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An article written by Daniel Fyffe in preparation for
the 10th anniversary presentation at the 2006
Indiana Percussion Association State Finals. This
document details the history of the IPA organization
in-depth.
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Download History of the IPA,
written for the 10th Anniversary Season (.pdf) |
This document was written with
assistance from:
Mark Harasim, Jimmy Haskell, Mickey
Ratliff, Michael Scheiber, Nate Noble, Jeff
Huffman, Rusty Bottomley, Jay Webb, Barbara
Doll, Matt Bonfield, Jim Bailey, Jason
Trigg, David Robbins, Ward Durrett, Steve
Yoder, Sheryl Fyffe and Piper Harriman. |
Pre-IPA Years
Before the Indiana Percussion Association existed in
reality, it existed in necessity and in the dreams
of a few active marching percussion instructors and
band directors. The marching percussion instructors,
myself included, felt the frustration of beginning
each fall marching band season with percussionists
whose chops and skills were quite rusty. The annual
process of “beginning all over again at square one”
was an educational dead-end for the drumline. The
percussive and musical skills of the members of the
drumline would at best, move forward slowly and
would max out upon the graduation of a large class.
Only if the educational process for the
percussionist could continue in the winter at the
same rate that was established in the fall, would
the percussion student reach their full musical
potential. For percussion instructors in the pre-IPA
era, the dream of leading their students into an
indoor arena in the dead months of winter to compete
and sharpen skills was realized only through a few
intermittent performance and competition
opportunities. For band directors with the vision to
see that other opportunities could be provided for
their percussion students, the idea of indoor
percussion and an Indiana indoor percussion circuit
was a necessity. Transporting their students to
various out of state contests and looking for
opportunities at home was a beginning, but an
Indiana indoor percussion circuit was needed.
In the pre-IPA days of Indiana indoor percussion,
creative directors found home grown indoor
performance opportunities for their marching
drumlines including half-time shows at basketball
games and exhibition performances at winter guard
competitions. The world of indoor marching
competition was heating up by the late 1970’s. DCI
was entertaining the notion of a winter color guard
circuit and in 1978, Winter Guard International,
today’s top pageantry circuit in the nation, was
formed. WGI began as a color guard (winter guard)
only club. It would not be until 1993 that its
founders fulfilled their vision and added percussion
units.
While the indoor activity was stirring in the color
guard world, innovative percussion instructors and
band directors were creating independent indoor
contests for their drumlines. The granddaddy of this
event was the Glenbrook Spartan Marching Percussion
Festival organized by future WGI Hall of Fame member
Ward Durrett. Drumlines from Indiana including
Goshen High School (1992 champion) found the drive
to the Chicago suburban school of Glenbrook
acceptable. The nineteen-year reign of this contest
began in 1980 and ended in 1998.
In the late 1980’s independent indoor contests were
popping up throughout Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky.
Perhaps the most famous was the Morehead State
University “A Day of Marching Percussion”. The
Morehead State University Contest, hosted by Frank
Oddis, ran from 1983 through 1998. The Morehead
State University “A Day of Marching Percussion”
became the model for many other independent indoor
drumline contests and would have a great influence
on the Indiana Percussion Association. The Center
Grove High School Indoor Drumline was very
successful at this contest.
Drumlines from Indiana were successfully competing
in a number of Midwest indoor percussion contests.
The indoor drumlines of Indiana quickly proved
themselves on the national stage. Indiana, with a
rich history of marching percussion, connections
with the birth (and future home) of the Percussive
Arts Society and an innovative percussion education
program, established itself as a center of the
indoor percussion activity.
The Percussive Arts Society was the first national
organization to sponsor an indoor drumline
percussion competition. The Percussive Arts Society
began hosting competitions in 1982 as part of PASIC
(Percussive Arts Society International Convention.
The Center Grove High School Indoor Drumline of
Greenwood won this competition in Nashville. At the
same time that Center Grove was blazing a trail for
Indiana indoor drumlines, Warsaw High School in
Northern Indiana was gaining notoriety on the
national indoor drumline competition scene. In 1993,
Warsaw won the Bands of America Indoor Drumline
Competition that was part of the Bands of America
National Marching Band Competition held in
Indianapolis, Indiana.
Many Indiana high school drumlines were seeking out
and finding a variety of indoor performances
opportunities. Records of these events are scarce
and most of the early indoor drumline performances
are now recorded only in the memories of those who
had the opportunity to participate in such events.
Besides Goshen High School, Warsaw High School and
Center Grove High School, other Indiana schools were
participating in indoor drumline competitions
including Blue River Valley High School, Sheridan
High School, Clay City High School, Martinsville
High School, Franklin Central High School, Northview
High School, etc.......
By 1993, Winter Guard International was sponsoring a
national indoor percussion competition and in 1994,
Indiana had its first entry in the national
competition. In 1994, the Wheaters independent
indoor drumline placed 2nd in the competition. In
1995, Indiana returned to the Winter Guard
International Championships with the Wheaters and
two high school units, Laporte High School and Avon
High School. Avon High School would become one of
the most successful high school drumlines in the
history of the WGI circuit and the model for the
innovative three-tier system of classification. In
1996, the Wheaters independent indoor drumline and
Avon High School once again returned to WGI. In 1996
Sheridan High School replaced Laporte to complete
the trio of Indiana units competing. Avon High
School won its first of five Winter Guard
International World Titles in 1996! Avon High
School’s first WGI World Title was in Percussion
Scholastic A class (WGI had adopted the three-tier
system by 1996).
Formation of the
Indiana Percussion Association
Throughout the late eighties and nineties, many
Indiana band directors and percussion instructors
kept a continuous dialog about creating an Indiana
circuit. In the fall of 1996, Avon High School Band
Director Jay Webb sent a letter to Indiana band
directors about the formation of an Indiana Indoor
Percussion Circuit. On November 23, 1996, an
organizational meeting was held at Avon High School.
There was an impressive turnout at this meeting.
Many precedents and wise decisions were made
including the adopting of WGI rules and procedures
(with some minor alterations for Indiana). Officers
were chosen (see appendix for officer listing) and
possible judging panels were discussed.
The first officers of the Indiana Percussion
Association:
1. Jay Webb – President
2. Michael Scheiber – Vice President
3. Jimmy Haskell was Treasurer and Judge Coordinator
4. Daniel Fyffe – Secretary
The Indiana Percussion Association began with
sixteen charter members:
(PD = Percussion Director, BD = Band Director)
I. Avon High School, BD Jay Webb, PD Adam White –
Marching A
II. Blue River Valley High School, BD Jeff Carnall,
PD Nate Noble – Marching AA
III. Center Grove High School, BD Tom Dirks, PD
Rodney Smith – Concert
IV. Chesterton High School, BD George Hattendorf, PD
Michael Scheiber
V. Columbia City High School, BD Brian Taubert, PD
Nate Noble – Marching A
VI. Columbus North High School, BD Bill Stultz, PD
Tim Brookshire – Marching A
VII. Franklin Central High School, BD Ray Hauser, PD
Daniel Fyffe – Concert
VIII. Frankton High School, BD Mark Harting, PD
Ralph Johnson – Concert
IX. Logansport High School, BD David Cole, PD Murray
Weaver – Concert
X. Mooresville High School, BD Jerry Weber, PD Stacy
Duggan – Concert
XI. Owen Valley High School, BD Jimmy Haskell -
Inactive
XII. Penn High School, BD Keith Rudolph, PD Murray
Weaver – Marching AA
XIII. Plymouth High School, BD Cindy Wagoner, PD
Kent Arnsbarger – Marching AA
XIV. South Bend Adams High School, BD Dean Swihart,
PD Charlie Lawrence – Concert
XV. Warsaw High School, BD Martin Becker, PD Mickey
Ratliff
XVI. Yorktown High School, BD Vincent Early, PD Jim
Jones – Marching A
The first years of any organization are precarious.
Not only were the students who participated in the
early years of IPA new to the indoor percussion
activity, but also the band directors, percussion
directors, some judges and the band booster
organizations. IPA essentially began with little
funding. It was only through the generosity of a few
band booster organizations and officers that the
organization was able to move forward.
The First Competition Season (1997)
In 1997, the first Indiana Percussion Association
State Finals took place at Avon High School on March
22, 1997. The State Finals occurred after two IPA
sanctioned invitationals took place. The first was
held at Frankton High School on February 15, 1997
and the second occurred at Blue River Valley High
School on March 1, 1997. You may find scores for the
early IPA shows at the Scores Archive section of the
IPA website – http://www.indianapercussion.org.
Units participating in the first IPA state Finals
were:
1. Frankton High School
2. Franklin Central High School
3. Mooresville High School
4. Warsaw High School (State Champions Concert
Class)
5. Columbia City High School
6. Yorktown High School
7. Columbus North High School
8. Avon High School (State Champions AA Marching
Class)
9. Penn High School
10. Blue River Valley High School (State Champions A
Marching Class)
As a footnote to the 1997 season, Avon High School
returned to the Winter Guard International World
Finals and won its second world title in Percussion
Scholastic Open Class!
The Second Competition Season (1998)
It seemed that no sooner than the 1997 season ended
that the 1998 season was beginning. Instead of
repeating the first year and settling for steady
growth, IPA undertook a bold initiative. President
Jay Webb envisioned a statewide percussion clinic
day which would put IPA at the forefront of
percussion education in the state of Indiana. IPA
Secretary Daniel Fyffe undertook the task of
organizing and hosting the first Indiana Percussion
Association Clinic Day at Franklin Central High
School. Over the years, many national leaders in
percussion education would present clinics and
concerts at the IPA Clinic Day.
IPA grew greatly in its early years. In 1998, IPA
sanctioned five indoor percussion competitions
including the state championship which was held at
Owen Valley High School. The second state finals
consisted of fifteen units.
State Champions for the 1998 state finals include:
Carmel High School (Class A Marching)
Avon High School (Class AA Marching)
Franklin Central High School (Concert Class)
As a footnote for the 1998 season, Franklin Central
High School won the Winter Guard International World
Title in Concert Class (the first of six). Only
after some serious encouragement from IPA judges
Kevin Miles and George Hattendorf, did Franklin
Central High School decide to participate in WGI
competitions.
The Third Competition Season (1999)
In 1999, IPA once again took a bold initiative in
which they would continue to demonstrate a
commitment to education. IPA adopted the innovative
three-tier classification system already used by WGI.
In the three-tier system, classes (or divisions)
were determined by curriculum, not unit or school
size. A unit’s placement in a particular class was
determined by the difficulty of the music and skill
sets demonstrated.
IPA sanctioned seven competitions including state
finals. With three sites being added in the southern
part of the state, IPA was spreading out across the
state of Indiana. Groups from as far south as Castle
High School and as far North as Lake Central High
School were participating in IPA events.
The third IPA state finals grew to 24 participating
units.
State Champions for the 1999 state finals include:
Columbia City High School (Class A Marching)
Carmel High School (Open Class Marching)
Avon High School (World Class Marching)
Franklin Central High School (Concert Class)
As a footnote for the 1999 season, Franklin Central
High School won its second Winter Guard
International World Title in Concert Class.
The Fourth Competition Season (2000)
In its fourth season, IPA continued its growth, both
numerically and educationally. Thanks to the work of
Treasurer Jimmy Haskell, IPA was able to begin
offering college scholarships to seniors
(scholarship winners are listed in the appendix).
The first IPA scholarship recipients were Jake
Hayden of Franklin Central High School and Sarah
Whybrew of Mt. Vernon High School (Fortville).
In 2000, IPA also demonstrated its continued
commitment to percussion education through the
launch of its impressive website,
www.indianapercussion.org. The website would not
only serve as an outlet for practical information
concerning the circuit, it would also include an
Education Zone.
The 2000 IPA state finals featured 39 units
including an amazing 15 units in concert class.
State Champions for the 2000 state finals include:
Chesterton High School (Class A Marching)
Lake Central High School (Open Class Marching)
Avon High School (World Class Marching)
Franklin Central High School (Concert Class)
As a footnote for the 2000 season, Franklin Central
High School won its third Winter Guard International
World Title in Concert Class.
The Fifth Competition Season (2001)
With the growth of IPA, it became apparent that a
state prelims competition would soon be needed. IPA
decided to be proactive in this matter and in 2001;
Avon High School hosted IPA’s first state prelim
competition. Fifty-one units participated in this
event including a few out of state units. Out of
state drumlines were drawn to the Indiana circuit by
IPA’s reputation for excellent adjudication and
enthusiastic audiences.
In keeping a consistent educational philosophy, IPA
and WGI added open concert class in 2001. IPA also
added an Individual and Ensemble competition to the
annual Clinic Day. Winners of the Individual and
Ensemble competition would perform at the end of the
clinic day for their peers.
Mickey Ratliff of Warsaw High School became
scholarship committee chairman (see appendix for
scholarship winners).
State Champions for the 2001 state finals include:
New Palestine High School (Class A Marching)
Owen Valley High School (Open Class Marching)
Avon High School (World Class Marching)
New Albany High School (Open Concert Class)
Franklin Central High School & Warsaw High School
(World Concert Class)
As a footnote for the 2001 season, Franklin Central
High School won its fourth Winter Guard
International World Title in World Concert Class and
Avon won its third Winter Guard International World
Title in Percussion Scholastic Open Class.
The Sixth Competition Season (2002)
Perhaps the big story of the 2002 indoor season was
IPA’s dominance of the Winter Guard International
World Percussion Finals. Five units from Indiana won
world titles in 2002. From its beginning, IPA had
consistently produced world champions. By
participating in numerous indoor percussion
invitationals judged by WGI sanctioned adjudicators,
IPA units were arriving at world finals prepared and
ready to compete. National winners included the
newly formed independent group Plan B of Fort Wayne,
recurrent world title winners Avon High School and
Franklin Central High School, the strong concert
program of New Albany High School and the exciting
New Palestine High School.
State Champions from 2002 were:
Mt. Vernon High School of Fortville (A Class
Marching)
Center Grove High School (Open Class Marching)
Avon High School (World Class Marching)
Ben Davis High School (Open Concert Class)
Franklin Central High School (World Concert Class)
World Champion winners from 2002:
Avon HS – PSW (Fourth Title)
Franklin Central HS – PSCW (Fifth Title)
New Albany HS - PSCO
New Palestine HS - PSA
Plan B - PIA
The Seventh Competition Season (2003)
By 2003, the IPA State Finals are amazingly large.
IPA has become the circuit that national percussion
adjudicators seek out. The IPA state finals have
grown to the point that two alternating judging
panels are working the finals.
Indiana was setting the standard in the percussion
concert class. Franklin Central High School, New
Albany High School and soon Goshen High School were
experiencing great success on the WGI circuit, and
the number of groups participating in concert class
at IPA sanctioned competitions outpaced other state
circuits. In 2003, IPA kept consistent with its
educational philosophy and added a Concert A Class.
To this day, IPA is the only circuit with three
divisions for concert class.
State Champions for the 2003 state finals include:
Goshen High School (Concert A Class)
Bishop Dwenger High School (Class A Marching)
Anderson High School (Concert Open Class)
New Palestine High School (Open Class Marching)
Franklin Central High School (World Concert Class)
Avon High School (World Class Marching)
Footnote to the 2003 season. Ironically, after the
amazing success of 2002 on the national circuit,
2003 was the first year since its inception that IPA
did not produce a national champion.
The Eighth Competition Season (2004)
In 2004, the IPA networking system became an asset
for groups heading to San Diego for the WGI World
Finals. Three concert units, New Albany High School,
Franklin Central High School and Anderson High
School teamed up to rent a semi in order to
transport equipment to San Diego. Working together
at world finals was not new for schools from
Indiana. Thanks to the bridges built by IPA, units
from Indiana were able to combine equipment onto one
truck, share travel information and assist each
other loading and unloading during the heavy
downpours.
The 2004 State Finals also introduced a new class of
units, the independent indoor drumlines. Now,
students whose high schools did not sponsor an
indoor drumline had an indoor percussion outlet.
State Champions for the 2004 state finals include:
Chesterton High School (Concert A Class)
Maconaquah High School (Class A Marching)
Greenwood High School (Concert Open Class)
Norwell High School (Open Class Marching)
Plan B (Independent Open Marching)
Franklin Central High School (World Concert Class)
Center Grove High School (World Class Marching)
As a footnote for the 2004 season, Franklin Central
High School won its Sixth Winter Guard International
World Title in World Concert Class.
The Ninth Competition Season (2005)
With 2005 came the emergence of Indiana’s first
Independent World Group. In similar fashion as IPA’s
other accomplishments, the independent group I-2 of
Indianapolis rocketed from its beginnings as an Open
Class Group to the WGI Finals of Independent World
Class. Amazingly, this occurred in a matter of
months.
State Champions for the 2005 state finals include:
Twin Lakes High School (Concert A Class)
Decatur Central High School (Class A Marching)
New Palestine High School (Concert Open Class)
Franklin Central High School (Open Class Marching)
Warsaw High School (World Concert Class)
Center Grove High School (World Class Marching)
As a footnote for the 2005 season, Goshen High
School won the WGI PSCO World Title and Center Grove
High School won the WGI PSW World Title.
Our Tenth Anniversary Season (2006)
And here we are, our tenth year. Ten years, a
decade, went by in the blink of an eye. The Indiana
Percussion Association has seen and undergone many
changes. IPA has been a national leader in the
indoor activity since its inception. It is to be
noted, that an organization is made up of dedicated
and hard working individuals. Besides those
mentioned, many percussion instructors, band
directors, administrators, participants and fans
have done their part to insure the continued success
of the Indiana Percussion Association. Quicker than
we can imagine, another ten years will pass, and
another, etc. Enjoy and cherish these moments and
those around you! To see what these young people can
achieve on the floor is truly unbelievable! To hear
and see what the design teams and directors create
year after year is amazing! To witness the love and
support the parents show their children who
participate in this activity is uplifting and
inspiring (which I say as an understatement)!
Appendix
The Officers of the Indiana Percussion
Association
1997 - 1999
Jay Webb – President
Michael Scheiber – Vice President
Jimmy Haskell – Treasurer & Judge Coordinator
Daniel Fyffe – Secretary
2000 - 2001
Daniel Fyffe – President
Michael Scheiber – Vice President
Jimmy Haskell – Treasurer
Nate Noble– Secretary
2002 - 2003
Michael Scheiber – President
Rusty Bottomley – President-Elect
Jimmy Haskell – Treasurer
Ron McClure – Secretary
2004
Rusty Bottomley– President
Nate Noble– President-Elect
Jimmy Haskell – Treasurer
Dave McCracken – Secretary
2005
Rusty Bottomley – President
Nate Noble – President-Elect
Mark Harasim – Treasurer
Dave McCracken – Secretary
2006
Nate Noble – President
Dave McCracken – President-Elect
Steve Angel – Treasurer
Jeff Huffman – Secretary
Sites of the IPA State Finals
1997 – Avon High School
1998 – Owen Valley High School
1999 – Franklin Central High School
2000 – Franklin Central High School
2001 – Avon High School
2002 – Decatur High School
2003 – Decatur High School
2004 – Ben Davis High School
2005 – Ben Davis High School
Sites of the IPA Clinic Days
1997 – Franklin Central High School, Daniel Fyffe,
Host
1998 – Franklin Central High School, Daniel Fyffe,
Host
1999 – Anderson High School, David Robbins, Host
2000 – Anderson High School, David Robbins, Host
2001 – Hamilton Southeastern High School, Michael
Niemiec, Host
2002 – Hamilton Southeastern High School, Michael
Niemiec, Host
2003 – Hamilton Southeastern High School, Michael
Niemiec, Host
2004 – Hamilton Southeastern High School, Michael
Niemiec, Host
2005 – Plainfield High School, Brad Roberts, Host
IPA Scholarship Winners
2000
Jake Hayden of Franklin Central High School
Sarah Whybrew of Mt. Vernon High School (Fortville)
2001
Valerie Amstutz of Warsaw High School
Mat Snyder of Maconaquah High School
Gretchen Rohlfing of East Noble High School
Jason Hammond of Owen Valley High School
Brian Omerso of New Albany High School
2002
Jonathan Jasinski of Merrillville High School
Jason Lindsey of Franklin Central High School
Katie Meloy of Ben Davis High School
Jeremy Votaw of Greenfield Central High School
Paul Woods of New Palestine High School
2003
Michael Cotton of Warsaw High School
Christiana Cushing of Franklin Central High School
jared Stephens of Avon High School
Emily Sorg of New Albany High School
Bradley Teach of New Palestine High School
2004
Joseph Hake of Bishop Dwenger High School
Nichole Horner of Logansport High School
Wesley Lindauer of Heritage Hills High School
Michael Lindsey of Franklin Central High School
Nate Wilkerson of Avon High School
2005
Mark Guiles of Warsaw High School
Andrea Hilliker of New Palestine High School
Kendra McFarland of Taylor High School
Craig Rogers of Ben Davis High School
Cliff Raschick of Decatur Central High School |
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