Drumline glows in first-place performance of “Neon Dystopia”
The Coppell High School Band’s snares and quads practice at Buddy Echols Field on Sept. 16 before its competition at Dripping Springs High School. Coppell Percussion was named winner of the Advanced Large Division of the 2022 Thunder in the Hills Percussion Invitational.
September 29, 2022
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.
Benitez traveled to Dripping Springs on Sept. 16 to watch the performance.
“Some of my favorite moments [from the evening] apart from them winning were some of the kids [from other schools] coming over and watching them and being in awe of their talent,” Benitez said. “They would go on and on and on about how amazing and cool our kids were.”
As the drumline shifted from the rehearsal lot to the artificial turf field—its grand stage—in the midst of cheers from parents and students, the nerves trickled out of the percussionists and into their rhythm. The performance was no different from any other, despite the added pressure of the CHS Drumline being the first team from the Dallas Fort-Worth area to be invited to the competition.
“With the crowd in front of us, I got a rush in performing, and we had a really good run because of their energy,” senior marimba Nivi Anandaraj said. “As a drumline, we always do our best regardless of where we’re performing or what we’re doing, but the added layer of this invitation definitely encouraged us above all.”
Like the name of its show, “Neon Dystopia,” the drumline’s performance lit smiles on the faces that decorated the bleachers of Dripping Springs High School. That September night was one of many firsts for the CHS Percussions.
Follow Shrayes (@ShrayesGunna) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.
Jasmine Zogaib • Nov 14, 2022 at 4:01 pm
As a drumline member of Dripping springs I loved interacting and having Coppell come to our school. It was an honor having them, can’t wait for next year