In February of this year, three seventh-graders presented orchestra and band teacher Dr. Christie Blute with a petition signed by their peers. The students’ request? An indoor drumline at The Gregory School!
The exciting news is that we know two percussion teachers, highly regarded across Arizona, who would like to take on a drumline at The Gregory School, as well as a parent volunteer with extensive experience in drum and bugle corps. The need is that we require an investor or investors to make this student-driven aspiration a reality.
Indoor drumline is a performance activity where percussionists perform inside a basketball gym, with instruments ranging from snare, tenor, and bass drums, to mallet percussion instruments and keyboard, to other electronic elements. The program can take the form of a concert or of a marching band, to include drill work and choreography. Many indoor drumlines do both.
Governed by state and national competitive circuits, indoor drumline is quickly growing and is often a hallmark of a healthy, well-rounded music program. In Tucson, Ironwood Ridge, Mountain View, Rincon/University, and Sahuarita are some of the schools with indoor drumline programs, which take them to several competitions in the Tucson and Phoenix areas in the spring semester to compete against schools from across the state.
Dr. Blute points out that drumline possibilities at The Gregory School would surpass those at other schools because of our size. “We can give you more opportunities here. There are fewer students vying for the same things and we can be more flexible,” she said, noting that TGS students frequently get solos at concerts (such as the clarinet solo with the orchestra this spring by Carson Lo ‘24) or the way we include a harpist in our jazz band. “We will be able to customize the group for anyone who wants to participate. It will be very ‘TGS style.’”
The exciting news is that we know two percussion teachers, highly regarded across Arizona, who would like to take on a drum line at The Gregory School, as well as a parent volunteer with extensive experience in drum and bugle corps. The need is that we require an investor or investors to make this student-driven aspiration a reality.
“An indoor drumline would add a fantastic dimension to our music program in so many ways,” Dr. Blute said. “It’s another learning opportunity in terms of instruments and styles, and it provides an entirely new experience for students. It also makes us more competitive with much larger schools in terms of attracting and retaining talented student musicians.” An indoor drumline would extend potential college scholarship opportunities for students who excel and choose to continue beyond high school. And, of course, a drumline would create excitement at school events, performing at pep rallies and athletic competitions, as well as exhibitions on special occasions.
Initially, The Gregory School drumline would be open to rising 8th-12th grade students, with a vision of starting practice this summer for an inaugural 2024-25 season. If you are interested in providing the financial support to help make The Gregory School Indoor Drumline a reality, please contact Dr. Julie Sherrill at jsherrill@gregoryschool.org or 520-327-6395.
