Reprinted from wgi.org by Michael Reed -- The members of Timber Creek (NJ) (Gold Medal- 96.713) were bits of data scurrying around their computer circuit board tarp with “CPU.”
As the line marched and played with a machine-like precision, a synthesized female voice described the various internal operations that were taking place. The package began with very musical work from the pit as they were booting up. Once they were operational, the battery joined in with vigor. Sounds of a modem dialing indicated the group was going online, but unfortunately they downloaded a virus once they were connected, causing them to crash at the conclusion with a massive system failure.
Kickapoo (MO) (Silver Medal- 95.938) combined skillful playing with a well thought out and executed visual concept with “In Motion.” The drill constantly had members freezing in place in statuesque poses, as if a camera had captured them for brief snapshots in time. One memorable section of the program’s finale featured the line moving rapidly with sections dropping off one by one, holding perfectly still while balanced on one leg. The music, while not containing recognizable melodies, nevertheless allowed the kids to create beautiful sonorities while expertly handling a book that was demanding for all sections.
Why? Where? How? Oceanside (CA) (Bronze Medal- 95.55) pondered these and more with “The Question.” The show began with a little child asking “why is the sky blue”, which just happened to be performed on a sky blue floor. The second movement featured a question every parent gets asked when another child queried “where do babies come from?” A marriage proposal occurred during a touching ballad section (she accepted), followed by a forceful finale where bad news from a doctor caused a drummer to ask “How much time do I have to live?” leading to a fast, intense ending.
Plainfield (IN) (4th- 94.575) performed a show anyone who has ever imagined their future hopes and goals could appreciate. The optimistic program was designed in an easy-to-follow manner with melodies like “Dream Weaver” and “These Dreams” woven into the musical fabric. The group began with the fantasies of children about what they will become when they grow up. Visions of earning a college diploma and starting a family were explored, before the group expressed their desire for one of mankind’s most elusive goals- achieving lasting world peace.
Norwalk (CT) (5th- 92.663) described how we relate to the passage of time with their program “Time”. Narration explained how depending on the circumstance it can seem to rush by or pass slowly. The group examined musical aspects of time by performing a section in different meters. A brief moment of déjà vu was experienced when the line played the same passage twice. When the voiceover intoned “time is running out” in the closer, the group moved at a whiplash pace with rapid mallet runs aplenty before reminding us “It’s about time”.
It’s fun. It’s challenging. It’s one of America’s favorite board games. It’s “Scrabble”! Los Banos (CA) (6th- 91.838) moved on a scrabble board floor with letters on their backs. When members would turn around, musical words would be spelled out which the line then enacted. We were treated to triple word scores of fun with musical terms like ‘rhythm’ and ‘timbre’. The line got creative with a bass feature played at a soft volume level when spelling ‘quiet’, and a nice bit of snare work with a crisp, machine-gun roll when ‘fast’ was spelled.
With what may be the feel good show of the year, Decatur Central (IN) (7th- 91.20) brought a cheerful message with “Accentuate the Positive”. Pat Metheny’s exotic “Finding and Believing” served as the primary musical source for the performance. The show began by identifying things that can motivate people such as a smile or thumbs up. During the closer, members told of accomplishments they were proud of in their lives before reminding us nothing is impossible if we just think positively.
Victor (NY) (8th- 90.638) may not suffer from excessive vanity, but they have spent a lot time this season looking in the mirror. “Reflection” featured seven tall transparent mirrors which served to frame the floor and provide a visual focus. The movement book was highlighted by members standing in mirror images of each other. The battery grew weary of spending too much time looking at themselves, forcefully pushing to the front of the floor at the end, shattering the mirrors with a punch.
Legendary drummer Neil Peart would be proud of Thomas Jefferson (VA) (9th- 89.975). “What a Rush” featured music from the famed Canadian rock trio. Opening with the mallets playing the rapid guitar riff from “Spirit of Radio”, the line moved on to “Tom Sawyer”, getting a crisp, clean sound from the battery. The closing movement was drawn from “YYZ,”, allowing the line to really capture the flavor of the music, making us feel as though we had front row seats at a Rush concert.
Foothill (NV) (10th- 88.938), located in the shadow of Las Vegas, brought the constant bustle of the desert paradise to the arena with “ENERGY”. Various properties of energy were illustrated through narration. The drill, marched on a floor with a neon-green atom, featured lots of spinning motions like electrons buzzing around a neutron. The group created their own special electricity during the fast ending “Kinetic Energy” movement, zipping around the floor at breakneck speeds.
Hilton (NY) (11th- 88.10) presented one of the twentieth century’s most popular symphonic works with “Symphonic Elan”. Hindemith’s “Symphonic Metamorphosis” was performed on a floor of burgundy, gold, and white with tall curtained backdrops. The group’s strength was its musicianship, with a fantastic blend between the battery and pit. The performance ended with the lively “March” from the piece, earning a shower of applause from the appreciative spectators.
West Johnston (NC) (12th- 85.95) characterized at almost every conceivable method of transportation with “Ride”. The central character was a young lady who at various times was a traffic cop in a crowded intersection, a cowgirl riding a horse to a playful “William Tell Overture”, a train conductor, and an astronaut planting the flag on the moon. At the entertaining production’s end, she got on a bicycle and rode it right past the curtain and out of the arena.
