Holding Our Own at Noblesville

After getting our feet wet at the first competition at Franklin Central, last week was a busy one in preparation to compete at Noblesville. There was a big push to get the first part of Part 3 ready to perform at competition. New props were added, including fun new base drum boxes to be wheeled out during Part 3. The center stage curtains were drawn back to reveal Michael Crilly’s solo on the marimba. Behind the scenes, pit crew parents were hard at work to get all the props ready for the week. Parents finished building the base drum boxes and painted them black. Set pieces that were damaged last week were fixed and repainted. The curtains were modified to work a little smoother, then lint rolled and doused in anti-static wrinkle reducer spray. We learned from the chaos of the first week, and this week, assignments were created for setting up and tearing down sets to reduce confusion (complete with schematics, gotta love my husband’s organization, lol!). Snowstorms have it out for Thursdays in our area, so practice was cancelled on Thursday night. However, band kids are the most dedicated kids in the world, and showed up to practice instead on Friday night and worked hard to get Part 3 ready for Saturday’s competition.

Saturday morning, students arrived at 7am to start loading the trailers. The students enjoyed a breakfast of egg casserole, Sunny D, fruit, yogurt, and granola bars. The trailers were full the first week, but this week, we needed to add the 4 large base drum boxes to the trailers. It was a little game of Jenga, but the determined dads somehow managed to make everything fit. After a less dangerous drive than last week, the buses arrived at Noblesville High School. Trailers were unloaded in the bitter cold, and we all enjoyed the extra time we had since we arrived early. The students had a lunch of Uncrustables, chips, juice bags, veggies, and fruit. Since they had extra time, they played games to pass the time.

After changing into uniforms, it was time to travel the maze that is known as Noblesville High School and head to warm ups. Woodlan Indoor Percussion performed their show at 1:06pm, performing 4th out of 9 groups in their class. They had a great performance, though struggled to stay together during Part 3. The crowd really seemed to enjoy the new additions to this week’s show. After their performance, the students helped load the trailers, change out of uniforms, and then were free to relax with their friends and watch the other groups perform.

Brendan Maska - trombone solo

Michael Crilly on marimba solo

Going into this week’s competition, we knew that we faced some pretty tough competition. In our class, many of last year’s state finalists joined us at Noblesville. Greenwood Indoor Percussion finished in 6th place last year in Percussion Scholastic A class (which is for more experienced groups). Terre Haute South Indoor Percussion finished 5th in PSB last year, Washington Indoor Percussion finished 3rd, New Prairie High School came in 6th, Star System Percussion finished 4th, and we finished 7th in State.

During the Awards ceremony, participation awards were given to Kokomo, Whiteland, Star System, and Fairfield. The placement awards were:

5th place: Woodlan Indoor Percussion

4th place: New Prairie High School

3rd place: Washington Indoor Percussion

2nd place: Terre Haute South Indoor Percussion

1st place: Greenwood Indoor Percussion

There is still so much more work to do, and so many tricks up Cody’s sleeves to wow the judges and the crowd. This week, they are working to finish up Part 3 and get their entire show completed. Snow again cancelled practice tonight (What is with Thursdays, Mother Nature?). Many will gather tomorrow for sectional practices and more work on the sets.

Woodlan Indoor Percussion will have this weekend off from competition and will compete next weekend, March 5th at Carroll High School (yay for a local competition!). As the schedule is now, Woodlan is set to perform at 4:45pm. Our class starts at 4:00pm and concludes at 5:03pm with 7 groups in our class. Bring your family and friends to cheer on this amazing group of kids!

* Tickets will be $7 for Adults, $5 for Students (K-12, College), $5 for Seniors (65+), and Children under 6 are Free.

Last but most certainly not least, please register your family and friends for Woodlan Indoor Percussion’s March for Mental Health. Tickets are on sale now ($40 per person) through February 28th. Proceeds will benefit Woodlan Percussion and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (50/50). All registrants will receive a March for Mental Health shirt. The event takes place on March 18th at Woodlan Jr/Sr School. Strengthening the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of our community members starts with being aware of the importance of maintaining good mental health. Participating in this walk is a great opportunity to help increase awareness of this important topic. Studies have shown that music programs such as Woodlan’s Indoor Percussion help increase the emotional development of students and provide a stronger foundation for improved mental health. Building health minds is important to our community and participating in the March for Mental Health is a way that everyone can contribute to this important cause. More information and tickets are available at www.spiritofwoodlan.com/winter-percussion. Following the walk, Woodlan Percussion will hold a community performance of this year’s show, “Out of the Darkness.” PLEASE support this important cause!