On April 18 and 19, the Centaurus High School Winter Percussion Ensemble took home 8th place out of their 42-group division at 2024 WGI Percussion and Winds Championship in Dayton, Ohio. They had spent over five months practicing their piece The Lighthouse and were excited to perform for the first time on the world stage in Ohio, where they qualified for finals.

Morgan Kirk, who played synthesizer for CHS winter percussion for her first time this season, documented, said “Everybody was really welcoming, and it was great.” She said that the focus of the trip was both making it to semifinals and bonding as a group.  “We just wanted to play one time. And once that happened [and we were able to play], it was just about having fun.” She believed that the team building element of the trip helped to lower the stress that comes with competing, ultimately resulting in a better performance. “It was a really great experience,” she said. 

Mallory Deneau, who plays marimba, also really enjoyed the trip. “It’s been super fun; I’ve had a great time with my section. World championships were a bit overwhelming at first, because there were 42 groups in our class, and I was a little intimidated by them. But honestly, once I got into the performance space and I watched a couple of groups perform, I felt a lot better and I knew that all I had to do was trust the people around me and we were going to have a good run.” That’s exactly what happened- they made it to the World Finals, placing 8th out of 42 groups. 

“I think we can also attribute a lot of our success to past winter percussion groups, because I know that when I started as a freshman, we were nowhere near as good as we are now, and I think that our placement now will inspire younger percussionists to join, and make our ensemble even better,” said Deneau. 

Mallory also described  experiencing a variety of physical challenges throughout the season, such as the fact that it had been hard on her hands because of the physical exertion she went through throughout the season. She was able to overcome the cramping she experienced by playing more and getting her body used to the physical exertion she was putting herself through.

Centaurus High School Winter Percussion Ensemble is currently discussing going back to the World Championships in the future as a result of the tremendous success they had this season, and members of the Winter Percussion Ensemble hope their success has set the stage for future percussionists to join and continue to improve.