(no title)

Indoor Percussion Shows

Within The Marble (Dakota High School, PSA.)

Front Ensemble, Battery, and Sound Design by Thomas Wharton

“Within The Marble” explores the process of creating a sculpture. Michelangelo, the prolific Renaissance artist, believed that every marble block contains within it a beautiful sculpture, and that his task is merely to set the sculpture free by chipping away the excess stone. However, Michelangelo himself did not set every one of his sculptures free; as a perfectionist, he sometimes believed his work was not good enough, and his unfinished sculptures would be trapped within the stone forever.”Within The Marble” explores this feeling of artistic self-doubt which many artists have. The show culminates in the insight that art need not be perfect—there is beauty in imperfection, but we can only find it if we choose to set our art free.

Within The Marble contains music by Inzo, Haywyre, and original composition by Thomas Wharton.

Indoor Percussion Simulator 3 (Lake Orion HS, PSO. For MAPA 2023, WGI 2023; 1st place at MAPA Championships)
Front Ensemble and Sound Design by Thomas Wharton
Battery Arrangement by Chris Talbot

“Indoor Percussion Simulator 3” is the much anticipated 3rd installment to the popular VR game series “Indoor Percussion Simulator”. Hopefully the bugs are patched this time around, and we hope that our player enjoys their virtual drumline experience.

This show won Lake Orion Percussion their first ever State Championship in PSO!

Fight Night! Beethoven Vs. Mozart (Dakota HS, PSA. For WGI/MAPA 2023; 1st place at MAPA Championships)
Front Ensemble, Sound Design, and Battery Arrangement by Thomas Wharton

“Fight Night!” weaves together the works of Beethoven and Mozart, until the two composers can’t seem to agree on the artistic direction of the show. Words that cannot be unsaid are exchanged, and the two composers decide the only way to settle their differences is to take it to the boxing ring.
This show won Dakota High School their first ever State Championship!

Will-O-The-Wisp (Lake Orion HS, PSO. For MAPA 2022, WGI 2022; 3rd place at MAPA Championships)
Front Ensemble, Sound Design, and Battery Arrangement by Thomas Wharton

Join our travelers as they traverse uncharted territory and confront the mythological entities known as “Will-O-The-Wisps”. This show features original music and Chopin’s “Fantaisie Impromptu”.

Think Inside the Box (Dakota HS, PSA. For WGI/MAPA 2022; 2nd place at MAPA Championships)
Front Ensemble, Sound Design, and Battery Arrangement by Thomas Wharton

Think Inside The Box explores the idea that creativity is born out of limitation. By imposing various limitations on the percussion ensemble, we reveal what it means to “think inside the box”.

Show MP3

(Video by Ben Lyjak)

Lost And Found (Lake Orion HS, PSO. Performed in MCGC 2021, acquiring a Superior Rating; no placements were given this season)
Front Ensemble, Sound Design by Thomas Wharton
Battery Arrangement by John Scharf

Lost and Found takes place in a distant future. Earth has been abandoned, and all that is left is rubble and artifacts of humanity. A cleanup crew of alien beings arrives to restore the planet, and while cleaning up all the trash they discover the various artifacts humans left behind. By finding these artifacts, they learn what it meant to be human. Yes, this show was heavily inspired by Pixar’s Wall-E.

Show MP3

Don’t Let Me Fall (Dakota HS, PSA, Performed in WGI 2020; 1st place at WGI Troy Regional)
Front Ensemble and Sound Design by Thomas Wharton
Battery arrangement by Bobby Schmit

Featuring Music by B.o.B, Leonard Cohen, and Hans Zimmer, Don’t Let Me Fall explores the literal and figurative meaning of the word “fall”.