Winter percussion is an indoor drumming activity similar to marching band, but is different in that it is done indoors and without the wind instruments, brass and color guard, percussion director Daniel Piazza said.
Since the winter percussion team is significantly smaller than that of the marching band, staff can be more involved in assisting the students, freshman Ethan Yao, who is part of the visual line, said.
“In marching band, the staff are usually on the sidelines, only helping people who really need help. In winter percussion, it’s more about the staff going up to you, and helping even if you’re fine,” Yao said. “If you have any questions, you can ask them, since they’re usually open.”
In preparation for competition season, Piazza said winter percussion athletes practice around 12-15 hours a week. This time is spent on rehearsals, sectionals, performances and more, Piazza said.
During these rehearsals, athletes work on many things, including meeting the physical demands of the sport. This may include carrying a 20-pound drum on their shoulders, perfecting their visual performance, dance and choreography, and learning how to play the different instruments, Piazza said.
“Learning and rehearsing the show is only one piece of the puzzle,” Piazza said. “We also have to do all the work to support having the skill sets we need.”
Typically, practice occurs every Tuesday and Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and Saturdays from 10-6 p.m., snare drum player, sophomore Madhav Krishnan said. During a staging weekend, which is when the show designer comes to write the show in person, the team will have longer practices, Krishnan said.
“[Saturday practice] helps me to get up and go around, honestly I don’t know what else I’d spend my Saturday doing,” Krishnan said. “That’s the thing about winter percussion, you have to have the dedication to want to be at rehearsal. That makes it worth it to spend eight hours at school on a Saturday.”
The amount of effort students put into winter percussion, both in rehearsals and in individual practice, corresponds to the show they get out of it, Piazza said.
“It’s really fulfilling to see somebody that was struggling to perform at the beginning of the season [grow to] have a sense of confidence in their performance by the end,” Piazza said.
Front ensemble and electronics captions head Chris Swan said the time commitment is comparable to most sports, which meet almost every day but for less time. However, Piazza said that time, much like money and gym availability, is a constrained resource for the team.
“We can only reasonably take so much of the students’ and staff’s time every week,” Piazza said. “Trying to get everything we want to get done in such a short time requires a lot of organization.”
Krishnan said the staff has committed to using the students’ time more wisely compared to previous years. Students also get a weekend off per month to catch up on school work,, Krishnan said.
“On Tuesdays and Thursdays, once you come back from rehearsal, you are too exhausted to do any homework or anything,” Krishnan said. “You really have to push through.”
Despite all this, Krishnan said he enjoys the sport because the show allows him to tell a story and forge bonds with others.
“There’s a significant amount of hard work you have to put into winter percussion,” Krishnan said. “For me, it’s about the friendships that come out of it.”
