Percussion

The Arcadia High School Percussion Ensemble has recently grown so large that the 2001-2002 school year will see the introduction of a Junior Varsity Percussion Ensemble, as well as the current Varsity Percussion Ensemble. Both ensembles take part in three main activities: outdoor marching percussion in the fall, concert performances in the spring, and indoor marching percussion competitions in the spring. Both ensembles are directed by Kevin Sherrill. Jeff Doolittle, Tony Nunez, and Rick Barajas are instructors for the Varsity Ensemble.

The Junior Varsity Ensemble has big plans for their first year in existence. This year’s ensemble consists of 5 snares, 3 tenors, 4 basses , and 8 pit members (20 total). Fall performances will include two parade performances, a performance at Disneyland, and a holiday performance at a local shopping mall. In the spring, members of this ensemble will perform with Concert Band 1 and Orchestra 1 in the Spring Concert and the Concert in the Park. The group will also be competing in the American Drumline Association’s indoor percussion shows in the spring.

The Varsity Ensemble consists of 7 snares, 4 tenors, 6 basses, 5 cymbals, and 14 pit members(36 total). In the fall, as a part of the Arcadia High School Marching Band, the ensemble performs in band reviews and field show tournaments around southern California. The band also performs at home football games. This year’s field show includes music from Robert W. Smith’s Divine Comedy . During the spring semester, members of the ensemble perform with Concert Band 2 and 3, and Orchestra 3 in the Band and Orchestra Vertical Concerts, Spring Concert 1 and 2 , and the Pops Concert. During the spring semester, the ensemble is also active in the WGI indoor percussion circuit. Last fall, the ensemble was awarded high percussion honors at the Wilson and Capistrano Valley Field Tournaments, as well as high percussion at the 2001 Gator Bowl field competition in Jacksonville, Florida. In the spring, the ensemble was awarded the bronze medal in the Open division of the Southern California Percussion Alliance Championships. The ensemble finished out the year by being selected as a Finalist in the Open division at the WGI National Championships in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The ensemble placed tenth in the nation at this event - their first national level competition.