In addition to school and homework, the 30 members of the Franklin Community High School percussion band practices 21 hours a week, and they’re hoping all that work pays off at the world championships in April.
The Winter Guard International Percussion World Championships will take place from April 15 to 18 in Dayton, Ohio. Last year, Franklin schools competed in the world championships for the first time, but failed to advance past the preliminary round due to an electrical issue. This time around, the group is more prepared, senior Jessica Chaney said.
“This early in the season, we’re leaps ahead of where we were last season. We’re already so much better,” Chaney said.
The group will perform a six-minute piece titled “A Seat at the Table,” which will follow themes of fighting for a voice and fighting to achieve their goals, with Percussion Director Jason Hammond-Wood relating it to women attaining the right to vote about a century ago, Chaney said.
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During the World Championships, Franklin will compete against percussion bands from across the country. Last year, schools from Japan also competed, junior Hannah Nix said.
“It’s like other-worldly. There were a bunch of groups from all around the country in this big stadium,” Nix said. “All the groups were crazy good.”
The band is peaking at the right time, senior Josh Cartwell said.
“I’m very glad the program grew when it did,” Cartwell said. “We didn’t make it this far and put in all our hard work for it to be for nothing. Honestly, I’m really looking forward to playing with my second family and the people I’ve played with over the course of four years.”
The band qualified for the World Championships through registration rather than through a regional or state tournament. Hammond-Wood registered this year because the band is ready to go far, he said.
“It’s about building a culture,” Hammond-Wood said. “This being my third year, the kids are still trying to learn from you and what your expectation is, and the more they get to know what I expect from them and the staff expects of them, they can start achieving. They know going in what to expect and achieve at the absolute highest level so next year we’ll be at an even more elevated status.”
The band will be judged on both the performance itself and the effect it has on judges — musically and visually. The performance itself is judged on how well it is executed, and the effect is based on how it makes the judges and audience feel, Chaney said.
The group’s next significant competition will come during the state preliminary competitions on March 21. If the group qualifies for the Indiana state finals, they will compete on April 4 at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.
Making sure students are constantly improving is key to success at the World Championships, Hammond-Wood said.
“The biggest key to success in the World Championships happens eight months before, giving kids a product that can achieve at a high level and making sure they’re peaking at the right time,” he said. “If they’re at their best right now, they will get bored and won’t continue to dig in. If you constantly throw something at them, they want to work toward that perfection.”
