This year the FHN Winter Drumline has changed quite a few things, the most obvious of which is a brand new staff.

“The staff has changed things a lot, they are teaching us new techniques to help us improve how we play,” sophomore Zoe Willott said.

The change in staff includes three new people working as battery and front ensemble directors. They hope to improve everyone’s ability in general and help motivate the members in their pursuit of drumming.

“Basically, we’re trying to get everyone playing as well as they can and make sure that they get a good education to prepare them for any drum stuff they do,” Battery Director Benji Koelling said.

As a whole, this year’s goals won’t differ from any they’ve had in previous seasons. They will still be aiming for making finals and placing in all of their competitions.

“We lost a lot of seniors so we’re really just hoping to make up some time,” junior Kevin Balch said. “But we do have a lot of new talented people.”

In addition, the staff has chosen to enter the drumline in MCCGA, which consists of only Missouri competitions, in addition to WGI which allows them to compete across the country.

“Having more competitions will give us more time to perform, and to be able to be judged more,” Drumline Director Steve Willott said. “I think it’ll help in the long run, and we’ll get to go more places.

Students in Drumline hope that this new staff will be able to push them to new achievements and to let them have fun while they’re working hard and learning.

“Drumline is where my second family is,” Willott said. “I think the new staff will fit in nicely and will help us to become even closer.”