After roughly eight years, percussionists at Sequoia came together to form a drumline and made their first appearance at the homecoming rally.
The drumline is a student led organization directed by Band teacher Jane Woodman and allows members to improve both their their leadership and organizational skills.
“There was a substantial amount of student interest this year, more so than in years past; not just interest, but also experience,” Woodman said.
Later, auditions were held to determine the members of the line. Students were required to know how to read music, have good knowledge of music theory, memorize cadence—a sequence of music notes—and be able to keep time.
“It’s a good way to bond with your classmates,” junior and leader of Sequoia’s drumline Matt Sato said. “I wanted to do drumline because it’s junior year [and] I might as well try and put myself out there.”
Unlike Jazz Band, a club of high level musicians that play challenging music and perform at concerts, the drumline will be less formal and perform gigs of their choosing.
“They’re looking at perhaps doing some stuff at rallies, stuff at other school events [and] having a presence at some games,” Woodman said.
Oct. 20, the drumline paraded down the halls to begin the pep rally. Many students quickly pulled out their phones to capture the moment and murmured in excitement over their loud presence. The drumline was followed by a huge group of students as they led the crowd to the rally.
“I loved the drumline,” junior Alonso De La Concha said. “I think it’s very underrated and would love to see more of it in the future.”
Both Woodman and Sato believe it will increase school spirit and excitement on campus, with everyone bopping their heads to the beat.
“I think people get excited about drums [and] excited about loud things,” Woodman said. “If the beat drops in the songs, everyone gets into it.”