Drumline Performs At The Rodeo

Drumline a Big HIt at Annual Stock Show and Rodeo
By Aaryn Valenzuela


For the very first time a drumline is opening for each of the 10 rodeo performances. The group is made up of fourteen Concho Valley students, and they've been a big hit.
 
"When that gate opened, and they ran out there the first night they really performed and its a crowd favorite. We are really proud, says Justin Jonas, the Executive Director of the San Angleo Stock Show and Rodeo.

The idea is modeled after the London Olympics Opening Ceremony.
 
"I saw how they opened up with the drums, I thought surely if they can do it, we can do it here in San Angelo."

They spend about an hour warming up before each performance.Nathan Sanchez is a junior at Central High School, and says he's used to performing for large crowds, but admits this is different.

"The first night I wasn't really nervous until we ran out into the stadium, and I hit the first note, and that's when the nerves struck me, and the crowd cheering and everything. It was different," says Nathan Sanchez, one of the drummers.

Musician and Teacher Nathan Garcia put the drumline together. Its taken a lot of practice, and students say the've had a lot of fun, but admit its hardwork.

"It was a little time consuming at first, but we got through it, and worked hard, and the first performance went great," says Sanchez.

"Its been fun, its been real fun," says Justin Nava, who attends Wall Middle School.

Its 11-Year-Old Justin Nava's first time to perform in front of big crowds. He's been drumming since he was two, and says he's learned a lot.

"A lot of the drummers from Central, they know how to do it, and I have just been kind of watching them and learning from them," says Nava.