Winter Guard International, the world’s authority for indoor color guard and percussion ensemble competitions, is pleased to announce the creation of a third division to the Sport of the Arts organization…presenting WGI Winds! Beginning today, visitors will see an expanded WGI.org that answers questions and offers information about the newest member of the WGI umbrella for the marching arts.
WGI Winds is the newest performance experience for marching music ensembles in the same intimate performance environment color guards and percussion ensembles enjoy now. Beginning in 2015, WGI Winds will be added to select regional events, culminating in the first WGI Winds World Championships to be held April 17-18 in Dayton, Ohio.
WGI President Ed Devlin, said, “We are very excited to see the addition of WGI Winds to our already successful color guard and percussion divisions. We are opening up additional opportunities to students and filling a niche in the indoor performance arena. We look forward to seeing some great shows and enthusiastic fan response!”
For several years WGI has studied bringing the same exciting competitive and educational opportunities to students in the winds section in full support of the total band program. Some have expressed concern over how WGI Winds will impact concert band programs across the country. WGI Executive Director, Ron Nankervis, embraces the organization’s philosophical approach to this new activity for band students.
“WGI Winds is intended as an extracurricular activity outside the traditional musical training of a concert band program. We do not encourage or support WGI Winds to be a substitution for concert bands. Throughout this process we have tried to keep an emphasis on the smaller bands and future decisions will be driven by that principle both in judging and administration.”
A committee of educators and designers has been diligently working on a scoring system that values a total presentation designed for any kind of instrumentation, including electronics. Two levels of competition will be offered, one for scholastic groups and another for all-age ensembles. Click here to see rules and score sheets for 2015.
By creating WGI Winds, the legacy of excellence of over 37 years is given a new outlet for a high quality performance experience. Students will be judged by the most skilled adjudicators working in the marching arts today while sharing their love of music and motion under the guiding principle of an educationally sound scoring system.
Fans attending the WGI Percussion World Championships or watching the Fan Network webcast will be treated to several exhibitions of this exciting new art form. Alter High School, a Bands of America semi-finalist from Dayton, Ohio, will join Northglenn Performance Theatre from Northglenn, Colorado. WGI Winds will also display an international flair with Aimachi coming all the way from Nagoya, Japan, to round out three distinct demonstrations of what fans can expect next year.
“One of the most exciting developments is the growing interest from international groups wanting to add Winds to their plans for color guard and percussion ensemble contests.
We are recalibrating our international efforts to bring all three kinds of events to countries throughout Europe and Asia,” said Nankervis.
Click here to visit the Winds tab on the WGI website. You will not want to miss the inaugural season of what is sure to be another exciting addition to the Sport of the Arts…WGI WINDS!
