IGNITE Performing Arts

What is IGNITE? What is indoor marching percussion?

In the 1970s, color guards for marching bands started having winter competitions so they had something to do in the off-season. Drumlines and percussion ensembles started their own competitions in the early 1990s.

What we do is essentially indoor marching band during the winter with an ensemble that is all percussion and rhythm section.

What instruments can I play? Do I have to march?

Marching instruments: snare drum, multi-tenor drums, bass drum, and cymbals. Sometimes we will also have visual performers who do not play an instrument.

Stationary (non-marching) instruments: marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, piano/synthesizer, electric guitar, bass guitar, drum set, auxiliary percussion.

Sometimes we feature other unique instruments in the ensemble, especially in featured solos.

When and where are rehearsals?

We rehearse 1 day per weekend from November through April. If it is a Saturday, it is usually 9AM-5PM. If it is a Sunday, it is usually 1PM-7PM.

Most seasons, we do a multi-day camp over the winter school break.

We often have a Friday night rehearsal before competition weekends.

Currently, we do almost all our rehearsals at Southwestern High School in Shelby County, Indiana, which is within an hour of Indianapolis and accessible from I-65 and I-74.

Carpooling with other students from your area is a great way to help get rides to rehearsals.

When and where are competitions?

We compete in 2 circuits: the Indiana Percussion Association (IPA) and Winter Guard International (WGI).

In IPA, we usually go to 1 or 2 local invitationals. These are always on Saturdays in February or March and usually in Central Indiana. State prelims are on a Saturday in March in Central Indiana, and state finals are on a Saturday in late March or early April in Terre Haute, Indiana.

For WGI, we usually compete in the Indianapolis Regional Championship and World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. It is possible in some seasons that we will go to another regional somewhere else close like Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, or Michigan.

The only competition that is not on a weekend is WGI World Championships. You may need to miss 2 days of school in April for that. Many schools will excuse the absence since it is an educational opportunity. Please ask if you need documentation.

How hard is it? How much experience do I need?

At IGNITE, our goal is to make this activity accessible for all students. We are willing to work with students who have no experience, as long as they are working hard to learn everything and making adequate progress. Every season, our ensemble includes a combination of advanced, intermediate, and beginning percussionists, as well as wind players or string players who are learning percussion as a secondary instrument.

How old do I need to be? Does it matter what school I go to?

The WGI and IPA circuits require that performers be 22 years old or younger as of April 1st in the season they are competing. IGNITE is willing to offer contracts to any student up to that age limit if they successfully audition.

If you attend a high school that already has a competitive indoor marching percussion ensemble, you will need to participate in your school’s unit. Otherwise, anyone up to the age limit is welcome to participate, regardless of their education status (homeschool, charter school, college, working). If you are in high school or middle school, we will need approval from your school’s band director or percussion director.

How do auditions work?

We have an informal audition process. We have 4-6 clinic/audition dates in the fall. These are rehearsals where we teach technique and have students try out different instruments. During this time, we consider if students demonstrate sufficient performance skills, show that they are practicing at home and improving between rehearsals, and demonstrate good soft skills like attitude, leadership, and responsibility. We may offer a student a contract at any time during the clinic/audition period.

My high school only has a concert percussion ensemble. Can I march IGNITE?

The WGI and IPA rules would allow this, but there are some complications.

Some high school band directors or percussion directors might allow a student to march independent instead of their high school’s concert ensemble, but most probably would not.

The preferred option would be to participate in both. If your high school ensemble usually meets on weekdays, and if it only does IPA and not World Championships, we can probably make it work. We do not allow students to miss high school performances for IGNITE, so we would need to see your high school ensemble’s schedule to let you know if it will work for us.

Ultimately, your high school director has the final say on what you can do.

More questions?

To get updates on our upcoming auditions, please fill out our email contact form.

For further inquiries, contact Doug Gaking at dgaking@igniteperformingarts.org.