Susan Johnson

After months of preparation and after-school rehearsals, Jefferson drumline successfully put together a winning performance. “The title of the show is ‘Thin Air,’ and it’s exploring the concept of running out of air as you climb up a mountain,” battery captain Daniel Chua said. “The climb and the mountain being a metaphor for any challenge in life.”

Jefferson drumline and color guard started their winter season attending the Atlantic Indoor Association (AIA) competition at Mount Vernon High School on Saturday, Feb. 17.

Both groups won in their respective divisions, setting high standards for the rest of their season.

“The competition went well. We placed first in our division and the audience received the show well even though it was incomplete,” battery captain Daniel Chua said. “Most people [in drumline] felt it was a mediocre or even subpar performance since we have pretty high standards for ourselves.”

Although only being the first competition of their season, Drumline had difficulty completing their routine The team also faced pressure competing against more experienced ensembles for the first time.

“We’re a very young group, and a lot of us had never seen what this performance venue looks like or played in an environment with as much high energy and an audience as there was,” front ensemble captain Kevin Pierson said. 

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Despite struggling to readjust to the competitive environment, the team still found motivation to compete against ensembles from previous seasons.

“We were able to compete with another really good high school drumline, [South County High School]. I think their presence in our division motivated us to try as hard as possible,” Chua said. “In past years they have been in the division above us, but they dropped down this year, so going against them is an exciting new experience.”

Drumline is optimistic that they will continue improving and perfecting their routine, being only one competition into the season so far.

“We’re gonna keep grinding, working at it, and chipping away at all those notes and rhythms,” Pierson said. “Hopefully by the time we perform for our eighth-period performances and Finals in Ohio, it’s at the level we want it to be.”

Color Guard also found success during the competition with this season’s winter guard show.

“The main theme of our show this year is ‘Broken pairs.’ It’s about the emotion behind the music and less about a specific storyline,” Color Guard captain Ellen Summers said.

Despite facing setbacks throughout the season, the team performed  well and scored better in comparison to previous seasons.

“We felt really good about [our performance], considering it was the first show of the year and we’ve been set back a lot by snow delays canceling a lot of weekend hours,” Summers said. 

“I think it was the highest we’ve scored in our first showing in the last few years I’ve been here.”