Milwaukee City Wire

The Rufus King International High School varsity drumline secured the city championship title once again at the 22nd annual MPS Battle of the Drumlines. The event was held on December 14 in the gymnasium of Rufus King International High School, located at 1801 W. Olive St., Milwaukee. As defending champions, this marks the 17th victory for the King varsity squad, which achieved first place with a score of 86 points.

Riverside University High School's Mighty Marching Tigers drumline earned second place with 81.2 points, while Reagan College Preparatory High School's varsity drumline took third place with 74.8 points. The junior varsity drumline from Rufus King International High School finished fourth with a score of 65.2 points.

Sharie Garcia, the district’s music curriculum specialist, commented on the event's success: “What was most exciting about today was how many people there were in attendance — just the energy of this many young people and their families, and all the people who came to see how much this has grown.”

This year's competition featured performances from 16 schools, an increase from ten in 2023. Nine schools competed for the championship title while seven others performed in exhibition.

Among those competing were Washington High School of Information Technology Raging Gold drumline, Lynde and Harry Bradley Technology and Trade School Tuff Tuff Trojans drumline, James Madison Academic Campus Green Machine drumline, Barack Obama School of Career & Technical Education Hit Squad drumline, and Reagan High School junior varsity drumline.

Exhibition performances included student-musicians from Henry David Thoreau School, Rufus King International Middle School, A.E. Burdick School, Obama SCTE, Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts, Edward A. MacDowell Montessori School, and South Division High School.

Reflecting growth in music education since 2020 within MPS (Milwaukee Public Schools), six new schools added drumlines this school year. Notably among them is Obama SCTE which now boasts two separate ensembles.

Garcia praised students' efforts: “There were kids who have never done anything like this in their lives and they stepped up there and they made it happen.” She noted that older students encouraged younger musicians particularly those forming part of newly established middle-school-age groups—a promising development she aims to nurture further as these students transition into high school-level participation next year.

“There’s a vibe for every drumline," Garcia remarked regarding diversity across teams varying both by size—from three members up to fifty—and style ranging from serious to funky or joyful expressions representative microcosms akin across broader district experiences—“It is different everywhere you go but it is still amazing everywhere you go.”

She emphasized fostering pathways supporting skill development amongst budding musicians: "That’s something we’re working on building…to support middle school musicians as they develop their skills…and prepare to study music in high school."