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PCC’s Marching Percussion Ensemble came in first place at the American Drum Line Championships on April 24 in Mission Hills. It competed in the World Independent Division against one other team from Pasadena, Full Force.The ensemble is led by Professor Tad Carpenter, who created the program 15 years ago. According to Director of Bands Kyle Luck, the program attracts outstanding young musicians.

Carpenter said his group this year is comprised of 29 extraordinarily talented students playing the snare drums, bass drums, quints, cymbals, or assorted mallet percussion.

“We are in the top echelon,” said Carpenter. In the past 15 years, Carpenter says, PCC has won 12 times.

This year the ensemble was behind its competitors at every competition it attended, but it pulled through in the end and showed its worth.

“We were nervous, but ecstatic and we were well prepared,” said Lauren Nakaishi, pit captain for the mallet section. “I can speak for everyone [in saying] we were shocked because we hadn’t beaten [Full Force] before.”

The competition piece the ensemble performed was called “Postcards from New York.”

The whole performance had six features; Carpenter said that the stomp feature was the highlight of the performance.

“They used buckets, basketballs and brooms,” he said.

Carpenter created the competition piece that the ensemble performed. His work is considered challenging, but the students were able to pull it off.

“The season started with a lot of confusion. It was a really big concept in Tad’s mind and hard for him to portray it to us,” said Tenor Michael Barnett. “We finished the show a week before championships and the concept made sense finally.”

Barnett said that he felt that the ensemble had a chance of beating Full Force.

“We finally had competition and we won and it felt great,” he said.

PCC’s Marching Percussion Ensemble after group won the first prize at the American Drum Line Championships in Mission Hills pn April 24. (Tad Carpenter)

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