Warsaw Hosts Winter Percussion Ensemble Competition
March 10, 2017 at 8:03 p.m.
By Staff Report-
Tyler Claycomb, WCHS interim director of bands, explained the invitational “is a performance venue for percussion ensembles around the state – and we even have an out-of-state group from Illinois – for them to come in and perform music that they’ve been working on as an ensemble and to compete in areas of music and visual performance. There are movement classes, where they march and work drill and do visuals; and then there’s the concert class that Warsaw is in, and that’s a standstill. Their focus is solely on music.”
The Warsaw invitational started in 2008 and has been held every year since then except 2016, Claycomb said. Including Warsaw’s ensemble, there will be 25 ensembles at Saturday’s event. Other area teams will come from NorthWood, East Noble and Bishop Dwenger high schools. The ensemble coming from the furthest away will be from Minooka (Ill.) Community High School, which is approximately three hours away.
The invitational starts at 4 p.m. in the high school’s Tiger Den, with Warsaw performing at 8:14 p.m.
General admission is $7, with seniors and students from kindergarten to 12th grade getting in for $5. College students can attend for $5 with college I.D.
Claycomb said the Warsaw ensemble’s show is titled “Free Hand.”
“It’s an arrangement of several tunes by the Gentle Giant. They’re a group from the U.K., kind of a rock group,” he said.
The titles of the pieces being played in the show are “Free Hand,” “So Sincere,” “Knots” and “Interview.”
Chris Smith and WCHS Percussion Director Nathan Sheetz arranged the music for the percussion ensemble.
“This is a show – a little interesting concept here – Goshen High School performed a very similar version of this show at the World Class in 2006. Nathan Sheetz really liked the show, thought it was full of great music, and wanted to bring it back to life,” Claycomb explained.
He said they contacted Smith because it was his original arrangement, and he gave them permission to use his arrangement. Sheetz went through it, tweaked it and arranged it to tailor it to Warsaw’s ensemble.
“Added some stuff, took some stuff away, really made it unique to Warsaw,” Claycomb said.
In this season’s show, seniors Rylie Knecht and Brad Nethercutt play different instruments, including the marimba for Nethercutt and bells and vibes for Knecht. Both agreed this year’s music is different and challenging.
“It’s a little bit different than shows we’ve done in the past. It’s a bit more intense. Our fourth movement, which we’re working on right now, is this big kind of drum battle type of thing, and half way through, we have this really cool bell feature that’s kind of – I don’t know how to describe it – mystical sounding maybe,” Nethercutt said.
Knecht said it sounds “like a snow globe.”
“Yeah, that’s a good way to describe it,” Nethercutt agreed. “Like a snow globe.”
He said it’s all pretty challenging, but a lot of fun.
Playing at home is a big deal, Knecht said.
“It’s at Warsaw. It’ll be more familiar. With other invitationals, there’s a little bit lack of direction. Performing your own show is going to have its benefits too,” she said.
Warsaw will be performing its full show for the first time, too.
“It’s a different set of nerves,” Nethercutt said. “Going somewhere else, we’re nervous about us and our show and being in an unfamiliar environment. But at our show, we’re nervous because it’s our show.”
Knecht interjected, “And everybody that we know is there, too. It’s not so far away.”
Nethercutt and Knecht said if they had a bad show somewhere else, like in Indianapolis, very few people would know that. At their home show, if they have a bad show or get last place, everyone they know will know about it.
Knecht said the Warsaw ensemble’s goal for the invitational is first place.
“It’s only four bands in our class, so that should be achievable,” Nethercutt stated.
Being a senior, he said that put more importance on the invitational since it was his last home competition.
“It’s different than my freshman year in a lot of ways, just the way my experience with band has changed over the years, and the way the band program has changed. But at the same time, it’s still the same show,” Nethercutt said.
Tyler Claycomb, WCHS interim director of bands, explained the invitational “is a performance venue for percussion ensembles around the state – and we even have an out-of-state group from Illinois – for them to come in and perform music that they’ve been working on as an ensemble and to compete in areas of music and visual performance. There are movement classes, where they march and work drill and do visuals; and then there’s the concert class that Warsaw is in, and that’s a standstill. Their focus is solely on music.”
The Warsaw invitational started in 2008 and has been held every year since then except 2016, Claycomb said. Including Warsaw’s ensemble, there will be 25 ensembles at Saturday’s event. Other area teams will come from NorthWood, East Noble and Bishop Dwenger high schools. The ensemble coming from the furthest away will be from Minooka (Ill.) Community High School, which is approximately three hours away.
The invitational starts at 4 p.m. in the high school’s Tiger Den, with Warsaw performing at 8:14 p.m.
General admission is $7, with seniors and students from kindergarten to 12th grade getting in for $5. College students can attend for $5 with college I.D.
Claycomb said the Warsaw ensemble’s show is titled “Free Hand.”
“It’s an arrangement of several tunes by the Gentle Giant. They’re a group from the U.K., kind of a rock group,” he said.
The titles of the pieces being played in the show are “Free Hand,” “So Sincere,” “Knots” and “Interview.”
Chris Smith and WCHS Percussion Director Nathan Sheetz arranged the music for the percussion ensemble.
“This is a show – a little interesting concept here – Goshen High School performed a very similar version of this show at the World Class in 2006. Nathan Sheetz really liked the show, thought it was full of great music, and wanted to bring it back to life,” Claycomb explained.
He said they contacted Smith because it was his original arrangement, and he gave them permission to use his arrangement. Sheetz went through it, tweaked it and arranged it to tailor it to Warsaw’s ensemble.
“Added some stuff, took some stuff away, really made it unique to Warsaw,” Claycomb said.
In this season’s show, seniors Rylie Knecht and Brad Nethercutt play different instruments, including the marimba for Nethercutt and bells and vibes for Knecht. Both agreed this year’s music is different and challenging.
“It’s a little bit different than shows we’ve done in the past. It’s a bit more intense. Our fourth movement, which we’re working on right now, is this big kind of drum battle type of thing, and half way through, we have this really cool bell feature that’s kind of – I don’t know how to describe it – mystical sounding maybe,” Nethercutt said.
Knecht said it sounds “like a snow globe.”
“Yeah, that’s a good way to describe it,” Nethercutt agreed. “Like a snow globe.”
He said it’s all pretty challenging, but a lot of fun.
Playing at home is a big deal, Knecht said.
“It’s at Warsaw. It’ll be more familiar. With other invitationals, there’s a little bit lack of direction. Performing your own show is going to have its benefits too,” she said.
Warsaw will be performing its full show for the first time, too.
“It’s a different set of nerves,” Nethercutt said. “Going somewhere else, we’re nervous about us and our show and being in an unfamiliar environment. But at our show, we’re nervous because it’s our show.”
Knecht interjected, “And everybody that we know is there, too. It’s not so far away.”
Nethercutt and Knecht said if they had a bad show somewhere else, like in Indianapolis, very few people would know that. At their home show, if they have a bad show or get last place, everyone they know will know about it.
Knecht said the Warsaw ensemble’s goal for the invitational is first place.
“It’s only four bands in our class, so that should be achievable,” Nethercutt stated.
Being a senior, he said that put more importance on the invitational since it was his last home competition.
“It’s different than my freshman year in a lot of ways, just the way my experience with band has changed over the years, and the way the band program has changed. But at the same time, it’s still the same show,” Nethercutt said.
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