WCHS Band Enters World Of Mythology With 'Medusa' Performance
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
In Greek mythology, if anyone gazed directly upon Medusa and her hair of snakes, they instantly turned to stone.
But her story doesn't begin or end there.
The Warsaw Community High School Marching Band is exploring her legend this year with its show "Medusa."
"Each movement, each part is meant to represent another part of the story, the basic mythology of Medusa," said Mickey Ratliff, band director."I love it," said senior Crystal Watters, who plays the mellophone. "It's got a great story behind it. It's fun to play."
The show is not a literal depiction, Ratliff said, as no one is dressed up as Medusa. The story is told through the music, written and composed by Key Poulan.
A band director himself in California, Poulan sells the rights to his music after his own band is finished with it. He also writes music for other bands, which he then sells, too, after they are finished with it.
"He's a really known writer and composer," Ratliff said of Poulan. "He's a proven commodity, and has a proven product. In marching band, it's hard to be original all the time with music that works. There's only so much out there that works."
Ratliff said the band department decided they liked Poulan's music and this music specifically so they decided to buy the rights to perform it for the 2007-08 marching band season. In the past, Ratliff said they wrote their own music with varying success, but it was time consuming. With "Medusa," the students were given access to the music sooner to start practicing it.
The first movement of "Medusa" is titled "Medusa lures Poseidon." Ratliff said it goes back to the original Medusa myth where Medusa seduced Poseidon, or vice versa, depending on who tells the story. "One or the other happened," he said.
The second movement is "Athena's Rage." In it, the goddess Athena is so angry with Medusa over what happened with Poseidon that Athena turns Medusa into the Gorgon that everyone knows.
The third movement is "Serpents," with the final movement being "The Gorgon's Pursuit."
Of the music, Ratliff said, "It's really intense. I think it's the most exciting music we've done in the 15 years I've been here. Three of the four movements are really fast. It's a highly intense show."
But the approximate 110 students are handling it really well, Ratliff said. Many of them got an early start with the music when it was introduced in April and May of the last school year. The band didn't start spending a lot of time on it until June.
"There's some stuff in it that's really difficult so we're by no means perfect, but we're getting better each day," Ratliff said.
"It's hard because it's fast," said Watters. "A lot of notes in a little bit of space."
"It's more challenging music than what I got in middle school," said freshman Marisa Vogel, who plays the flute.
Helping the band put on a great show this year is the number of returning students. Watters has been in the marching band for four years, while ninth-grader Vogel is in her second year with the high school band.
"Retention's been really good this year," Ratliff said. "It might have helped getting the music out early on. We have a recording of it, too, that students got to listen to. That got them excited about it."
The marching band will debut at least parts of "Medusa" to the general public at the home football game against Columbia City Aug. 17.
This year's competition schedule for the marching band is not finalized, but Ratliff said competitions may include Goshen on Sept. 8; Concord, Sept. 15; Twin Lakes, Sept. 22; district competition at Penn High School, Sept. 29; Plymouth, Oct. 6; regionals in Chesterton, Oct. 13. If Warsaw places in the top five at regionals, the band moves on to state finals at the RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Oct. 20.
"I feel like it's going to be a great season," said Ratliff. "The music is more exciting than we've done before. We've got a really good handle on it up to this point. The kids are excited about it. We have a new assistant director, Emily Mikel, who will help. It's just been a really positive experience so far and I don't know why it wouldn't keep snowballing and continue to be successful for us next year and the year after next.
"I told the kids the other day, my only real goal is, from the first performance, the first competition, and after that, is just to make people drop their jaws and say, 'Where did Warsaw come from?' ... If we do that, I think we will achieve the scores and placements we want. It will be a successful year."
Watters said, "My goal isn't a score or anything. I just want us to reach our potential."
Mikel is excited about the show as well as her first year at Warsaw. "I think it's really exciting. There's some really dramatic movements," she said.
Mikel is a 2002 NorthWood High School graduate. She graduated from Ball State University in May, and student taught at Penn High School. She said she has worked with bands throughout the state, knows Elkhart and Kosciusko counties well, and received her degree in music education and instrumental general.
The clarinet is her primary instrument, but Mikel said she is comfortable with any woodwind, and can play any instrument if necessary. Her experiences, including having worked with Poulan's music previously, will help the band this year.
"It definitely has some challenges," Mikel said of "Medusa." "The woodwinds have some challenges, but it's definitely within their grasp."
