News from Around WGI

From a Pulse Percussion Press Release Pulse Percussion is proud to announce our newest addition to the organization, the Pulse Percussion Open Ensemble! In continuation of the organization's mission statement, we are excited to offer another performance opportunity for Southern California percussionists. In addition to being a training ground for the World line, the Open ensemble will be it’s own competitive entity and will be travelling to Dayton, Ohio, to compete in the Percussion Independent Open division at WGI World Championships this coming April. “After an incredible turn out at auditions last season, we realized how many talented percussionists were going to be turned away. Once the last position was set in the ensemble, we easily had enough people left over to start an entire secondary ensemble. It was very disappointing for those who had nowhere else to go, and the conversation of starting the Open line began. We are excited that through some hard work, we are able to make it a reality for the 2011 season!” John Mapes, Program Coordinator and Arranger. The Pulse “Open” line 2011 production will be written by the designers of the World line, John Mapes and Ian Grom, and will be under the direction of Joe Enriquez and the Pulse Percussion Board of Directors. With so much talent in our region, we are excited to provide another option for more performers and teachers alike. Thank you to our incredible sponsors, who without their support, this ensemble would never have happened. Yamaha instruments, Vic Firth sticks and mallets, Sabian cymbals and Remo drum heads.

From a Pearl Drum Press Release Nashville, TN- This summer in Drum Corps International, Pearl Marching Percussion introduced a new way to look great, sound great, and perform at the highest levels possible- the CX Airframe Carriers. Totally solid, but incredibly low-profile, they are true innovations almost invisible under the player’s uniforms. Seven Drum Corps, (five of which in the elite ‘DCI Top 12’) used CX Airframe Carriers to their advantage this year including: The 2010 DCI World Champion Blue Devils, The Santa Clara Vanguard, The Blue Stars, The Boston Crusaders, The Blue Knights, The Troopers, and Spirit. In their debut DCI season, the carriers received great reviews from the corps’ players on how few parts there were (no small parts to lose or break), how solid they felt, and that you only needed a standard drum key to make all adjustments. In concert with the CX Airframe Carriers, the new CXBB-1 Tenor Back Bar was a notable success for quad drummers. It provided an absolute-level, solid platform that allowed unhindered marching and movement responsibilities thanks to its lightweight aluminum construction. The CX-BB1 also accommodated a variety of drum setups including those with both 6” and 8” spock drums. Elegantly Simple – Incredibly Solid, Pearl’s CX Airframe Carriers have proven themselves as the future of marching carrier design. For more information, please visit the Marching section of www.pearldrum.com.

The top eight most downloaded shows are now bundled together so that you can save money and enjoy the “Great 8.” It’s the easiest and cheapest way to watch these classic shows on your computer or mobile device! Start your download now!   brightcove.createExperiences(); The “Color Guard Great 8” features: 1996 Bishop Kearney HS – Jackson Pollack 1997 Northmont HS – Dante’s Inferno 2004 Fantasia – Vanishing Act 2004 Pride of Cincinnati – Sideshow: Alive on the Inside 2005 Northern Lights – The Shawshank Redemption 2005 Pride of Cincinnati – Everybody Hurts 2006 Fantasia – Lullaby and Goodnight 2006 Northern Lights – Meditation – In Memory of John Lennon The “Percussion Great 8” features: 2005 Riverside Community College – Manifest Destiny 2005 Centerville HS – In Perspective 2005 Avon HS - Counterparts 2006 Aimachi – GO! 2006 Blue Knights- Dwellers of the Infernal Abyss 2006 Music City Mystique - Mystique 2006 Rhythm X - Lunaria 2006 Riverside Community College – The Sacred Geometry of Change

From a Pearl Drums Press Release Nashville, TN- The NCAA division 1 Big Ten Conference is as serious as it gets for College Football- and for College Marching Band. The Purdue University Boilermakers began competing in the Big Ten in 1896, and beginning in 2010 their legendary Purdue University “All-American” Marching Band will have their drumline outfitted with Pearl Championship Series Marching Drums. The “All-American” Marching Band is no lightweight, boasting such firsts as- The first band to break ranks and form a letter on the football field (The Block P in 1907) and the first band to place a bandsman on the moon (Neil Armstrong in 1969). The “All-American” Band is one of the most visible bands in the country, performing since 1919 as the host band of the Indianapolis 500, and in November 2010, becoming the first Big Ten band to ever perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. During college football season you’ll see them on CBS Sports, ABC/ESPN, the Big Ten Network, and CBS College Sports Network… The best reason to watch college football – The Purdue University “All-American” Marching Band with Pearl Championship Series Marching Drums. For more information, please visit the Marching section of www.pearldrum.com.

2010 Color Guard and Percussion World Championships action, group, and awards photos are now available to order online or download! Keep these precious memories at your fingertips, with the ability to use on your computer, post to your facebook profile, email to friends and family! To order, just follow these easy steps: Once you’ve chosen the image you’d like to purchase, click the icon below the photo. Scroll through the products at the bottom of the order form where you’ll find three choices: AA Z: A la carte digital image delivered via email - great for websites, emails, or computer display. Resolution size not suitable for printing. DH: Digital, high-resolution image with copyright release for personal use (printable in 8x10 format). Z: Package add-on, to add the web-resolution digital image to another package.   Don't forget about the great printed, framed, and plaque options! Choose the correct quantity from the dropdown menu on the right.   When you’re satisfied with your order, click the Add To Cart button on the very bottom of the page. Follow the simple directions to Check Out and you’re done! Don’t pass up this fantastic opportunity to own your favorite images in this convenient and sharable format! Order Now!

The Pepsi Refresh Project, a groundbreaking effort that funds ideas, big and small, that can refresh the world, announced that the Northview Knights Band and Guard received the most votes in June and is on track to be collectively awarded a $25,000 grant to keep the kids on stage, funding the band program, providing support for community appearances, purchasing music, supporting guest artist appearances, and purchasing computers for music instruction. In 2010, Pepsi is awarding more than $20 million to ideas that will move the world forward. Anyone can submit an idea at www.RefreshEverything.com and each month the public decides who wins. Americans voted for July ideas from July 1 to July 31. With the ideas’ votes tallied, Pepsi is working with partners at Global Giving and GOOD to ensure that each idea qualifies to receive funding. Once approved, each idea will have the opportunity to be put into action. “The Northview Knights Band and Guard, is a great example of an organization with its members hard at work to make something amazing happen,” said Bill Osborn, General Manager of Refreshment Services Pepsi in Terre Haute. “The band organized, sought out and received great community support. We look forward to seeing the results of their hard work in the future.” Voters to http://www.refresheverything.com/keepthekidsonstage agreed that the idea from the Northview Knights Band and Guard was a compelling one. The band is a high school based program consisting of marching, concert, winter guard, indoor percussion and jazz. The band has won 11 state championships, and the grant will help to fund more than 50 performances for the school and the community. The Pepsi Refresh Project is an evolution of the Refresh Everything initiative Pepsi launched in 2009, which showed the brand as a catalyst for optimism. In 2010, Pepsi is funding ideas that will move the world forward in six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education. The Pepsi Refresh Project will feature significant social engagement around people and the power of ideas. To implement the project, Pepsi has partnered with three organizations dedicated to making a positive difference in the world: GOOD, a leading platform for thought and action revolving around pushing the world forward; Global Giving, an online marketplace that connects people who have community and world-changing ideas with people who can support them; and Do Something, the largest non-profit teen charity. “The generosity of Pepsi is going to allow us to keep our programs at the levels we are use to as well as add some very exciting clinicians and guest artists to our concerts and events. Being able to expose our students to a wider range of newly published music as well as rehearse and perform with top professional artists and choreographers is priceless. We are so thankful for all the faithful Northview supporters in the Wabash Valley and Alumni throughout the country who voted everyday on the Pepsi site and helped make this happen.” The Pepsi Refresh Project can be found at www.RefreshEverything.com or find more information on Facebook at www.facebook.com/refresheverything and Twitter, @Pepsi or #pepsirefresh.

2011 WGI World Championships VIP Ticket Packages will go on sale September 13th. Make sure to mark you calendar so you don’t miss out on THE BEST SEATS AVAILABLE! QUANTITY IS LIMITED - SO DON’T DELAY!! VIP Ticket Packages can be purchased by calling 1-866-589-7161. Box office hours are 9am-5pm. Or you can fax/mail in the form which will be published on wgi.org the morning of September 13th. Single session seats for all sessions for anything outside the VIP blocks will go on sale September 29th. WGI VIP packages include a complimentary souvenir program and one ticket per package to ALL SITES, ALL SESSIONS of the World Championship action including: 2011 Color Guard VIP Package $225 Thursday & Friday – All Prelims and Semi-Finals events Exclusive sections reserved at UD Arena for VIP ticket holders. A Class Finals – THE BEST SEATS - reserved seating Open Class Finals – THE BEST SEATS - reserved seating World Class Finals – THE BEST SEATS - reserved seating 2011 Percussion VIP Package $175 Thursday & Friday – All Prelims and Semi-Finals events Exclusive section reserved at UD Arena for VIP ticket holders. A Class Finals – Exclusive section reserved for VIP ticket holders Open Class Finals – THE BEST SEATS - reserved seating World Class Finals – THE BEST SEATS - reserved seating

The Pepsi Refresh Project, a groundbreaking effort that funds ideas, big and small, that can refresh the world, announced that the Northview Knights Band and Guard received the most votes in June and is on track to be collectively awarded a $25,000 grant to keep the kids on stage, funding the band program, providing support for community appearances, purchasing music, supporting guest artist appearances, and purchasing computers for music instruction. In 2010, Pepsi is awarding more than $20 million to ideas that will move the world forward. Anyone can submit an idea at www.RefreshEverything.com and each month the public decides who wins. Americans voted for July ideas from July 1 to July 31. With the ideas’ votes tallied, Pepsi is working with partners at Global Giving and GOOD to ensure that each idea qualifies to receive funding. Once approved, each idea will have the opportunity to be put into action. “The Northview Knights Band and Guard, is a great example of an organization with its members hard at work to make something amazing happen,” said Bill Osborn, General Manager of Refreshment Services Pepsi in Terre Haute. “The band organized, sought out and received great community support. We look forward to seeing the results of their hard work in the future.” Voters to http://www.refresheverything.com/keepthekidsonstage agreed that the idea from the Northview Knights Band and Guard was a compelling one. The band is a high school based program consisting of marching, concert, winter guard, indoor percussion and jazz. The band has won 11 state championships, and the grant will help to fund more than 50 performances for the school and the community. The Pepsi Refresh Project is an evolution of the Refresh Everything initiative Pepsi launched in 2009, which showed the brand as a catalyst for optimism. In 2010, Pepsi is funding ideas that will move the world forward in six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education. The Pepsi Refresh Project will feature significant social engagement around people and the power of ideas. To implement the project, Pepsi has partnered with three organizations dedicated to making a positive difference in the world: GOOD, a leading platform for thought and action revolving around pushing the world forward; Global Giving, an online marketplace that connects people who have community and world-changing ideas with people who can support them; and Do Something, the largest non-profit teen charity. “The generosity of Pepsi is going to allow us to keep our programs at the levels we are use to as well as add some very exciting clinicians and guest artists to our concerts and events. Being able to expose our students to a wider range of newly published music as well as rehearse and perform with top professional artists and choreographers is priceless. We are so thankful for all the faithful Northview supporters in the Wabash Valley and Alumni throughout the country who voted everyday on the Pepsi site and helped make this happen.” The Pepsi Refresh Project can be found at www.RefreshEverything.com or find more information on Facebook at www.facebook.com/refresheverything and Twitter, @Pepsi or #pepsirefresh.

WGI Elite Events…A New Kind of Regional Championship Winter Guard International, the world’s premier organization producing indoor color guard and percussion ensemble competitions, today announced the creation of a new series of regional championship events providing expanded performance opportunities as well as added services for participating groups. “Our goal is to offer greater service and an elevated experience to nationally competitive color guards and percussion ensembles while allowing local groups to discover WGI in a unique and large-scale event,” said Executive Director Ron Nankervis.  “I am most pleased that while the color guard division had the Power Regionals for a number of years, for the first time WGI will offer a similar type of contest for percussion ensembles.” Each Elite Event will be a two-day contest occurring the last two weeks of the WGI competitive calendar.  Approaching each event as a “mini-world championship”, groups can expect the same attention to detail that has made the Dayton events recognized as one of the best-managed marchaing arts events in the world. Some of the new features of the WGI Elite Event are: ·       Championship Arena Venues - Offers the performers the experience of that “big arena feeling” that sets it apart from regular regional or local circuit contests. ·       Semi-Finals for Scholastic A – For Elite Events with more than 30 Scholastic A groups entered into the contest, preliminaries will be held at a second contest site with 50% progressing to semi-finals in the arena Saturday night. The top ten will then compete in Finals Sunday morning. Preliminaries for all other classes will be held in the main arena. ·       Designer Overview Commentary - A current color guard or percussion designer giving “overview” commentary on the total program.  Not as disciplined as the formal judging caption philosophy and more of a “consultation” with a fellow designer, trials of this new service have been met with much enthusiasm and should prove valuable to groups wishing for peer encouragement. ·       Expanded Adjudication Services- All finals include a double panel of judges scheduled to travel to the WGI World Championships in Dayton.  In addition, an expanded critique with the prelims judges panel as well as the designer providing overview commentary is another feature of the Elite Event.   Each group will also receive a complimentary DVD of the their performance. ·       Seeding advantage – Champions in each color guard class will be seeded in the last performance time in their assigned round for WGI World Championships.  This will not apply to percussion, as some classes are not seeded for world championships preliminaries. WGI will offer five color guard and two percussion Elite Events in its’ inaugural season: March 19-20 Eastern Color Guard Championship - Ryan Center in Kingston, Rhode Island Southwestern Color Guard Championship – Thomas Coliseum in Dallas, Texas area Mid-South Percussion Championship – McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tennessee March 26-27 Mid-South Color Guard Championship – Lipscomb Arena in Nashville, Tennessee Southeastern Color Guard Championship – Sundome Arena in Tampa, Florida Western Color Guard Championship – Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego, California Western Percussion Championship – Coussoulis Arena in San Bernardino, California Check out the WGI 2011 event calendar and look for upcoming features on each of these Elite Events in the coming weeks on WGI.org    

By Michael Boo Attention all guitar players: Let Robert Espiritu tell you how to bring rhythm and soul to a drumline.  Interviews were conducted as the performers reached the "Top of the Tunnel" after their 2010 World Championships performance. Stay tuned to WGI.org this summer as more interviews are posted each week!

Dynasty celebrates it’s 4th DCI high drum title in a row with Phantom Regiment 2010. Phantom Regiment showed how amazing the percussion program was by winning their 2nd DCI high drum title in three years with Dynasty Percussion. " We are humbled by the the Phantom Regiment kids and staff this past season. They were amazing . To perform in the 6th position and still come out on top was pretty awesome" said Mark Reynolds VP of Sales and Marketing. The Phantom Regiment uses Dynasty Percussion on the field and in the front ensemble featuring the Dynasty 4.5 rosewood marimbas , 3.0 silver vibes , and the newest 3.0 pedal glock for outdoor use. Phantom Regiment also used the new Dynasty TMax SEM mount carrier.This carrier is taking the lead in the market featuring the Simple Entry Mount system. The snare drum and tenor carrier’s do not require jbars making these drums easy to mount and leaving the hassle of Jbars behind. Congratulations Phantom Regiment on another DCI percussion championship.

WGI is pleased to announce Tim Hudnall and Kriss Davis as A & Open Representatives for the 2011 season. This position places them as voting members of the WGI Color Guard Advisory Board for a two-year term. "We went through a long process of evaluating over 20 qualified applicants. The number of impressive candidates made the selection process extremely difficult,” said Color Guard Director Dale Powers. Tim Hudnall is the director of the Karns High School color guard in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was one of the driving forces in starting the Taravella High School program. “Tim has the right mix of dedication and passion as well as a good handle on school restraints and budgets,” Powers said. “Tim has been teaching in one school for over six years. His experience will allow him to counsel other color guards on the challenges all scholastic programs face such as school administration, budgets, graduating students, and staffing changes that all scholastic programs experience.” Kriss Davis has been with Art 101 from Columbus, Ohio, for the past 20 years and has also worked with many high school guards throughout Ohio. As a multiple-time IA Class finalist, Davis has a broad range of experiences dealing with being an independent organization. “Kriss brings a wealth of knowledge on how to leverage the needs of an independent group with relationship building at the local high school level,” Powers said. WGI would like to welcome these dedicated individuals to the Color Guard Advisory Board. Hudnall and Davis join Jimmy Fursman from Rhapsody (Washington) and John Sullivan from National Avenue and the Pride of of Missouri State who are currently serving as A & Open Representatives.

The WGI Board of Directors has refined the scholastic eligibility rule for schools using performers from different schools within their district for the 2011 competitive season. The rule was originally changed two years ago to allow districts using shared resources for extracurricular activities to have members from different schools. Previously only students from one school were allowed to compete in WGI competition. “WGI must be sensitive to the challenges all performing arts are experiencing in today’s reality of budget deficits many school districts are facing,” said Executive Director Ron Nankervis. “The rule was changed two years ago in response to districts trying to save these under-funded activities and this slight modification will allow us to be flexible while maintaining our standards for scholastic competition.” While the rule itself has not changed from the original intent of the change two years ago, the WGI eligibility certification process has been tightened in order to maintain the integrity of scholastic competition. The following requirements must be met in order to certify color guards and/or percussion ensembles having members from different schools within a district: Any color guard or percussion ensemble that combines students from multiple schools within their district or zone must compete under the name of a single school. Combined color guards or percussion ensembles may not combine school names or use any other name. For example, if Mountain East HS and Mountain West HS combine, they must choose one of those names as the official name. They would not be allowed to compete as Mountain HS, as it does not legally exist. The principals of all schools involved must sign off on the roster of performers. This roster must be notarized. If a school does not have a notary on campus, it is the responsibility of the director to make those arrangements. A copy of the school district policy that allows sharing of resources within the district must be provided to the satisfaction of WGI. If these new requirements are not met, then the color guard or percussion ensemble in question must compete as an independent group or limit the membership to students from only the one school registering for competition. For further information on scholastic eligibility questions, please contact the WGI office.

The WGI Board of Directors has refined the scholastic eligibility rule for schools using performers from different schools within their district for the 2011 competitive season. The rule was originally changed two years ago to allow districts using shared resources for extracurricular activities to have members from different schools. Previously only students from one school were allowed to compete in WGI competition. “WGI must be sensitive to the challenges all performing arts are experiencing in today’s reality of budget deficits many school districts are facing,” said Executive Director Ron Nankervis. “The rule was changed two years ago in response to districts trying to save these under-funded activities and this slight modification will allow us to be flexible while maintaining our standards for scholastic competition.” While the rule itself has not changed from the original intent of the change two years ago, the WGI eligibility certification process has been tightened in order to maintain the integrity of scholastic competition. The following requirements must be met in order to certify color guards and/or percussion ensembles having members from different schools within a district: Any color guard or percussion ensemble that combines students from multiple schools within their district or zone must compete under the name of a single school. Combined color guards or percussion ensembles may not combine school names or use any other name. For example, if Mountain East HS and Mountain West HS combine, they must choose one of those names as the official name. They would not be allowed to compete as Mountain HS, as it does not legally exist. The principals of all schools involved must sign off on the roster of performers. This roster must be notarized. If a school does not have a notary on campus, it is the responsibility of the director to make those arrangements. A copy of the school district policy that allows sharing of resources within the district must be provided to the satisfaction of WGI. If these new requirements are not met, then the color guard or percussion ensemble in question must compete as an independent group or limit the membership to students from only the one school registering for competition. For further information on scholastic eligibility questions, please contact the WGI office.

A new download addition has been made to the WGI Fan Network Shop. Select audio performances from the 2010 Percussion World Championships are now available to download! Simply start here, and add the shows you want to listen to. Then follow the instructions through the check-out process. Close your eyes, and you'll feel like you back at the UD Arena again.  Start now!

By Michael Boo After an exhausting weekend rehearsal, all you want to do is get home and relax. Dallas Thornton, a member of Florida's Northeast Independent, had one thing in his way before he could take it easy - a seven hour drive. That's how long it takes to drive from Jacksonville to Raleigh, North Carolina. Listen to Dallas explain how and why he did it! Interviews were conducted as the performers reached the "Top of the Tunnel" after their 2010 World Championships performance. Stay tuned to WGI.org this summer as more interviews are posted each week!

By Michael Boo After an exhausting weekend rehearsal, all you want to do is get home and relax. Dallas Thornton, a member of Florida's Northeast Independent, had one thing in his way before he could take it easy - a seven hour drive. That's how long it takes to drive from Jacksonville to Raleigh, North Carolina. Listen to Dallas explain how and why he did it! Interviews were conducted as the performers reached the "Top of the Tunnel" after their 2010 World Championships performance. Stay tuned to WGI.org this summer as more interviews are posted each week!

Students participate in a camp community drum circle. photo credit, Music for All/Jolesch Photography After conducting summer camps in Illinois for nearly two decades, Music for All announces it will relocate its annual summer symposium for instrumental music students and teachers to Ball State located in Muncie, Indiana. The inaugural symposium is scheduled for June 18- 25, 2011. The event will provide high school students and faculty from across the nation an opportunity to focus and develop their musical interests, while producing millions in revenue for the local economy. "Music for All's mission is to create, provide and expand positively life-changing experiences through music for all," says Scott McCormick, Music for All president and CEO. "Ball State was selected from among numerous proposals — by institutions across the country — to host the symposium, because we believe that it is perfectly positioned to partner with MFA to provide just such an experience for high-achieving students and their teachers. It is estimated that the MFA Summer Symposium will bring 1,600 students and teachers to the east central Indiana campus. The relocation also represents the arrival of the third of three MFA national programs now being conducted in central Indiana, fulfilling a promise the organization and its subdivision, Bands of America, made along with their 2003 headquarters move to Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association reports that the Bands of America Grand National Marching Band Championship held each November in Lucas Oil Stadium (previously in the RCA Dome) was the city's sixth largest tourism event in 2009, based on visitor spending. Total economic impact to the Hoosier capital was estimated at $16.1 million. Together with the summer symposium's move to Ball State and other Music for All events already occurring, the regional economy is expected to gain more than $22 million annually. The Music for All Summer Symposium, presented by Yamaha Corporation of America, is one of 25 annual programs presented by the nonprofit educational organization, explained McCormick. High school students attend the yearly gathering with options to focus on music divisions including concert band, marching band, jazz, percussion, orchestra, color guard and drum majors. High school and middle school teachers, meanwhile, come for professional development and to learn the latest trends and techniques for teaching music in an environment that stresses a commitment to teaching leadership skills and character building throughout.

Pepsi’s “Refresh Everything” project has kept Seminole HS in the race for 25K this month, and they are currently in 3rd place! The only way they will stay there is with your votes! Text 100219 to Pepsi (73774) or click here to vote online. These talented students are honored to be invited to march in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, but challenged to afford to travel and get their equipment to NYC.  You can help!

Thanks to Jessica DiMizio of San Marcos Percussive Theatre for this photo and caption Music City Mystique shows true confidence in their abilities, enough so to play blind folded. My favorite show of the season. To submit your own photo for wgi.org, email it along with your story to WGImages@wgi.org