TRINITY, Fla. — Marching band season is over, but at Mitchell High School, that is not stopping students from collecting new hardware. The school’s drumline is part of the award-winning indoor percussion team and is working to earn more trophies.
“We do two to three practices a week. They're usually three to four hours, and then usually 10 to 12 hours of practice at home,” said Landon Keough, a junior and percussion section leader. He goes on to say, “We do a grip called traditional grip. And that's what we play here, Mitchell, and it's, it takes a lot of practice to get to that, you know, you cramp, you know, you start bleeding, you get blisters. So, it's, it's rough sometimes. But it's fun.”
The Mitchell High School Drumline is counting on all that hard work paying off. In April, they’ll travel to Dayton, Ohio, to compete in the Indoor World Percussion Championships. It will be a historic first for the school.
“Not many schools in Florida make this trip. I only know of maybe three or four other schools that have really gone and done this trip. Because it's, you know, such a gamble. There's 80 other schools in the country that we could be competing against, and it's really scary, but the kids are prepared to do it,” explained Logan Sharpe, the percussion director.
Sharpe, along with the band director, Josh Hobbs, know their job is about more than just teaching these teens to make beautiful music.
“The nice thing about it is these kids, they want to be great, and they know what it takes to be great. And that's what sets them up for success when they leave high school because they've already built those kinds of traits that are so crucial to being, you know, successful. Whatever they decide to do after high school, whether it's in college or just going straight into the workforce or the military, these kids, they're ready. You know, they know what it takes to be great,” said Josh Hobbs.
Lyndsey Bassham, 18, is proof of that. This is her first year being a section leader, and she loves every section of it.
“I had been on the leadership team in the past, but I wasn't like leader of a section. So, I've gotten to learn a lot over the past two years I've been on leadership team. And I think every single day, I'm here, I'm just getting better as not only a leader, but just as a person in general,” said Bassham.
Mitchell High School Drumline has a little more time before their big competition. Until then, they will keep practicing, but their talent speaks volumes.
“We're going to work hard, and we're going to shoot for the highest result we can. And if that ends in a metal, then it ends in a metal. But yeah, we would just love to see the kids have the most fun and just do their best work out there,” said Sharpe.
Their first competition of the season is on Feb. 4 in Orlando.
