To The Beat of Her Own Drum

Subtitle

Beating on plastic trash­cans usually isn’t con­sidered a high school activity. But to sopho­more Jee Kim, it’s music.

Before arriving at Hocka­day this year, she was in the drumline during her fresh­man year at her former school, Wichita Collegiate School, in Wichita, Kan.

But when she arrived at Hockaday, she realized that the school did not have a band. That meant no drums. As a re­sult, she decided to start her own club.

Drumline is “basically only playing percussion instru­ments,” Kim said. As part of the drumline at Collegiate, she par­ticipated in the marching band, playing the snare drum at foot­ball and basketball games dur­ing halftime shows.

Kim hopes that her drum­line club will eventually per­form at Coffeehouse. The club has not yet gotten music, but the club’s sponsor, Fine Arts Department Chair Ed Long, has currently been composing several pieces, because he took a college course, learning to write for percussion only. Kim is also looking for drum line music online, like pop songs that only require snare drums, bass drums, using mallets.

In 2008, Min Lee ‘08 started a similar drumline club, but it died out after about a year.

“Other girls were very inter­ested in the club. It didn’t mat­ter whether they had played be­fore or not, they learned along way,” Kim said, regarding the club’s large roster. Currently, the club has no proper equipment, meaning actual drums, and has actually been using plastic trashcans. In the future, if the club succeeds, then the school will grant fund­ing to buy drums.

“I dream that people will genuinely enjoy what we play,” Kim said.

To sign up for the club or for more information, email Kim at [email protected]

– Kate Clement