On December 8, 2018, Springbrook High School hosted its 8th Annual Drumline Competition. The event featured competitors from Watkins Mill, Northwood, and Blake, and middle school drumlines from Charles Hart and Garfield middle schools, who both hailed from Washinton, D.C.

After a performance from the Blue Devils Pom Squad, the battle of the bands ensued. Watkins Mill performed first, then Northwood, then Charles Hart and Blake, and finally, Springbrook. The Springbrook Dance Team also performed at the end of the drumline performance.

After initially being unsure of their attendance to the competition due to unforeseen transportation issues, the Garfield Middle School Drumline delivered a stunning performance, garnering a thunderous applause from the audience.

By the end of the competition, Northwood had won 1st place, Blake won 2nd, Springbrook won 3rd, and Watkins Mill received 4th place in the senior division. In the junior division, Garfield won 1st place, and Charles Hart received the 2nd place award. Individual awards went to Northwood for cymbals, Charles Hart for bass, and Blake for tenor and snare drums.

The results from this year’s competition were quite different from those of 2017 – when the Blue Devils took the 1st place prize. Mr. Jones, Springbrook’s music director and the organizer of the competition, spoke to the hard work of  his drumline members, and expressed a general satisfaction with their performance. 

“I was especially proud of our Drumline,” Mr. Jones says, “they worked really hard to learn the routine and we spent many, many hours prepping for it so I’m extremely proud of how well they pulled things together.”

The proceeds from the 8th Annual Drumline Competition will go towards a spring trip to Philadelphia for the string orchestra, symphonic band, and jazz band to compete in a music festival. The money will help lessen the financial burden of the trip for student-performers who otherwise would not be able to attend.