Forney ISD Middle School Indoor Drumline

The Forney ISD Middle School Indoor Drumline was founded in the Spring of 2021 as a way to provide middle school percussion students with unique performance opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ensemble is made up of 25 middle school percussionists in Forney ISD, all of whom attend either Warren MS or Themer MS, which feed into Forney HS. This new ensemble mirrored the structure of the existing Forney High School Indoor Drumline. Members of the FHS Indoor Drumline serve as the primary instructional staff for the MS ensemble, creating a strong bond between students in the MS and HS programs.

During the fall of 2020, many performance opportunities for Middle School students were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerned about the lack of opportunities for musical expression and fulfillment for their most vulnerable students, the program directors embarked on a mission to form the Forney ISD Middle School Indoor Drumline, which would not only provide students with meaningful performance opportunities but would also serve as a bridge between the MS and HS percussion programs in Forney ISD. Throughout the ensemble’s 5 years of existence, this set up has proved to be a win-win situation: The MS students enjoy getting to spend more time with their HS counterparts, who serve as the primary instructional staff for the ensemble in addition to the adult directors, and the HS students who volunteer their time to help the ensemble gain valuable leadership and teaching experience, which improves their own perspective and high school band experience overall. On a normal competition day, both the MS and HS Indoor Drumlines will rehearse together and travel to the competition site together, helping one another get on and off the competition floor, cheering each other on during performances, and eating meals together while forging a strong bond. As students leave middle school and enter high school, they are often eager to serve as a “tech” for the MS group as a way to pay it forward to the next generation of Forney HS percussionists. The Forney ISD Middle School Indoor Drumline is the only ensemble of its kind participating in the North Texas Colorguard Association, which serves over 40 percussion ensembles across North Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. The ensemble recently earned their 3rd consecutive NTCA Percussion Cadet Championship at the 2025 NTCA Championships, which were hosted by percussion students of Forney ISD in Forney, Texas.

Heading into the 2020 school year, the directors felt that the percussion program at Forney HS was experiencing a lot of momentum. They saw firsthand that many processes and teaching practices were beginning to be evidenced in the students’ performances. When the COVID-19 pandemic attempted to halt any semblance of “momentum” for music ensembles across the world, the program directors were determined to do everything in their power to minimize that for their students. With many of the traditional performance opportunities being moved to a virtual setting or canceled altogether for the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021, program directors were thankful that the local indoor drumline circuit, the North Texas Colorguard Association, provided opportunities for in-person competitions for any ensembles that were interested. They jumped on this opportunity, and their students truly enjoyed the experience of being able to work together in a new type of ensemble setting as well as perform in person for their family members and friends. The program directors wholeheartedly believe that by participating in the indoor drumline activity with their middle schoolers, they completely changed the trajectory of their ensemble’s success. The program directors have always tried to keep the students’ experience at the forefront of their decision-making. When they look back on the many students who have since gone through the MS Indoor Drumline program, the directors are confident that their students’ experience in the Forney ISD MS Indoor Drumline was a positive one.

Because this initiative was started during the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant amount of planning went into ensuring the ensemble would be able to be successful and provide a meaningful experience for students. First, the idea was proposed to the head high school band director, who oversaw all band programs in the Forney HS feeder pattern. Then, the idea was proposed to the head band director at Warren MS, ensuring them that this would be a valuable and worthwhile experience for our middle school percussion students. Following those conversations, the proposal was discussed with district leadership, who helped confirm that this would be a feasible project to undertake. District leadership walked the program directors through appropriate steps to ensure they were able to register for events, provide transportation for students, and follow all necessary sanitization protocols for the time. After all of these things were in place, a meeting was called with the middle school parents to “pitch” the new ensemble. At the meeting, details regarding the logistical aspects of the ensemble were discussed at length. Additionally, a “trailer” for the upcoming indoor drumline show was played, which helped get the students and parents excited for the upcoming season. Once the parents and students were on board, the real work began. The ensemble met to rehearse once a week in the evenings. During this time, with the assistance of HS student volunteers, the group worked on fundamentals, show music, drill, and choreography, all of which resulted in a 4-minute production of their first-ever show, entitled “The Way of the Warrior”. The ensemble continued to refine the show, performing it at a total of four in-person competitions throughout the 2021 Indoor Drumline season. Additional planning went into each competition day, including transportation, meal planning, and loading and unloading the equipment truck.

As stated in the “overall timeline” question, there were a handful of individuals who played an important role in ensuring the logistical success of the Forney ISD MS Indoor Drumline – including the Forney HS Head Band Director, Warren MS Head Band Director, and the Forney ISD Fine Arts Director. Those three individuals helped complete necessary forms, ensured transportation and food were provided to the students, and assisted with other miscellaneous purchases along the way. That being said, the two most important individuals involved with executing this advocacy initiative was the Forney HS Percussion Specialist as well as the Forney HS Percussion Director. Together, they wrote the music for the entire inaugural Middle School Indoor Show, “The Way of the Warrior”. They were also responsible for writing the drill and choreography for the marching drumline members. The program director and percussion specialist also led rehearsals for the students – guiding each practice with specific goals. Lastly, given that there were so many high school volunteers helping with the group, these two individuals were responsible for ensuring each HS member had a focus and were able to improve in their communication and teaching skills with the middle school students.

Writing a MS Indoor Drumline Show is no small feat – many hours went into designing a show that not only would be exciting to audiences but also educationally beneficial for our middle schoolers to learn. To accomplish this, the directors explored the theme of “Ninja Warrior” given that the Warren MS mascot was the Warrior. The first production was entitled “The Way of the Warrior” and depicted Ninja Warriors in training. The performers dressed up in ninja costumes, which had to be purchased on Amazon. Given that the theme depicted “eastern” music, the directors decided to incorporate the ancient art of Taiko Drumming into the program. This required renting 5 Taiko Drums from a local high school that owned a set. In addition, most indoor drumline shows have a tarp on which the members march on throughout the show. The directors purchased a tarp from Digital Performance Gear, a Houston-based company, that depicted desert sand across the entire floor. In regards to the musical selections, in an effort to save money, all of the music composed by the directors was original. They listened to a lot of types of Eastern Asian influences before beginning to compose. The directors knew the students would enjoy a “battle” scene, so they made sure to include that in their composition. Outside of the show design itself, a lot of communication went into making sure all of the stakeholders (parents, band directors, and administrators) understood what was going on at all times. The directors made sure to communicate itineraries, fees, and other important items through email as well as the Remind App throughout the season.

Every year, the program directors create a movie trailer for the upcoming show (provided as one of the links below). These trailers are meant to instill a sense of excitement in the members and parents at the annual parent meeting. Not only is this trailer shown at the parent meeting, but it is also posted on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube) to garner community excitement and support. The directors also make sure to involve the campus principals every year, encouraging them to attend at least one performance so they can see all of the hard work the students put in.

Contest Registration – $825

Total Uniforms – $125/student – $3250

Total Meals – $10/student – 5 meals total – $1300

Total Percussion Instructor – $2100

Total Music Design – $2500

Drill Design – $500

Props – $1000

The biggest challenges the program directors have encountered over the course of implementing this initiative have been obtaining 100% buy-in from all student and parent stakeholders. Most performers are quick to buy in, be present, and give their best effort, but for others, it is a larger commitment than they are used to, and can take some time assimilating. Oftentimes, middle school students participate in a wide variety of activities, which sometimes conflict with the scheduled rehearsal times. Frequent absences of this nature can make it difficult to keep all students learning at the same pace, and challenges the program directors and staff to find creative ways to overcome this issue. One way they have learned to combat issues presented by student absences is taking time to catch them up during the school day, during the band class. Oftentimes, a 5-10 minute individual session can help the student gain the skills that were taught at the missed rehearsal. Each year, we continue to do everything we can to improve the experience of the members, so students remain excited about participating in the group each year.

The main goals of the advocacy initiative was to increase retention from our MS to our HS Percussion program as well as foster a stronger bond between the MS and HS Percussion students. In each instance, the goals were attained far beyond expectations! A large majority of the MS students continue with percussion in HS, which is supported by freshmen class sizes over the last 5 years. Additionally, large groups of HS students continue to volunteer their time each year to assist with the ensemble, providing many opportunities for strengthening the bond between the groups!

After starting the middle school indoor drumline, the program directors realized there were many unforeseen benefits that were to be gained that they had not initially planned for. MS students were entering the HS program with a higher regard for punctuality, attendance, and rehearsal etiquette. They also had experience loading and unloading the equipment trailer, making contest days at the HS much less stressful. These same MS students also just had a higher level of maturity about them in important events like football games, contests, or concerts. These traits are all a result of practicing being in a competitive environment during their time in middle school. Additionally, the HS percussion students who volunteered their time benefited greatly as well. They were getting firsthand experience teaching and interacting with younger students. Oftentimes, the program directors even allowed HS students to take more ownership in their assigned section by letting the HS students lead sub-sectionals with the MS students. Many HS students who assist with the MS ensemble will use their experience as a tech for letters of recommendation, resume achievements, and college essays.

Starting a middle school indoor drumline can be a daunting task, but the benefits the music program will gain from doing so will be more than worth it! Focus on the positive experience of the members, rather than anticipated competitive outcomes, to maximize the effectiveness of the ensemble!