Arts & Entertainment

Mansfield High Percussion Ensemble to Compete in State Finals this Weekend

After performing well in the semifinals, the group is moving on up.

On March 19, the Mansfield High School Percussion Ensemble performed in front of a packed gymnasium at MHS for the New England Scholastic Band Association's semifinals, finishing in first place. 

Last Sunday,  the percussion ensemble placed second at the Shepherd Hill Regional High School in Dudley for the semifinals. Both shows were a precise demonstration of dancing ability and musical prowess. Now they are preparing for the finals to be held Saturday at Dartmouth High School.

Matthew Maguire, the director of the ensemble at MHS, said that he and the ensemble have been practicing hard for the finals coming up this weekend.

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"We have been rehearsing our show entitled "Goodnight" for about six months now," he said in an email. "We featured dreaming as the main theme of the show because we felt that it was something that everyone can relate to and it allowed us a great deal of creativity in designing the program."

The performance is a combination of several Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment songs, including About to Crash, Universal Mind, Forsaken and Biaxident. These are progressive metal songs, and the ensemble combines the medley of these songs with a stomp-like rhythm performance and a Fantasia-esque dance routine. The precision in all aspects of the ensemble's performance is evident, as shown by the video on the right of this page.

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"The hardest part about running the program is getting all of the students on board with the time commitment," Maguire said. "We've been lucky to have a great group of dedicated students and parents this year."

The ensemble will be traveling to Ohio for the percussion world championships. The ensemble will be staying in Dayton for a whole week to compete in three rounds. If successful, this will be the third national championship the ensemble has won.


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