Junior Varsity Finish Season with a Gold Rating

The Ben Davis Junior Varsity Winter Guard unit finishes their season at Mooresville HS during Divisional Finals on Saturday, March 5. Divisional Finals are equivocated to State competition for the Junior Varsity unit. 37 schools from across the state competed for the top five units. Ben Davis would perform at 1:06 pm to many family members in the stands. The guard had a flawless performance; not one drop of the rifles or flags. The members had given their best performance of the season; but they would have to wait until 6:00 pm to find out their results. This would give the members time to see other schools as they presented their shows. At 6:00 pm the members participated in full retreat. Full retreat brings all members from the 37 schools to the floor of the gymnasium for awards. Many of the units carry flowers for this colorful presentation including our own Ben Davis unit. The units are first presented with their ratings. Ben Davis was one of only 12 units to achieve a Gold rating; this meant they were in the top 12 units of the day. Their score had improved by 2 points from their previous show and finished 2nd in their round. They have put in many hours of practice, travel and performance time this 2011 season; and everyone involved with the unit are very proud of their accomplishments and look forward to next season. Thanks for a GREAT season JV.

Varsity Winter Guard travelled to Dayton, OH for WGI Regional’s. Ben Davis finished 2nd in their round on Saturday; but would have to wait until later in the evening to find out if they would be one of the 11 units to advance to finals on Sunday. During the awards ceremony, 24 schools from six states waited for their name to be called. Ben Davis was among the 11 schools moving to finals. The unit would perform at 9:24 am. At the performance on Sunday, parents of the members were in tears as the unit finished their best performance of the season. Later in the afternoon, the Varsity unit found they had finished 9th and had scored their highest marks of the season. Everyone present was very proud of the unit as they continue to improve each week. Next week will find the Varsity unit at Decatur Central HS for State semi-finals. The unit performs at 12:12 pm; stop by and see what the members have been working so hard on this season.

Upcoming events:
Practice:
March 9, 3:30 to 4:30 pm, Wind Symphony
March 10, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion & Varsity Guard
March 14, 6 to 9 pm, Varsity Guard
March 15, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion & Varsity Guard
March 16, 3:30 to 4:30 pm, Wind Symphony

Competition:
March 11 – 12, All-State Band
March 12, Winter Percussion, State Prelims at Avon HS
March 12, Varsity Winter Guard, State Prelims at Decatur Central HS

Winter Guard heads to Greenfield Central

Rachel, Diana, Jeanlle

Kayla, Garrett, Shelby

Both Winter Guard units headed out to Greenfield Central Saturday, February 26, to compete in their respected Classes. During last week’s practice, guard director, Katie Townsend, tweaked their show; and this would be the first time most in the stands would see the updates to the performance. As the unit takes the floor, the crowd waited in anticipation for the music to begin and show to start. Finally, the announcer calls out, “Is the guard ready?” This is the cue for the Junior Varsity to perform their show “Halo” to the packed gymnasium. As the dancers start the show from the far left corner, Shawndale Walls, begins to spin his flag in the bottom right corner. The crowd screams in excitement. The unit finishes their show with their flag feature; once again getting the crowd excited since all 15 members have flags spinning and flying in the air. During the awards presentation, Class AA is presented with either a Gold, Silver, or Bronze rating. Ben Davis received a Gold rating; only one of six units to achieve this. Overall, the unit finished sixth out of 21 units. Great job!

Later in the evening, the Varsity unit took the floor to perform their show “Star Struck” to music “Cosmic Love” by Florence and the Machine. Varsity had also worked on changes in their show during practice last week. The show begins with all members in a circle around Garrett Statzer rises up in the air. The members dance around and move to the outer perimeter of their tarp. Kayla Coe picks up a rifle and throws it to Garrett where he catches it and toss it in the air bring cheers from the crowd. The show finishes with the members forming a star while laying on the floor with Garrett Statzer and Darin Rodeghier pointing to the skies as the music concludes. The crowd whoops and hollers for this awesome performance. The unit would have to wait until 10:00 pm to find out results. At the awards ceremony, the Varsity received a 5th place finish, out of 16 units, and had improved their score from their previous performance. Congratulations to both units on great performances.

Next week, Varsity will perform at WGI regional in Dayton, OH and Junior Varsity will compete at Mooresville Community HS on Saturday for Divisional Finals.

Congratulations also go out the Ben Davis Winter Percussion on their 2nd place finish at Mt. Vernon HS on Saturday.

Upcoming events:

Practice:

March 2, 3:30 to 4:30 pm, Wind Symphony

March 3, 3 to 4:15 pm, Jazz Band

March 3, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion & Varsity Guard

March 4, 6 to 9 pm, JV Guard

March 7, 6 to 9 pm, Varsity Guard

March 8, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion & Varsity Guard

March 9, 3:30 to 4:30 pm, Wind Symphony

Performance / Competition:
March 5, Ball State Jazz Festival
March 5 – 6, Varsity Winter Guard at Dayton, OH WGI
March 5, Junior Varsity Winter Guard at Moorseville

WGI Regional - Indianapolis

WGI Regional was held at Warren Central HS on Saturday, February 19. Ben Davis Varsity Guard was one of the many units participating in competition; with Ben Davis in the Scholastic A class. For Saturday, 21 units in Scholastic A would be divided into three groups. Ben Davis would perform in the first round and would be the second unit to perform. The top 11 scores would move to finals scheduled for Sunday. Since Ben Davis performed early, they unit returned to the High School to practice before returning to Warren Central to find out if they would be moving forward. Once all units had completed in the three rounds, Ben Davis found they had finished second in their round and sixth overall. This meant they would be returning to Warren Central on Sunday to compete against the other 10 units. Returning to Ben Davis early Sunday morning, the members started their day at 6:00 am to practice before their return to Warren Central for competition. After performing, the members would have to wait until mid-afternoon to find out the results during the awards presentation. This allowed the members to enjoy the other classes as they performed throughout the day. During the awards presentation, Ben Davis was presented with an eighth place finish for their finals performance. Congratulations Varsity for your awesome performances both days.

Next week, both Varsity and Junior Varsity will compete at Greenfield Central HS on Saturday.

Congratulations also go out the Ben Davis Winter Percussion on their first place finish at Indianapolis Percussion Finals on Sunday.

Upcoming events:
Practice:
February 24, 3 to 4:15 pm, Jazz Band
February 24, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion & Varsity Guard
February 25, 6 to 9 pm, JV Guard
February 28, 6 to 9 pm, Varsity Guard

Performance / Competition:
February 26, State Solo and Ensemble
February 26, Winter Guard at Greenfield Central
March 1, 7 pm, Winter Concert in the Auditorium

Varsity Guard Prepares for their Largest Competition

Saturday, February 19, will find the Varsity Winter Guard at Warren Central HS for their largest competition of the season. The unit will perform at WGI regional. WGI.org site states: “WGI Sport of the Arts is the world's premier organization producing indoor color guard and percussion ensemble competitions. As a non-profit youth organization, WGI serves as the leading governing body of the winter guard and indoor percussion activities. It is called the Sport of the Arts because it brings music to life through performance in a competitive format. Now entering its 33rd year, the sport continues to evolve and grow. There were over 11,000 participants at the Sport of the Arts World Championships this past April.” BD will compete against 21 units from around the mid-west in the Scholastic A class. Preliminary competition is held on Saturday with finals slated for Sunday. With BDs strong start to the season all supporters are excited for the event.

Upcoming events:
Practice:
February 17, 3 to 4:15 pm, Jazz Band
February 17, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion & Varsity Guard
February 18, 6 to 9 pm, JV Guard
February 21, 6 to 9 pm, Varsity Guard
February 22, 3 to 4:15 pm, Jazz Band
February 22, 6 to 8:30 pm, Varsity Guard
February 22, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion & JV Guard

Performance / Competition:
February 18, Pep Band, Call time 6:30 pm
February 19, Varsity Guard, WGI, 11:13 am

The Winter Guard Competitive Season has Begun

JV presenting HALO

Varsity presenting Starstruck

Saturday, January 29, found the both Guard units in Danville, IN to compete in their first competition of the season. JV unit would compete against 15 Class AA units from around the state. They presented their show “Halo” to a packed gymnasium. BD was the 13th unit to perform; and received an enthusiastic response from the crowd. Once all units had presented their shows, the awards ceremony was held for Class AA. All units receive a participation certificate; and the top 5 units are recognized with medals to be placed on their 2010 – 2011 plaques. The JV unit finishes in the top 25% with a 4th place finish.

Later in the afternoon, Varsity competed against 11 other units from around the state in Class A competition. The unit would perform their show entitled “Starstruck”. Katie Townsend, guard director, explains the show “draws parallels between the incredible cosmic force of the universe and the all consuming force of love.” This fast paced show keeps the crowd engaged throughout the entire performance. During the awards ceremony, BD was presented with a 2nd place finish just behind Brownsburg by .30 points.

Both units have come out strong this season; and expect to continue to improve as the year progresses. Congratulations to JV and Varsity units!

Upcoming events:
Practice:
February 3, 3 to 4:15 pm, Jazz Band
February 3, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion & Varsity Guard
February 4, 6 to 9 pm, JV Guard
February 7, 6 to 9 pm, Varsity Guard
February 8, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion & JV Guard
February 8, 6 to 8:30 pm, Varsity Guard

Performance / Competition:
February 2, Pep Band, Call time 6:30
February 5, IHSMA Solo & Ensemble
February 5, Winter Guard at Pike HS
February 5, Winter Percussion at New Palestine HS

Winter Guard Paint Tarp

Rules call for Winter Guard to have a tarp on the floor during their presentation. A tarp can be screen printed, plain or painted; the JV unit will have a painted tarp for the 2011 season; and members from the both units gave up their Saturday evening to prep and paint the JV tarp. This season the JV Guard will present their show “Halo” so the tarp has a gold circle to represent the “Halo” from their song by Beyoncé. Heaven and earth are depicted by having the halo in a cream color at the bottom part of the tarp. The design was created by guard director, Katie Townsend. Armed with paint rollers along with six different colors, the members completed the task in 4 hours time. Once finished, each member had speckled arms, legs, and feet in different colors of purple, yellow, and blue. The finished product is a masterpiece for the members to present on January 29 during their first competition.

Thanks go to parents, Scott and Colleen Lee for their help during this 4 hour project.

Upcoming events:
Practice:
January 20, 3 to 4:15 pm, Jazz Band
January 20, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion & Varsity Guard
January 21, 6 to 9 pm, JV Guard
January 22, 12 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion
January 22, 1 to 5 pm, JV Guard
January 22, 1 to 9 pm, Varsity Guard
January 24, 6 to 9 pm, Varsity Guard & Winter Percussion
January 25, 3 to 4:15 pm, Jazz Band

Winter Percussion Prepares for the 2011 Season

Now that the Holidays are behind us, the Winter Percussion continues to practice as they prepare for a new season. Per wgi.org, Winter Percussion is defined as “An indoor percussion ensemble or indoor drumline consists of the marching percussion (also called battery) and front ensemble (also called pit) sections of a marching band or drum corps. Indoor percussion marries elements of music performance, marching, and theater; thus, the activity is often referred to as percussion theater.” Our 28 members will be Concert Percussion this year; consisting of pit instruments. The members will be playing vibraphone, marimbas, and electronic instruments, along with a drumset, plus other instruments used in the front ensemble. Their first competition is set for Saturday, February 5, at New Palestine HS.



Upcoming events:
  Practice:
    January 13, 3 to 4:15 pm, Jazz Band
    January 13, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion & Varsity Guard
    January 14, 6 to 9 pm, JV Guard
    January 15, TBA, Varsity Guard
    January 17, 9 am to 5 pm, Varsity Guard
    January 18, 3 to 4:15 pm, Jazz Band
    January 18, 6 to 9 pm, Winter Percussion
    January 18, 6 to 8:30 pm, Varsity Guard

Performance:
    January 14, Pep Band, Call time 6:15