For almost everyone in the Franklin Community High School percussion band, their upcoming journey will be one they’ve never experienced.
The 32 students in the high school’s percussion band will head to Dayton, Ohio next week to compete in the Winter Guard International World Championships. All but three of the students will be making the trip for the first time, as the COVID-19 pandemic canceled competitions in 2020 and 2021. While any band can compete in the world championship, this year, Franklin’s percussion band seems poised to get beyond the preliminary round, where they fell short three years ago, said Jason Hammond-Wood, the band’s director.
“It was pretty good going. It was more to get the experience of competing with it being our first time testing the waters,” he said. ‘This time, we’ll try and be competitive, at the top of our class.”
The preliminary round will take place April 21, with semifinals and finals on April 22, he said.
The percussion band’s performance, titled “Heart-Shaped Box,” revolves around community and a wide range of emotions. In the beginning of the show, the heart is in a corner, representing feeling trapped, followed by a somber segment, during which the community crumbles and everyone is holding smaller, individual pieces. At the end of the show, the students decide to work together and unveil a larger heart, Hammond-Wood said.
“The idea of the show is, in any situation you might feel trapped and want to burst out and tell people how you really feel about something,” he said. “I like to think of (the heart) as a prop. Our sense of community is the heart and once the community crumbles the heart will break apart. When things go wrong in the community, it takes individual efforts to bring it back up. At the end of the show, we will bring our hearts together to end on a happy note.”
The percussion band has seen success this year, finishing fifth in the state competition, Hammond-Wood said.
Lexi Wright, a senior, is one of the few members of band who has been to the world championship before, she serves as a section leader for basses and co-battery leader. The team is in a much better place than it was three years ago, she said.
“The entire atmosphere is worlds different,” Wright said. “In freshman year, I was with three very toxic section leaders and there was a lot of hostility in the entire environment. Now, since then, it’s gradually changed and now, it’s the best it’s ever been, atmosphere-wise. Everyone is in a good mood and no one is arguing over little things. You can say what you feel is right.”
The joining of smaller cubes to create a larger heart brings the show together, she said.
“I think the show is one of my favorites,” Wright said. “I just like illuminating the focus on the heart prop. I’m a little biased because I like the bass feature, and I’d say the movement when we pick up the glowing cubes lined up in the front row, it’s more of a somber feeling. I think it strikes a lot harder than blatant anger or happiness.”
Bella Street, also a senior, is in her third year in percussion band and is finishing her high school career by going to the world championship for the first time. Although there is some anxiety involved, the battery section leader said she’s been trying to stay positive.
“It’s a nice way to end the season,” Street said. “My first season got cut really short, and then the season last year, we didn’t have worlds. It’s nice to finally have that opportunity that we didn’t have for a really long time. It’s similar to our show in a way. The first movement is really angry, and then the second movement is getting better but sad again. I thought the worlds wouldn’t happen, and then the third (movement) is happy. I’m excited to have this opportunity.”
