What is Indoor Percussion?

An indoor percussion ensemble or indoor drumline consists of the marching percussion (aka battery) and front ensemble (aka pit) sections of a marching band or drum corps.

Indoor percussion marries elements of music performance, marching, and theater; thus, the activity is often referred to as percussion theater. Although most indoor percussion ensembles are affiliated with high schools, there are also many independent groups that draw participants from a large area. Herriman Indoor Percussion (HIP) includes 9th-12th graders.


Classification & Divisions

Independent Classification

Ensembles classified as “Independent” are self-organized, self-funded groups, sometimes extensions of college programs.

Divisions include

  • Independent World

  • Independent Open

  • Independent A.

Scholastic Classification

Ensembles classified as “Scholastic” are groups that perform on behalf of their school, usually high schools.

Divisions include

  • Scholastic World

  • Scholastic Open

  • Scholastic A.

What is a Division?

The competitive division a school is placed in determines the scale of the judging. World Class is judged on advanced skill sets, Open Class is judged on intermediate skill sets, and Class A is judged on beginner skill sets.

Schools in each division include:

World Class

  • Ayala High School

  • Bridgeland High School 

  • Chino Hills High School

  • Foothill High School

Open Class

  • Davis High School

  • Maple Mountain High School

  • Arbor View High School

Class A

  • Pleasant Grove High School

  • Payson High School

  • Alta High School

Judging

When a school is being judged on a performance, it is being judged by 4 “Captions” (categories), and each caption has 2 sub-captions.

  1. Music

    1. Musical Composition

      How well the music was composed.

    2. Performance Quality

      How well the performers played the music.

  2. Visual

    1. Visual Composition

      How well the visuals (dances and other movements) were designed/choreographed.

    2. Performance Quality

      How well the performers carried out the visuals.

  3. Musical Effect

    1. Musical Effect

      How well the effect was of the music on its own.

    2. Overall Effect

      How well the music added to the design of the show as a whole.

  4. Visual Effect

    1. Visual Effect

      How well the effect was of the visuals on their own.

    2. Overall Effect

      How well the visuals added to the design of the show as a whole.