Whether it’s drumming at assemblies in hot pink heels or using drums for a Homecoming proposal at a football game, drumline is a substantial part of school culture.
Of the 18 drumline participants, four are seniors who have devoted their four years in high school to making this magic happen.
But drumline brings something more for them than just playing drums. Elijah Haub, Tony Sitaras, Akira Green, and Nico Milano have not only gained drum skills, but lifelong friends.
“I never would have imagined we’d become such close friends that we are now,” Sitaras said.
Coming into drumline, the four seniors had very different reasons for why they started.
“The reason I joined was because of my mom and because she did drumline when she was in high school,” said Green. At first, Green wanted to quit music altogether, but because of his mom he decided to join the drumline and loved it.
For Sitaras, it was different. “I saw these upperclassmen playing these high tension drums, and I was just like oh my gosh, I need to do that,” he said.
For Milano, it was also family ties that drew him to drumline. “I didn’t really enjoy music that much, but my brother was doing it, and I did music all throughout middle school. So I was like, why not just continue it?”
For others, it’s about seeing them beforehand.
“I thought they were super cool growing up. Not only that, but there’s this independence that you get when you’re on a drumline,” Haub said.
They may have all joined the drumline for different reasons in high school, but some have known each other prior. “Tony and I were neighbors,” said Green.
They knew each other from before the drumline and were close from the start. “I was close friends with Elijah in elementary school,” said Milano.
Each pair of friends came in their separate ways to make one big whole. “We just clicked,” said Milano.
But drumming together isn’t all they do.
“After we do a gig, we have an after function where we’ll all go do something, like we go to Dick’s or we go ice skating,” said Sitaras. “That’s where we all come together.”
Haub agrees. “There was one time where we were up ’til like 3 a.m. in Aki’s hot tub just talking,” said Haub.
Many different factors go into the connection we them have on the gym floor and on the field. “You’re relying on the pulse,” said Sitaras. “Each note you’re playing has to be lined up perfectly with each other. You have to feel each other’s grooves, and that’s something beyond the physical realm,” Green said. “We feed off each other’s energy.”
For these seniors, it’s their last time impacting the culture at Shorewood, and their four years together have brought them so many memories.
“One of my favorite memories is Glacier Peak Drumline Festival, where we got first, and we had a bunch of people from school pull up just to cheer us on for ten minutes, which was awesome,” said Haub.
There also was an unexpected win.
“No one on drumline expected to win, but we did,” said Green.
But there are many different memories that come with being on the drumline. “Freshman year, we went to a parade in Spokane, and we stayed in hotels, and it was so cool to stay with my friends and just play,” said Milano.
Sitaras has the same memory, but in a different light. “In Spokane, Sean, the head drumline captain, brushed Nico’s teeth for him, and it was really fun,” said Sitaras.
Such a major part of drumline is these seniors and how their chemistry and talent make them mesmerizing to watch.
Haub said: “You just start competing with each other to be the goofiest, and that builds a bond that can’t be broken.”
