Participating schools included Cass Tech, Detroit Central, Detroit Douglass, Detroit School of Arts, Detroit Martin Luther King, and Detroit Renaissance. Also performing was the Pershing drumline, who took the stage despite the school not having a band director due to city budget cuts.
After each drumline performed, they got feedback from the Spartans and their instructor, Jonathan Weber, visiting instructor of percussion at the Michigan State University College of Music.
"I think the human race is very attracted to drumming. It is a very powerful and gravitational type of music. When done right, it is overwhelming," said John Madden, Director of the Spartan Marching Band. "Like any instrumental band, drumline has all of the elements of a team sport."
The Spartan Marching Band Drumline also demonstrated several warm-up exercises and performed several songs before conducting break-out sessions for each instrument.
The drumline's trip to
The programs are part of the college's newly formed outreach and engagement division, which
is committed to providing sequential music instruction to the community and service-learning opportunities for MSU students. The
The Michigan Competing Band Association had two competitions on Oct. 4.
In theFlushing competition at Flint Atwood Stadium, Durand (58.65) won Flight IV,
At the Hudsonville competition, Godwin Heights (64.45) won Flight IV, Stephensville Lakeshore (73.25) won Flight III, Reeths-Puffer (78.35) took Flight II, and Rockford had the top score (71.40) in Flight I.
