Redwood Percussion Drumming up Excitement for their Upcoming Show

After long days of practice, percussion is ready to embark on a journey of artistic expression through their winter show.

By Natalie Enriquez and Piper Figallo

For the show, percussion chose to base the performance around the song Mad World by Tears for Fears. They are doing a version of the movie Donnie Darko. Not only is percussion making music, but they are also creating visuals to set up a story for the show.

Redwood student, Xander Caballero, ’25, says, “A lot of our visuals have us kind of like making circles and showing how if we follow the crowd, we really get nowhere, versus being an individual and not being afraid of yourself.”

Caballero adds, “If you don’t follow the crowd and if you form your own path, you’re going to end up finding your place in places that not everybody else is.”

He elaborates on the significance of this show to him personally.

He says, “I actually just tried out for a new instrument and I got it through the audition process and that meant a lot to me.”

Now playing the snare drum, he adds “It’s just showing how I can be more of an individual and express myself differently through a different instrument that I’m not used to playing.”

Keoni Estevez, ‘24, also plays the snare drum.

Estevez is excited for the performances and the impact they will have on Redwood.

He says “For the shows, I’m most looking forward to really getting a chance to make Redwood recognized after so many years of challenge and so many years of hard work.” 

Estevez adds on, “It’s finally getting us on the map with Clovis Schools and with Buchanan, and other southern and northern schools.”

The title of the show is called The One. “It goes to the themes of ‘The One’ with repertoire such as one is the loneliest number”

Estevez further explains and says, “Mad World is basically just the event starter, where everyone is almost nothing and then we all become one thing, and as far as one is the loneliest number, it’s just a little play on the, on the title.” 

Estevez’s goal for this show is to have “the best possible runs all season.”

He adds, “And hopefully, break some new records and get first place with a bunch of high schools and get the highest score we’ve had.”

“This season’s going to do really well, and I think all of the musicians that are in it currently are doing a fantastic job and I can’t wait to see the outcome,” Estevez says.

In the marching band world, Joseph Hernandez is what most would call a “Percussion Caption Head” or “Director of Percussion.” His position is very akin to a special teams coach in football. Over the years, Hernandez’s work with the Redwood marching band has seemed to naturally become that of a show coordinator and designer as well. 

Though the work under each title is creative, one differs greatly from the other in the following ways: caption head responsibilities deal with how they do the things they do while show design responsibilities determine what it is they do, such as the show’s central messaging and its thematic content visually and musically.

Hernandez has an undergraduate degree in Music Education and is an active performer and clinician. Hernandez is also the principal timpanist with the Sequoia Symphony Orchestra. 

Out of Hernandez’s various teaching and performing experiences, he says, “marching band really speaks to me in the way that it’s about guiding and harnessing the energy of a younger generation of players and performers, helping them find a bit of themselves in music created with two hands and a bunch of sticks.”

Hernandez adds, “It hopefully becomes a gateway to jazz and orchestral music, builds confidence in auditioning for local and All-State honor bands, and perhaps helps the student find a pathway to a college music experience.”

Speaking of confidence and putting in hard work, Hernandez talks about the gateway to jazz and orchestral music. He mentions how once spring semester arrives, percussion gets their grind on to make sure everything is perfect for the shows. This includes lots of practice. Hernandez says, “The week before school starts, we do what we call “Nine to nines” which are exactly what they sound like: 9 am to 9 pm for up to 6 days of that week.”

Regarding the practices, he says, “It certainly sounds excessive to some but, to be sure, it’s something that we’ve all agreed upon and suits our student performers just fine. They realize the workload and the need to get on top.”

All of this practice has strengthened the students into having the ability to perform at higher levels. Hernandez’s dedication to Redwood Percussion has paid off. He says, “Over the course of the 6 years that I’ve been here, have gone from a relative unknown to a true contender at state and local competitions.”

With all this preparation and effort put into the show, obstacles come with it. Hernandez says, “The challenge for me is creating something that on one hand our student performers can connect with since they’re the ones who have to sell it in performance, while on the other hand, it has to be something that I believe in, that can keep me engaged for the 3 months that we have to live with it.”

Hernandez goes into depth on the winter percussion show. This show is more of an unintended trilogy, rather than an unofficial trilogy. “Our Part 1 of sorts was a show we developed right after we returned to school from the lockdown. It answered the question “How Do I Fit?” which is a question that some of us ask throughout the course of our lifetimes but especially so in adolescence.”

Part 1 featured the music of Radiohead, specifically their song Everything In Its Right Place. Part 2 is their 2023 production which puts a spotlight on why it is we hear each other, but never truly listen. 

He says, “It took on a very intentionally misleading title, “Mute,” and featured the song “Our Lips are Sealed” by an 80’s all-female band called the Go-Go’s. Again, the central messaging seems appropriately YA material.”

To wrap up the “trilogy” the design staff, writers, and music arrangers have developed a show this year that intends to answer the question “Where Are We Going?” This unintended 3-year progression seems to answer questions that are useful for a YA type of journey.

The music selection is very important to keep the performers and audience entertained. In past performances, there is usually a pop song element used to portray a message. Hernandez says, “This year, I’ve chosen an old song by Tears for Fears called Mad World. The arrangement that opens our 2024 production is inspired by the Gary Jules version of Mad World that appeared in a movie called Donnie Darko.”

Hernandez’s goal for the show is to make sure the students are enjoying what they are performing, so it will immerse them in the performance and do the best they can. Hernandez states, “We want our student performers to have fun making music. If it’s not fun then why do it?”

To encourage students, Hernandez offers advice and says, “Be better today than you were yesterday. Strive to be your absolute best, which is what competitive events does for our students and athletes alike.”

There is one specific line from the song Mad World by Tears for Fear that sets the tone for the show, “…bright and early for the daily races…going nowhere, going Nowhere…” Hernandez elaborates by saying, “It really did seem to convey that sense of futility and frustration in the mundane routine of our daily lives. To break free of that, however, we find ourselves with only one question to ask: Where do I want to go and how do I get there from here? It’s the age-old question that comes to the forefront of our attention, especially at the end of adolescence and the beginning of our next self.”

The show is deeper than a simple performance. The visuals, sounds, and music all contribute to a story that has a meaningful message. The message applies to many students at Redwood since graduation is nearing, and many people are about to start the journey of a new and different life than they are used to.

Tags: Everything In Its Right Place, jazz, Mad World, nine to nine, orchestral, percussion, percussion show, Radiohead, rangers, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, Redwood Percussion, redwood rangers, rhs, show, Tears for Fears, trilogy, visalia ca