And the beat goes on
Winterline plays together for the love of the music
By Jessica Ridings
Skiff Staff

The rhythm from instruments echoes off of nearby residence halls as they can be heard practicing all across campus. They’re at every pep rally, football game, Homecoming and Fort Worth Stock Show parade.

You’ve seen them around campus, and maybe even sat next to them in one of your classes, but if they’re not wearing their custom-made black jackets, you probably don’t recognize them right away. They’re loud and they’re rocking. Let’s face it, the TCU Drumline is cool.

During the fall season, this 32–member ensemble dedicates more than nine hours of rehearsal time each week. Although the marching band’s season ends in the fall, the drummers continue to practice.

While the football team hangs up its helmets and the marching band packs away its uniforms, the Drumline continues to meet to provide the best percussive entertainment. However, this time they do it without the rest of the band. In the spring, high school students, junior college students and TCU students come together to form the TCU Winterline.

Since the 41-member Winterline does not perform with wind instruments, the ensemble must rely on the pit, a section of auxiliary instruments, to provide the harmonic and melodic elements of their tunes. The group works hard to prepare for their three major performances throughout the semester by practicing three hours a week.

All of this hard work and dedication doesn’t earn Winterline members three hours of class credit. Drumline and Winterline Director Brian West said students put in the hours of hard work because they want to learn and have fun.

“We’re not a TCU course, per se,” West said. “The students are not getting credit for this. They do it because they want to do it.”

When Kristine Pittman, a freshman music education major, first heard about Winterline, she was a junior in high school attending a competition at TCU. Once she saw TCU’s performance, Pittman said she decided to be a part of Drumline year–round.

“When I auditioned for the school of music, the Drumline director gave me some information about Winterline,” Pittman said. “I drove out from Mesquite to Fort Worth every Thursday for rehearsals, and now that I’m at TCU, I just walk across campus for practice every Tuesday night.”

Evidently, the word is out.

“We had (more than) 50 high school and junior college students show up this year to audition,” West said. “This incredibly high interest shows just how much the community enjoys coming together to learn and play music.”

Pittman agrees that Winterline has been an educational experience, not only for her, but also for the other members of the ensemble.

“Because the line is open to all high school, junior college and university students, there is a lot of variety in everyone’s backgrounds,” Pittman said. “The level of experience varies from person to person, depending on how long they’ve been playing and where they go to school.”

Part of this diversity in talent and experience comes from the fact that Winterline is open to TCU students who are new to the world of percussion. In order to gain experience on various instruments, brass and woodwind players are welcome to audition for the group. While these differences in performance level can sometimes be a challenge, they have certainly enhanced the community involvement within the group.

“It’s a lot of time, discipline and hard work, but it’s worth it,” Pittman said.
So go ahead and admit it. You’re curious about what it’s like to hear 11 snare drums, five tenors, five bass drums, five cymbals and 15 pit members wailing in a gymnasium.
Words couldn’t even begin to describe its power. The TCU Winterline is just something you have to experience for yourself. For dates and times of performances, visit the Web site (www.music.tcu.edu/band/winterdrumline.htm).

j.n.ridings@tcu.edu