“He left no instructions, just a legacy to protect.” Cue the music. Drumline is more than just music; it also involves a performance. The musicians have to convey a theme to their show by acting, while playing their instruments at the same time. And this is not an easy task.

For the previous two years, 2015-2016, English teacher Alex Hall was in charge of the drumline at Greenwood High School. Greenwood students were not the only participants in the drumline, though; students from South Warren also took part in it. 53 students from these two schools spent countless hours practicing to put a stunning show together. Mr. Hall was the director of the drumline production, and he also wrote the music for the show, drawing his ideas from horror movie music.

The theme for last year’s show was “Unhinged.” It dealt with patients in a mental asylum who have to learn how to cope with being put in the asylum. They go through four stages of embracing their insanity: Denial, Anger, Blame, and Acceptance. To convey this idea to the audience, the percussionists were dressed in torn clothing and hospital gowns, like patients in an asylum would be.

They had props in the background that displayed the words of the stages they were acting out. As the show progressed from one feeling to another, a tarp was torn off of a frame to reveal the new stage being portrayed. The show didn’t stay the same throughout the whole year though, it continuously changed as they developed and rewrote parts of the show. 

Kevin Zink, a senior and member of the drumline last year, said Mr. Hall was a great instructor because he cared so much about the program and made them feel proud about their work. Kevin said that while drumline is not really a sport, it is similar to a sport in that it involves lots of teamwork. He is a part of the bassline and says that teamwork is a huge part of the bassline, because “if someone messes up, everyone messes up.” Kevin’s favorite part of being in drumline was that it involved a lot of personal growth. He enthusiastically said, “You can literally hear yourself getting better.”

Mr. Hall, however, is no longer a teacher at Greenwood. With his departure he left big shoes to fill. To the disappointment of many, those shoes could not be filled. According to Kevin, a new instructor was found but due to clashing between this instructor and the members of the drumline, the Warren County Winter Drumline was cancelled. Kevin, along with many others, miss being able to participate in drumline. He says he misses the time he got to spend with those friends, practicing and competing.

The drumline was unlike anything else we had here at Greenwood. It gave students a unique and fun way to express themselves. Hopefully, for future Gator drummers, the hiatus will end and the drumline will return.