CFNN reporter Sanaa House

Just like any other fall student athlete would be expected to play a winter sport like basketball, wrestling, swimming or indoor track to keep their skills and body moving and to continue improving during a chilly season.

Things are no different for the Cape Fear Bands and Ensembles, after the Marching season and finishing strong, members move on to winter ensembles to keep their skills sharp and improve their musical talent. The music never stops playing for the Cape Fear Marching Band.

Right after their last Competition of the season on Saturday, November 4th, the different groups in Cape Fear Band and Ensembles jumped right into their normal winter activities, including a new winter activity based only on percussion instruments and musicians.

These winter activities include: Winterguard, All-county Band, MPA, the Stedman and Fayetteville Christmas Parade, and their newest activity, Winter percussion or Cumberland County Combined Percussion.

Winterguard is for talented people who are good at remembering choreography, and throwing things like sabers and rifles, though during the marching band season Colorguard works in conjunction with the marching band for looks and appeals, Winterguard is just members putting together a show consisting of flags, rifles, and sabers and lots of choreo.

All-county Band is for musically talented students who audition in front of judges to join and become a part of a huge ensemble consisting of Cumberland County students. With two different ensembles, 9-10 band and 11-12. For these students’ auditions they go over sight reading music which is new to them, perform a solo in front of judges, and do musical scales for their instrument.

MPA, Music Performance Assessment, is when a high school band performs in front of a panel of judges a music piece of their director’s choice, also having to sight-read music from a judges choice. Based on how well the band did as a whole, they will get a score for their performance, which is superior being A, excellent being B, good being C, fair being D, and poor not having a letter grade.

The Stedman and Fayetteville Christmas Parades both take time in the month of December, to celebrate Christmas for the community of Fayetteville and the city of Steadman, and to show off Cape Fears Band with any musical students with the interest of marching.

These winter groups are for both guard and musicians who want to try and do something new and learn about the Cape Fear Band or just to sharpen their skills after the Marching Season.

Unlike these other groups which return every winter after the Marching band season, Winter Percussion is a welcome addition to Cape Fear Bands and Ensembles. This group consists of only percussion students and happens only in the winter, with students from different schools in Cumberland County joining as well.

Winter percussion consists of a group of students from Cape Fear, Terry Sanford, and Gray’s Creek. In addition to performing in the summer and fall, these students decided to keep their hands moving and sharpen their musical skills with the help of instructors. Entirely based on a new show, winter percussion is indoor, usually in a gym or arena area, with no drum majors or horn instruments.

This group consists of 26 students in both battery and front ensemble. Battery consists of bass, snare, and tenor drums, and front consists of vibraphone, marimba, timpani and other instruments. Moreover, there are 5 extremely talented instructors to further help students become the best they can be and guide them into something new.

“I’m extremely confident, first year programs are typically scary but we have the staff and experience to achieve high marks across multiple years,” said battery instructor Trenton Stutts.

These groups will practice and perform from November through the end of March; they will also compete in competitions just like a regular Marching band. Though it is a new experience, these students and staff are holding their heads high for the start of Cumberland County Combined Percussion. Come out on February 17th at Apex Friendship High School to watch this new activity for Cape Fear Band and Ensembles.