Winter Guard and Winter Percussion have been rehearsing for the March competition season

By Leo Cutting, STAFF WRITER

SANFORD, Maine – Sanford High School Winter Ensembles, Winter Percussion and Winter Guard, have been working hard to put together their shows “Best Day Ever” and “Car Wash” for their upcoming performance season that begins in March.

Winter Guard, performing “Car Wash” by Rose Royce, will be spinning and tossing flags, sabres and rifles to create a captivating look. Winter Percussion’s “Best Day Ever” from the Spongebob Squarepants soundtrack is a performance that only uses percussion instruments, resulting in a beautiful synchronized show, according to director Hailey Francoeur.

Performances start on Sunday, March 3, at Wells High School. The following show is on Sunday, March 17 at Westbrook High School. The second to last show is on Sunday, March 14 at Marshwood High School. Finals will be hosted in Sanford’s own Partners Bank Competition Gym on Wednesday, April 7 at 1 p.m.

Francoeur described the process as similar to that of a theater production: “Both guard and percussion require acting, physical demands like carrying a 20-plus pound drum, learning and memorizing a six-minute show, and much more.”

As for the production, students don’t have much input into the theme or music but can assist with set building and decorating.

“To build and complete sets, the directors of the group design the vision. Personally, I do a lot of sketches, and then I talk to my visual designer and we come up with what we want,” explains Francoeur. “At that point, I usually try to get a group of students and music boosters involved and then we build and paint as a group. Winter guard does a similar process.”

Even though the name of the ensemble is Sanford, students from neighboring schools have joined as well. In Winter Percussion, eight out of 32 students are from either Massabesic or Kennebunk High, and 11 students in Winter Guard are from those schools as well.  

When asked what more people should know about the ensembles, Francoeur said “I think more people should know that this is an extremely physically demanding activity. Many of the students in these ensembles are also learning an instrument/skill that is different than what they normally play. For example, half of our marching drumline in winter percussion is made up of students who play wind instruments mainly, not percussion.”

“We love seeing our community show up to our shows! A full show schedule can be found at www.mebda.org. A big crowd for finals in Sanford would be amazing to see,” said Francoeur.

More information about the Sanford Bands and Ensembles such as how to join can be found at SHS Bands.