Loaded down with an assortment of percussion instruments ranging from bass and tenor drums to cymbals and chimes, high school bands from throughout the Tampa Bay area converged at Randall Middle School Saturday, Feb. 18, for the Indoor Percussion Festival hosted by Newsome High School.
Thirteen school drum lines and percussion bands competed for top spots during the event, which was as much about choreograpy and costumes as it was about music.
Judges for the event included Jim Lindroth of Tampa, Noah Bellamy of Fort Lauderdale, Jared Johnson of Deland and John Meyers.
When all the points for performance, visual displays, timing and general effect were totaled, Spoto High School of Riverview walked away with first place in the Scholastic Marchin AA division with 73.05 points for its performance of "Eurydices."
Gabe Flores is director of the Spartan Marching Band. A graduate of Riverview High School and the University of South Florida where he marched all four years, Flores currently teaches lessons at Music Showcase in Brandon.
Spoto was followed by Sunlake High School in Pasco County with 71 points and Osceola High School with 70.9 points.
Winning first place in the Scholastic Marching A division was Tarpon Springs High School with 79.5 points followed by Newsome High School, directed by Ryan Marsh, with 76.76 points. Third place with 73.6 points went to Timber Creek High School.
In the Independent Marching A division, Manatee County Independent placed first followed by Bay Area Percussion.
Other participating schools were Sebring High School, North Port High School, Steinbrenner High School, Osceola High School, Palm Harbor University High School and Haines City High School.
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