Sunday performance with an impressively clean battery break, which quickly transitioned into a period of section-specific features set to classical music. At one point after a major musical impact, the entire battery plays for a few measures on the rims of its instruments, seeming to be an allusion to the “off” portion of the show’s title. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 — you may recognize it from Rhythm X’s 2013’s “The Man in the Arena” — serves as an expressive, piano-heavy ballad. 

Milford HS (OH) — "The Wild"

Bird calls echo out of Milford’s speakers during its pre-show, and from the start, tribal drums, wood blocks, and other animal sound effects lead into what was quite the clean battery impact; Milford was noticeably tight, musically speaking, pretty much throughout its entire Sunday performance. The theme is tangible, and presented early and often, largely through sound effects like those previously mentioned. An animalistic snare solo, backed up by the playing of African drums, opens Milford’s aggressive closing movement. 

Beavercreek HS — "Sweet Dreams"

Beavercreek’s theme is immediately present in its uniforms, which look like checkered pajamas. A bed placed in the center of the floor sets the stage for the theme. A lullaby played on the glockenspiel starts the show, as battery members emerge from all sides of the floor, yawning and laying down in the middle of the floor, before performing what was, on Sunday, a very precise dance passage. The next time the battery returns from behind props, it’s wearing a much more sleek red and silver uniform and is performing Hans Zimmer’s “160 BPM.” From there, “Sweet Dreams” is a pretty intense, in-your-face show, especially when compared to its quiet, peaceful first minute or so. 

Victor J. Andrew HS — "and I lost you..."

For Victor J. Andrew’s program, pastel-colored brush strokes cover the upper portion of a woman’s face, whose lips and cheek bones are visible in the bottom right corner of the floor, opposite the front ensemble positioned on the left side. All five marimbas are actually elevated above the floor on white platforms. Soft string patches open the show, before each member of the ensemble gradually emerges one after another, with vocals from Fleurie’s “Hurts Like Hell” playing in the background; lyrics from that song’s chorus provide the title and theme for the show. Themes from Amber Run’s “I Found” also appear during the show’s second movement. This show is full of emotion and expression, on top of impressive performance quality — to be expected from the defending PSO bronze medalists. For this early in the season, Victor J. Andrew's visual book is already undeniably clean.

Percussion Scholastic Concert A (PSCA)

Clinton-Massie HS — "Portraits in Rhythm"

Clinton-Massie doesn't have a very large ensemble, but the group certainly plays with expression and musicality. The group is comprised of three marimbas, two vibraphones, two guitar players, a timpanist, one synthesizer, and two auxiliary percussionists. The soft sounds of a snare drum set the tone for an opening movement of Maurice Ravel's "Boléro," which features a consistent repetitive triplet rhythm. The show also transitions into recognizable pieces by Gershwin, "Rhapsody in Blue" and "I Got Rhythm."

Percussion Scholastic Open (PSO)

Victor HS — "Immortal"

Victor takes an interesting approach into the idea of eternal life, with a somewhat Egyptian/Middle-Eastern aesthetic to its overall production, with shades of faded orange, dark red and brown dominating its color scheme. The front ensemble instruments move throughout the floor as the show progresses, constantly allowing the show’s staging to evolve. Victor is one of a handful of groups to utilize African percussion instruments, which fit the overall vibe of the show quite well.

Plymouth Canton Community Schools — "Everything in its Right Place"

This one’s got a lot going on right from the get-go; Plymouth-Canton’s opening 45 seconds or so are incredibly high-energy and draw you right into “Everything in its Right Place.” That said, the group does a very good job of expressing lower-dynamic movements, most notably in the show’s piano-heavy ballad. For how hectic the show’s opening is, its ending is very mysterious and quiet, as all of the members disappear behind props and instruments. The chaos of the opening movement juxtaposed against the calm of the final movement seems to allude to the idea of everything being put “in its right place” over the course of the show. This show is kind of similar in color and visual design to what Kettering Fairmont presented with “The Floor is Lava,” but it’s much, much different in terms of conceptual execution. 

Percussion Independent Open (PIO)

Triple Crown — "A World Beneath our Feet"

Triple Crown’s chilling opening sets the stage for a very unique production. With grass-blade props sticking up in the back-right corner of the stage and a marsh-like texture on the floor, Triple Crown, seemingly, is attempting to dive into the world of insects living “beneath our feet,” and the performers do a very good job of portraying this role. The show didn’t seem to be complete just yet, but the portion Triple Crown put on the floor definitely shows the potential to be a very intriguing product when it comes together. 

Percussion Scholastic World (PSW)

Centerville HS — "Coming of Age"

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the 1970s sit-com, The Wonder Years, but that’s pretty much where my mind went when I saw this show — a funny, relatable way to bring the High School years to life. The show opens with the iconic “Life moves pretty fast…” quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off — and also references other memories from the 1986 comedy — which immediately establishes the relatable tone of the show.Oh, and, for now at least, the show closes with the recognizable melody of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper,” that song that every saxophone player in your high school band knew how to play. With plenty of moments that will connect easily with audience, Centerville’s program will likely be an audience favorite by the time April rolls around. 

Walled Lake Central HS — "Confined"

Walled Lake’s show kind of has a 1984 vibe to it, but in reality, it appears to be based on Harrison Bergeron, a dystopian short story by Kurt Vonnegut, from the program’s narrations are derived. These narrations set the scene of a story that takes place in 2081, after constitutional amendments have eliminated individuality in search of perfect equality. Thus is the story of Harrison Bergeron. “Confined” is a very well-designed and intriguing show; it’s very successful in taking a literal story and giving it musical and visual depth, and its members do a great job of selling the emotions that go with the feeling of being restricted. 

Lebanon HS — "Pink"

Lebanon’s members start with a period of laughter directed at one individual performer in the back left corner of the floor, before snapping into place in unison. From there, pretty much the entire ensemble opens this program with a very impressively unison set of syncopated rhythms for a good 30 seconds or more. There’s a lot of rhythmic space in Lebanon’s battery writing — and front ensemble writing, for that matter — but it’s played pretty cleanly for mid-February. Pink Floyd’s “Great Gig in the Sky” — which many marching arts people will know from Bluecoats’ 2016 program — serves as the shows featured ballad movement. This time, though, one of Lebanon’s bass drummers performs the trumpet solo, and does so at one point with a cymbal player clinging to his back, which was one of the more eye-catching features of the weekend’s performances. Between the use of “Great Gig in the Sky,” a white brick wall on the back-left side of the floor, and a white triangle in the front with a microphone that warps the sound of multiple soloists, this show seems to reference the work of Pink Floyd in more ways than one.

Percussion Independent World (PIW)

Redline — "Urban Abstract"

A wild splash of color fills the majority of Redline’s otherwise black floor, seeming to be a type of graffiti-like image, which would certainly fit with the show’s title. The show itself has plenty of inner-city hip-hop vibes from the beginning, with modern dancing and back handsprings set to a 4-4 grooving drumset solo; said drumset serves as a constant throughout most of the program, with a handful of featured moments. There are also plenty of chaotic passage of music and movement that further develop the hustle-and-bustle, urban aesthetic of the show. One of the show’s highlights is a bass drum feature, with the drums themselves propped up on theirs die, on top of what look like Home Depot-esque buckets. At this point, that’s where the show ends, but also seems like it has plenty left to be added. 

INov8 Winter Percussion — "Dreamers"

Last year’s fifth-place finisher in PIO certainly came prepared for its PIW debut, and proved it by finishing just 0.20 points out of the PIW top three in Saturday’s prelims. The group’s show opens up with the vocalization of the words, “Wake up,” followed by a handful of samplings of songs about dreams laid over an ethereal, electric sound effect. An eight-person bass feature — set to “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, which is a common motif used throughout the program — introduces the battery into the show. All in all, it’s a pretty musically cohesive production, with a lot of free-flowing chords and samples of modern songs. This show doesn’t seem to be definitively complete yet, either, but, for a PIW newcomer, INov8 definitely performed at a pretty solid level in all facets this weekend.

ConneXus — "Shed"

ConneXus has a stunning visual design, and it immediately catches your eye. Its props, which outline almost the entire floor, loosely portray the transitional removal of a snake’s skin, as dark grey props on the bottom and left sides wrap around the floor and move into bigger, bolder, bright red props. In the dead center of the floor lies a skull. That snake motif is often presented in the show’s drill, by way of serpentining follow-the-leader movements. While the props are obviously important to the visual development of the theme, they’re also used well for staging, as there are many points in the show where just one section of the battery is visible. At this point, the show ends quietly, with the snareline removing black covers from its drums to reveal snakeskin wrapping, but it seems as though there’s more to come based on the staging of the final sequence. ConneXus also doesn't have its full uniform yet, but here's what the finished product is supposed to look like; the top image is pre-"shed," and the bottom is post-"shed."

Rhythm X — "Alinea"

Rhythm X’s show is certainly once again outside the box, as its inspiration comes from an episode of the Netflix series, “Chef’s Table,” which features a famous Chicago restaurant of the same name as the ensemble’s 2019 production. The show opens with an emphasis on orchestral string music before quickly transitioning into very up-tempo front ensemble music. At one point, the tenors play out of the view of the audience, while the snare and bass drummers plays almost silently on nylon heads in ways that reflect what’s being played by the tenors, which makes for a very unique and engaging musical and visual effect. One thing, performance-wise, that stuck out from Rhythm X, though: For this early in the season, this group’s front ensemble — and full ensemble, really — is quite clean given the impeccable difficulty of its book. And, unlike the rest of X’s PIW competitors from this weekend, it seems as though most, if not all, of the ensemble’s production is on the floor. 

Music City Mystique — "Medium"

The 17-time World Class medalists use a lot of bright colors in their 25th anniversary production; brilliant yellows, reds, pinks and purples pop off the black background of MCM’s floor. The show seems to be a philosophical take on the "nature" of music, art and communication, as is developed most notably in the program’s ballad; et al, MCM expands upon the term “medium,” as defined as a means of transferring some sort of message. The show definitely doesn’t seem to be complete just yet, but the portions of it that are already on the floor are quite clean visually and musically, quite engaging, and quite thought-provoking. This much is for sure: Music City Mystique is once again performing at a high level, and “Medium” will be undoubtedly an interesting production to see evolve over the next two months, as it has an incredible amount of conceptual depth.