This year’s drum line was lucky enough to get a new staff.

The new staff consists of Bailey Gruben, Nond Sli, and Andrew Brogan. Sli explains how they got involved with the drum line at South.

“We got involved through Gateway Indoor Percussion. We knew a writer here (Cliff Walker), and he brought us here to help teach the battery,” Sli said.

Drum line, also referred to as battery, consists of three different instruments: snare drums, tenor drums, and bass drums. Sophomore snare player Tucker Sargent talks about how this staff is different than staffs of previous years.

“They know a lot about a lot of different things about battery. Previous staffs knew a lot about battery and front ensemble, whereas they know a lot about marching and the visual aspect of drum line,” Sargent said.

Sophomore bass player Dane Workman says this year’s staff is more current than past staffs.

“Nond and Bailey are pretty cool. They’re here all the time, they’re pretty hip and new to the scene, and I like that. Nond is kind of one of the greatest bass drum players in the game right now. It’s pretty cool to have him as a teacher because I used to watch videos of him on YouTube before I actually knew him. So when he walked in on the first day, I was so hype,” Workman said.

Junior bass player Taran Canady talks about how he thinks Sli has helped our drum line.

“He keeps the mood light whenever the spirit of the group is down. Whenever we have a bad rep, he doesn’t stay mad for long; he’s really good at moving onto the next one,” Canady said.

Staff member Bailey Gruben says that teaching here is different than at previous places he has taught.

“Students here are very hungry to learn; they’re very eager and they jump at every opportunity, and that’s not always the case,” Gruben said.

Workman says he feels like the new staff pushes them more than other years’ staffs.

“In my opinion, this year’s staff is better than previous staff because they’re always there for us. They’re always willing to push us, especially Bailey. Bailey really pushes us hard, and I like that,” Workman said.

Before coming to teach here, both Gruben and Sli marched Drum Corp International (DCI). DCI is the equivalent of the NFL for marching bands, and they go on tour across the nation all summer. Gruben explains what is different between marching DCI and teaching high school students.

“When you’re in a drum corp you are kind of a robot. You turn off your life and you live every day off their schedule. Every possible choice you have to make is already made for you.  Specifically going to teaching, it’s really hard because these are normal people, and for three months in DCI you are not a normal person. You have to remember that other people aren’t as crazy as you are right now,” Gruben said.

Gruben and Sli have been working with South’s drum line since band camp in July. Sargent thinks the drum line has improved a lot since then.

“We get along better, we play better together, and we understand more than we did and give more effort,” Sargent said.

Gruben says that he thinks they’ve matured more since band camp.

“The maturity has just gone through the roof. When we auditioned, we struggled to stand up straight, we struggled to look each other in the eyes and have meaningful conversations. Now, they practice on their own. They have motivation that wasn’t there before,” Gruben said.

Workman agrees that he believes he has matured since last year.

“We all work a lot harder, we’re all a lot more focused since they’ve gotten here. Last year, I was really immature and unfocused. This year, I’ve really stepped up my game, and you know me, I play three’s like a master now,” Workman

The endless hours of practice and dedication the drum line put in over the summer and throughout the school year paid off, and it was shown when they got first place in percussion at the Parkhill Marching Invitational. Canady says that the new staff has helped with getting them ready before a competition.

“They give us a chance to get in a focused mindset. I feel like getting focused is natural for us because over the summer that was hammered into our brains, and that’s whenever we have our uniform on and our drums on it’s all business. We have a presence that we’ve never had before when we carry our drums,” Canady said.

With any teacher, the goal is not only to help your student grow in their art, but also as a person. Sargent says that the new staff has done that by not only helping him grow as a percussionist, but also as a human being.

“They made me realize that I can’t be as hard on people. They’re both very educated in their field, and they view us as children in this field. They could easily just blow us off and yell at us because we don’t do what they say, but they’re patient and kind and forgiving. They’ve made me realize not as a player but as a person that you have to be like that with everything you do. If somebody doesn’t know something, maybe you help them out and don’t yell at them. There are people that yell at people for everything, and they don’t get anywhere in life. Whereas Bailey and Nond are going places in life because they are caring and passionate about what they do, and they’re passionate about teaching others,” Sargent said.

Along with the changes in staff, the drum line will also have a change in how they do winter percussion. In past years, winter percussion has been where only percussion players march indoors, without any wind players or color guard members. This year, winter percussion will be in a concert style, without marching.

“Concert Percussion Ensembles is a great opportunity to grow as a percussionist, and to develop skills outside of their comfort zones,” Gruben said.

While the new staff has helped the drum line grow both as people and as percussionists, the staff also hopes to take away something from working here. Gruben says that he hopes to gain a better understanding of how to be a better human.

“When you teach, you spend more time learning than you do teaching. A good teacher is learning more than they’re teaching. I hope to come away from this experience with a better understanding of how to communicate,” Gruben said.