It has been a successful season for the Marching Huskies. They were undefeated in best music, best percussion, best visual, best general effect and ranked first place in their division at state championships. However, just because the season’s over doesn’t mean the band program is taking a break. Starting in late November, some members of marching band choose to participate in indoor drumline.

Indoor drumline is an ensemble made up of the marching percussion and front ensemble of a marching band. Bass drums, snares, marimbas, and more are all given the spotlight during the winter season. Other instruments that aren’t traditional for a marching band like bass guitar and piano are also included in the activity. Over the course of 4 months, the group comes together to create and perform a show to bring to competitions, eventually participating in a championship performance. This year’s show is titled Unbroken and has original music composed by members of the staff.

Indoor drumline is one of the lesser known programs in the school’s music department,  seeing as they don’t perform at any sports events or school concerts. The only place to see indoor drumline perform is at one of their competitions.

Since indoor drumline takes place indoors, the program doesn’t have to adhere to the rules of a football field. Indoor drumline paints their own mat to march on and bring to competitions with a picture painted on the mat that’s usually in accordance with the theme of their show. Julia Inman-Ryan is a junior and was a drum major during the fall season but now plays piano for indoor drumline. “It takes a long time to paint the floor, but when you’re doing it that time flies by. I really enjoy it,” Inman-Ryan said.

Another interesting element of Tuscarora’s indoor drumline is that they allow students who don’t normally play percussion instruments to learn and try something new after marching band season.

Kylie Winn is a senior and plays mellophone for marching band, however during indoor season she’s a vibraphone player. “It’s really different going from a wind instrument to percussion because it requires more hand-eye coordination while playing your music,” said Winn. Even though the transition may be dramatic though, Winn said “It’s helped me build better foundations in my musical skills.”

One of ensemble’s challenges this year will be competing with other larger groups at competitions. With only 19 musicians participating in the activity, Tuscarora’s indoor drumline is significantly smaller than its marching band.

The first competition of the season will take place at Mount Vernon High School on February 16. The championships will be held on March 30 at South County High School.