Imagine a riveting story, full of heartbreak and struggle – a story of military created robots, made to run solely for their benefit. As the robots are used, they begin to evolve, forming human characteristics – enough for a government shutdown. The fight begins, and every robot is shut down but one – the lone survivor. “The Human Element”, a powerful show put on by American Drumline Association Champions, the Spring Valley Indoor Percussion.
In their first season back since 2015, the Spring Valley Indoor Percussion has competed in two competitions with their show, “The Human Element”. Placing second place in their first competition by .15 points, the group came back and won first place in the 2018 Southern Nevada Percussion Championships by four points on April 7th.
¨I don’t cry, but I cried,” Center Snare Drum Breanna Kwong said. “As soon as I heard them call second place, I just… I was standing there and I heard, ´second place, Clark High School´ I started freaking out, I turned around to my friends and they said ´don´t cry´ and it did not help.¨
(Indoor Percussion) has been led through their season by Instructor Cassie Martinez, a band member of over 10 years and tech at Spring Valley for six years, this being her first time leading the group on her own.
“I got to watch all of my students grow not only as musicians, but as people,” Martinez said. “I saw improvement in their musical abilities and physical abilities. I’ve never had a group of students who were more hard working or eager to learn.”
The percussion consists of tenor drums, snare drums, bassline, front ensemble formed of the rack, (plays multiple instruments at once), marimbas, xylophones, vibes, bells, and synth & sampler.
“It was a very memorable experience, I highly recommend it,” Front Ensemble Section Leader Michael Wang. “My favorite part is watching the people I teach progress and become better at what they do.”
While their season ended at their last competition, the group will begin again in the winter, hoping to hold onto first place.
