St. Mary’s has the beat

The St. Mary Crusader Drumline marched its way to a first-place finish at the Ontario Drumline Association’s provincial championships this spring.

The drumline, composed of 26 students in Grades 9 to 12, was golden at two regional competitions before moving on to the provincial showdown at St. Michael’s College on May 26.

Competing in the Concert Senior Ensemble class, the Crusaders earned 90 points for their performance and general effect, which was enhanced throughout the season as drumline participants perfected their routine, choreographed by drumline director and head instructor, Corey Pearce.

“At the end of the show, we played with blindfolds on, spun around the drums,” said Pearce, an educational assistant at St. Mary’s. While other teams also added special stunts to impress judges, none did so “to the extent that we had,” he noted.

The St. Mary’s drumline, in its second year, performs at functions at the Whitney Ave. school and at community events such as festivals and parades.

And the drumline plans to continue doing so as it prepares to defend its provincial title at next year’s competition.

https://www.thespec.com/news/st-marys-has-the-beat/article_b3c43dcd-c50c-5905-a287-659c61f9db45.html