Drumroll, please ...
Winter program mixes local talent, TCU students
By Kami Lewis
Staff Reporter

Cody White, a senior at Martin High School in Arlington, will decide this week where he will go to college in the fall. He said Monday he is leaning towards TCU, mostly because of the winter drum line he participated in for the past four months.

Molly Beuerman/SKIFF STAFF Local high school and community college students perform in the spring percussion concert Monday at Ed Landreth Hall Auditorium. The students are a part of winter drum line, a program that joins them with the percussion section of the TCU marching band for advanced instruction and a chance to play at the college level.

Every Thursday night for the past semester, 35 students from 13 metroplex high schools and community colleges met at TCU for a program called the winter drum line. They joined the percussion section of the TCU marching band for advanced instruction and a chance to play at the college level.

Monday night they performed as a group for the last time at the spring percussion concert at Ed Landreth Hall Auditorium.

White said the opportunity to play at TCU has been very influential in determining his college path.

“The program has been a great opportunity to sharpen my skills as a percussionist and to get to know the percussion instructor at TCU before making the decision for next year,” he said.

The second year of the winter drum line has been a successful educational tool for both local students and TCU students, said Brian West, TCU percussion instructor.

John Angeles, a sophomore music education major said the processes of both learning and teaching impacted him this semester.

Everyone brought different skill levels to the group initially, which made the process more interesting, he said.

“It was a challenge to come together as a group and sometimes the students would ask questions or get help from the TCU students before or after class,” Angeles said. “It was neat to be able to help them out and spend extra time after rehearsal just messing around with them.”

West said 50 local students auditioned for the group, some of them students at community colleges whose schools do not have percussion programs.

“We started out last year part time and this year we’ve really been able to take off,” West said. “I’ve been amazed at the dedication of the local students who come to play with us every week, and it has worked as a great outreach program to local schools.”

Kami Lewis
k.e.lewis@student.tcu.edu

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