As the clear blue sky fades into a vibrant rose gold, the Coppell Drumline unpacks its buses: snares, tenors and bass drums, marimbas and vibraphones spill out onto the hot concrete and decorate Dripping Springs High School, just outside of Austin.

On Saturday, the drumline competed at the Thunder in the Hills Percussion Invitational hosted by Dripping Springs. After a single eight-minute performance under a starry night, the drumline was golden like the sunset it rehearsed under, winning Best Snare Line, Best Front Ensemble, Best Bass Line and McDavitt Drum Grand Champion.

The McDavitt Drum is named after former director of bands at DPHS, Linda McDavitt, who served for six years, leading the school to new heights as finalists at state-level competitions. Her name and honor continue to resonate in the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame, to which she was named in 2012. The McDavitt Drum is a traveling symbol of success to percussionists, and Coppell High School is the newest name engraved in its black base. 

For CHS senior front ensemble captain Claire Wang, the trophy signifies something even deeper than the story it holds. 

“The only time that the drumline has won first place in the past three years was in my ninth grade at a different competition, so it’s a fulfilling end [for this senior class],” Wang said. “Winning first place this year shows that when we work together, are bonded to one another and are committed to each other, it shows in the music.”

Even when the ringing of the drums, ticking of the metronome and resonance of percussion director Randall Nguyen’s voice are drowned out by the cacophony of other schools and performers that warm up in the Dripping Springs parking lot, the CHS drumline takes the  inconvenience as an opportunity to listen closer and strive towards playing in unison in every sense of the word.

In fact, musical quality is not the only thing that distinguishes the drumline from its counterparts. From black and orange graphic sweatshirts and low-top Vans instead of traditional marching uniforms, to performing a drumline-specific show separate from the school’s marching show, the drumline embraces its independence from the rest of the band, catching harmonic “oohs” and glances from across the concrete stage of the lot. 

“It was a beautiful, picture-esque scene. I turned around––the [Dripping Springs] campus is on an acreage––and the sun was setting and the kids were all practicing, moving around from time to time,” CHS AP Biology teacher Bianca Benitez said.