This past February 2, Eagan High School’s Drumline Team, The Storm Within, competed in their first home show of the year. Drumline, a percussion performance, is a combination of both physical and musical aspects and a lot of work is put into making the show as spectacular as it is.

“I personally don’t think I’ve played any sport more intense or taxing then Drumline,” Drumline member Zach Shulte shared. “In a week, we practice 14 hours total. But world class Drumlines practice everyday for hours.”

While the show may not last long it takes weeks of rehearsal to make it all come together. “We have to memorize music, drills, and performance skills, all while keeping good technique in both marching and playing,” illustrated Drumline member Mallory Benda.

There are many components that make Drumline complex. “Drumline is a combination of music, marching, dance, and performance,” Schulte said. “Some people also call it Indoor Theatrical Percussion.” Schulte also explained that the only requirement to be on the team is to be a member of band, also adding that “you can play any instrument and still be in it.”

Benda describes the setup of Drumline as “it’s split into two sub groups, the batterie and pit. The batterie is in charge of marching and physically performing, and the pit plays the melodic sounds of the piece.”

All their hard work pays off as they begin their ongoing season of competing. The competitions have a rigorous judging system that helps to determine their overall score.

“At the beginning of a show you start out with 0 points. You get judged on general effect, artistry, performance, visual, time, and penalty. You can score up to 100 points,” explains Schulte. “We have our story, and personify it by putting our every emotion into the music,” adds Benda.

“I’ve learned so much from drumline. Cooperation, teamwork, hard work, and determination. The people in drumline become a huge family,” Schulte said.

Drumline is always looking for new members so don’t hesitate to sign up next next season! To drum up more support for them don’t miss their next show in the DHMS Commons on Saturday, February 16. The whole competition runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can pop in to see any number of shows from different schools at any time.

To find out about more shows, you can go to their page by clicking Winter Drumline under Arts, then competition on the EHS website.   [slideshow_deploy id=’9387′]