The Olathe East percussion program is one of the premier percussion programs in the Midwest. 

 

We focus on developing well rounded percussionists that are able to perform well in both the marching and concert disciplines.

 

In March of 2016 the Olathe East Percussion Ensemble was selected to perform at the Bands of America Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival sponsored by Yamaha in Indianapolis. The group was selected by a taped audition and only 12 groups from across the entire United States were selected for this honor!

 

Drumline

The drumline has evolved into one of the top groups in the Midwest. They have won numerous awards both indoors and outdoors.

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Past FIRST PLACE awards include:

Field Percussion at the KU Heart of America Festival

Missouri Festival of Champions

Place Lee's Summit Marching Festival

Place Indoor Drumline Contest at CMSU

Lee's Summit North Indoor Festival

Blue Valley Northwest Indoor Drumline Contest

Blue Springs Indoor Drumline Contest

 

 At many of these contests, they have won 1st place multiple years in a row - including a run of 4 years in a row at the KU festival.

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Percussion Ensemble

The Percussion Ensemble meets 7th hour second semester. This group focuses on advanced percussion ensemble pieces. This is an audition only group for grades 9-11.

 

Past accolades most notably include the performance listed above at the National Percussion Festival.  Other accolades for this groups include performances at the Kansas Music Educator's Association in 2009 and 2015. The percussion ensemble performed at the famed Avery-Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City in 2009. They have also been asked to perform at two different Percussive Arts Society Days of Percussion, including the first ever combined Missouir and Kansas Day of Percussion in 2006 which was hosted at Olathe East and featured nattional artists Gordon Stout, Bret Kuhn, and Zoro, 2009 at Kansas State University. They have had at least one percussion ensemble recieve a One Rating at the Kansas State Solo/Ensemble Festival every year since 2004. 

 

Additional Recognition for Olathe East Percussion Students

Olathe East has had more percussionists in the Kansas All-State Band and Orchestra than any other school in Kansas since 2004.

 

At least one percussion student has been selected every year since 2004. This includes four percussionists selected to All -State ensembles in 2015. 

 

Olathe East has also had more percussionists in the KMEA Northeast District Band and Orchestra than any other school in Kansas since 2004, including 1st chair snare, 1st chair mallet, and 1st chair timpani in 2005.

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Olathe East was one of only two high school drumlines that were selected to perform at Opening Day at the Kansas City Royal's Kauffman Stadium. They Royal's have only had mass drumlines twice on opening day and Olathe East was selected for this honor both times.

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The percusssion ensemble was also selected to perform at the Olathe District Convocation and the National Conference for School Human Resource Administrators in 2007.