Pure Gold: Yamaha Ensembles Shine at WGI World Championships
Pulse Percussion Celebrates After Their First Ever Gold Medal at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, OH
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"I'm floored by the whole experience; the week was such a shock for everyone," said Danielle Collins, Executive Director of Pulse Percussion. "We just went to play our show and do the best we can. The gold was icing on the cake. The commitment everyone showed this year was amazing, from our 48 performers, some driving as much as six or seven hours each weekend to rehearse, from our 26 staff members, and everyone else that's helped us get this far, including Yamaha. We've always played Yamaha, and we're grateful to them for all they've done to help us succeed at the highest levels of competition."
The University of Dayton Arena was the site of this year's competition, where the field was strong; 160 ensembles from across the country, and a few from places as far away as Belgium and Japan. Of the 160 competing groups, 53 depend on Yamaha as their marching drum of choice. Also attending were over a dozen Yamaha Artists, experts in the field of percussion and marching arts. Over the course of the weekend they taught a number of ensembles at the event, and many were also invited to be judges in the competition.
"Yamaha has been involved with WGI and Indoor Percussion since the mid 1990s," said Troy Wollwage, Percussion Marketing Manager, Yamaha Corporation of America, Band and Orchestral Division. "The proliferation of Yamaha products among these organizations has grown exponentially thanks to the quality and consistency of products that educators and instructors have come to rely on. It's no longer just marching percussion instruments that are in demand, we're seeing an increased usage of Yamaha Pro Audio speakers, digital mixers, amps, electronic keyboards and electronic drum sets."
The WGI Indoor Percussion World Championships is the culminating event of the season for indoor percussion, commonly called "The Sport of the Arts." An indoor percussion ensemble, sometimes called an indoor drumline, consists of the marching percussion and front ensemble 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.
Although most indoor percussion ensembles are affiliated with high schools, there are also many independent groups that draw participants from a large area.
It is estimated that over 45,000 students participate in this activity each year in the United States in more than 50 regional indoor percussion circuits.
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamaha.com/band.
About Yamaha
Yamaha Corporation of America is the largest subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation, Japan and offers a full line of musical instruments and audio/visual products to the U.S. market. Products include: acoustic and digital pianos, portable keyboards, guitars, acoustic and electronic drums, band and orchestral instruments, marching percussion products, synthesizers, professional digital and analog audio products, and innovative technology products targeted to the hobbyist, education, worship, professional music, and installation markets.