This Feb. 7, Pacheco High School’s winter percussion ensemble will be going to Lincoln High School in Stockton to compete at their very first competition this season. They look to start this season strong with their performance, “SHiNE.”
Winter percussion is a musical performance of two main sections: a front ensemble known as the pit, and a marching line known as the battery.
The front ensemble has large percussion instruments that can’t move easily, while the marching line is made up of drums on harnesses so musicians can play their music while marching and perform choreography to accompany the music and theme of the show.
“SHiNE” is a piece that was arranged by both pit instructor Dario Costa and battery instructor CJ Reyes and pulls musical parts from Alexandre Desplat’s piece “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” and JVKE’s song “golden hour.”
The title “SHiNE” is meant to signify a singular letter, or person, being in the spotlight and showing off their glory, such as the letter “I.”
This is PHS’s third year of having a marching line. Costa and Reyes lead the entire ensemble, taking them higher in the rankings of the Central Valley Guard and Percussion Alliance, a circuit that the group competes in.
Regarding the upcoming performance, Reyes said, “I have high hopes that we’re going to make some more progress. I think that this program is on the up and up to be something great.”
