Isabella Gerloff is growing in the drumline and her future in music. The drumline is a percussionist group in the marching band. The group consists of three snares and five bass drums.
“We have lots of responsibilities in the band like keeping tempo and timing, [and maintaining] dynamics,” Gerloff said.
Gerloff started playing piano outside of school at the age of four. The skills needed in percussion and piano are similar so she joined percussion in 5th and began to love it just as much.
“It’s one of my greatest passions, and it is something that truly challenges me,” Gerloff said.
Performing in the drumline is a big part of Gerloff’s life as directors and judges have high expectations for her.
“I love the attention to detail that we need for music and marching, and I love the camaraderie that I have with other drumline members,” Gerloff said. “It’s probably my favorite part of highschool.”
Performance and the musical world is a passion of Gerloff’s. There’s a lot she’s had to learn through rehearsals and performances, such as details, leadership, teamwork, community and work ethic. She has also had to learn to commit to a team and work towards a goal.
“Band and music have taught me some of the best life skills I need,” Gerloff said.
One of her inspirations is a former drumline member named Gavin Gillespie.
“He started as a bass drummer and is now a snare at UNL,” Gerloff said.“He has taught me so much about drumming and how to improve my playing.”
Westside’s drum tech, who act as directors to the drumline, and band teachers from elementary to highschool are all people that have helped Gerloff.
“They push all of us to become better in every possible way, both as drummers and humans,” Gerloff said.
She strives to grow as a musician to her full extent. With a growing skill set, she has become comfortable with her current music and wishes to go to the next step.
“I’m hoping to start getting into some more challenging music for both piano and percussion,” Gerloff said.
The goal, in the end, is to continue growing and playing music in the future.
She wishes to be involved in music, whether it’s concert,band or percussion ensemble. Ideally, joining a marching band is a part of the plan as well if the college Gerloff goes to provides a marching band. However, her going into music as a career is unlikely.
“I definitely don’t want to quit playing either.” Gerloff said.
“High school band has been very welcoming.The community is truly a family.
There is a shared passion between the community having that in common strengthens the bond between band members.
The drumline is a tight knit group that is full of hardworking and motivated students. They all want to see each other’s talent grow. There isn’t tension in the group.
“One of my favorite aspects of drumline would be the dynamic,” Gerloff said.
