HOUSTON – Anybody can hit a drum, but many think the students on Clear Brook High School's indoor drum line have mastered the art.
“The very first thing is a girl descends down into the cave and the whole show is basically like we're in the cavern of the cave,” said drum line director Dusty Norris.
The name of the group's 2017 competition show is The Descent.
These guys placed 2nd at the WGI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!!! Way to go Clear Brook Band drum line!
Posted by FOX 13's Chip Brewster on Friday, April 28, 2017
It is appropriately named and worthy of awards. How worthy? This past weekend, the group took second in their class and division at the Winter Guard International World Championship. They said it's kind of a big deal, but not everybody realizes it.
“They don't know how big it is. They're, like, 'Oh cool. You're in drum line. You play the drum,' Like, no, its way bigger than that,” said Baily Orr, a senior at Clear Brook and the drum line section leader.
She's been a part of the group since starting high school and often has to explain to fellow students just how much work goes into their show.
“We start, like, in the month of September, just the staff designing the show, coming up with a concept, getting the music arranged, hiring a drill writer, coming up with a budget and then we start actually rehearsing in December,” Norris said.
“(We rehearse) twice a week, 3 1/2 hours both times plus Saturday competitions,” Orr said.
“It's 5 1/2 minutes of running around on a floor and carrying a drum that weighs up to 40 pounds,” Norris said.
“This isn't just standing there and drumming,” Orr said.
“It's also like theater at the same time,” Norris said.
As the show progresses, the entire drum sounds change both musically and emotionally from the awestruck sounds of first exploring the cave to the excitement of diving deeper. Then there's Orr's favorite part.
“My favorite part is the ending, Orr said. “Whenever the cave is starting to collapse, because it's fun with all the characters that we do and the fast drill and the really fun drumming that we do and at the very end we're running out really fast, running for our lives to get out of the cave.”
Though this was Orr's final performance with the drum line, those who will be returning next year are already getting excited about their 2018 run at the world championship title.