Welcome back to the Chops blog.  Audition season for indoor percussion is upon us and many of you may be considering marching in an Independent percussion ensemble this winter.  Indoor percussion, although a relatively young activity, has become very popular, both locally and nationally, over the past 10-15 years.  Over this time, many “Independent” ensembles have been started to give percussionists the opportunity to continue performing after they graduate from high school.  It also gives those whose high schools do not have a performing ensemble, an opportunity to join and experience the thrill of performing in an indoor percussion ensemble.  For those of you not familiar with this, there are “Scholastic” and “Independent” classifications in indoor percussion.   Here is the class description from the WGI website:
Scholastic – units whose membership comes from the SAME High School or a school that feeds to that particular High School.
Independent – units whose members are not necessarily associated with a particular school.
Scholastic and Independent units are then further divided into classes:

• A Class – Beginning programs and performers.
• Open Class – The intermediate developmental level of performers.
• World Class – The most advanced programs and performers.

Here also is a link to the WGI 2016 Eligibility Rules: https://www.wgi.org/files/2016PercRules.pdf

For performers in and around Indiana, there are a couple ensembles based out of Indiana that you might want to check out, with Legacy Indoor Percussion from Indianapolis, in Independent World Class, and INov8 Percussion from southern Indiana, in Independent Open Class.  But, there are many other ensembles within driving distance that may have spots available for the upcoming season.  It’s best to keep your options open and don’t limit yourself to just one group you’d like to march with.  If you marched in high school, and miss the rush of performing, get out there and audition for some of these groups and find your place to perform again.  You won’t regret it!

Here’s our list of recommended ensembles, with a distance guide to help you find one, two or three places to audition.  We’ve listed them with their home distance from Indianapolis, with approximate mileage and time of travel.  If you’re in northern or southern Indiana, look up some of the ensembles from surrounding states. You might be a lot closer to one than you think!

Recommended Percussion Independent World Ensembles:
Legacy Indoor Percussion (PIW), Indianapolis, IN
Capital City Percussion (PIW), Columbus, OH – 175mi/~2.75hr
Cavaliers Indoor Percussion (PIW), Rosemont, IL – 200mi/~3hr
Tates Creek Indoor (PIW), Lexington, KY – 193mi/~3hr
Gateway Indoor (PIW), St. Louis, MO – 240mi/~3.5hr
Redline (PIW), Canton, MI – 274mi/~4hr
Music City Mystique (PIW), Nashville, TN – 288mi/~4.25hr
Matrix (PIW), Akron, OH – 300mi/~4.5hr
Northcoast Academy (PIW), Saginaw, MI – 328mi/~4.75hr

Recommended Percussion Independent Open Ensembles:
INov8 Percussion (PIO), Floyds Knobs, IN – 115mi/~1.75hr
Matrix Open Percussion (PIO), Columbus, OH – 175mi/~2.75hr
Pioneer Indoor (PIO), Romeoville, IL – 195mi/~3hr
Legends (PIO), Kalamazoo, MI – 244mi/~3.5hr
Freedom Percussion (PIO), St. Louis, MO – 240mi/~3.5hr
Motor City Percussion (PIO), Livonia, MI – 287mi/~4hr
Eastside Fury (PIO), Harrison Township, MI – 310mi/~4.75hr

Percussion Independent A Ensembles:
Shockwave (PIA), Findlay, OH – 200mi/~3hr
Modulation Z (PIA), O Fallon, MO – 240mi/~3.75hr
Lake Effect Percussion (PIA), Gibraltar, MI – 266mi/~4hr
Ferndale Independent Percussion (PIA), Ferndale, MI –297mi/~4.5hr

For more information on ensembles, audition dates, schedues and more visit the WGI website.

If you go to an audition, let us know on our Facebook page! If you wear a Chops Percussion shirt, be sure to post a pic to our Facebook or Twitter page!