With the conclusion of the Pride of Paoli’s outdoor season in early November, Winter Percussion and Winter Guard has begun.
The POP’s season ended on November 9 at the State Finals, but planning for the Winter Percussion and Winter Guard seasons started before the POP season ended.
POP consists of two main sections: the marching band and the color guard. The marching band and color guard compete as a team, have the same schedule, and are closely connected throughout their season. Winter Percussion and Winter Guard, however, have two different activities with separate practices, shows, and schedules competing separately.
“Winter is our opportunity to do our own thing for a little bit and not have to share the spotlight. In Winter Guard and Winter Percussion, they get to be the stars of the show and they get to hone their skills even more by being by themselves, working on fundamental skills, and really diving deeper into the curriculum of what they are doing,” said Band Director Christian Karkosky. “Then after the winter seasons are done, we all get to come back together over the summer and be together for marching band.”
Both programs utilize returning band members, with two marching band instructors taking the lead for the winter programs.
“Brandon Nunez is in charge of indoor percussion and Katie White is in charge of Winter guard. They were both on the marching band staff during the summer and the fall,” said Karkosky.
White, the Winter Guard director, has 13 participants including sophomore Ava Middleton as captain.
“My hopes for this season are to have fun and create memories. I want the students to feel welcomed and have the opportunity to show their creative side when it comes to building the show. I hope everyone feels like family by the time it’s over,” said White.
Practices for Winter Guard started in November on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 3:30 to 6 p.m.
The schedule for Winger Guard has already been released, and their first competition is on January 25 at Plainfield. The group will be performing an Alice in Wonderland-themed show.
Nunez directs Winter Percussion and currently has 15-20 students participating, including his captain, senior Lainee Cox.
These students practice Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Winter Percussion is preparing for their first competition on February 22 at Decatur Central.
“We play a plethora of music for our show. Our show music includes ‘Minuet’ By Luigi Boccherini. ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. ‘La Primavera’ By Antonio Vivaldi. ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’ By Richard Strauss. ‘Symphony No. 5’ By Ludwig van Beethoven. ‘In The Hall Of The Mountain King’ By Edvard Grieg. ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ By Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov ‘Night On Bald Mountain’ By Modest Mussorgsky. ‘Symphony No. 9’ By Ludwig van Beethoven. ‘1812 Overture’ By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky,” said Nunez.
To match their theme, the Winter Percussion participants wear shirts with a “Rock aesthetic” when performing.
“Our hopes for the season are simple. We want to improve our music skills while learning many new things. We have horn line members so it’s a chance for them to expand on their musical knowledge in the percussion world and for our percussion vets, I would like for them to expand their skills and hone in on little details that they could improve upon on what they already know,” said Nunez. “This year we will also be doing our first full season and will compete in Prelims so we will have a chance to make it to finals this year. Overall, I want my students to have fun and be competitive.”
If you would like to join either Winter Percussion or Winter Guard, resources and people available at school can provide you with information.
“You can come either to me or Mrs. Nichols since we are both here at the school for any information,” said Karkosky. “If you come to me, I’ll get information from either Mr. Nunez if you’re interested in percussion, or Katie if you’re interested in Winter Guard. If people are more comfortable going to see Mrs. Nichols, she can point you in the right direction as well.”