Many high school bands in America suffer from lack of funding and have poor equipment. This year, Zildjian, along with Calderwood Percussion, introduced the “My Pit’s the Pits” contest, which encouraged high school drumlines to submit videos discussing why they are in need of new percussion equipment.
The winning video came from Lawrence County High School in Moulton, Alabama. “We were really needing new mallets and sticks as we haven’t purchased them new in a long time,” says director Blake Ferguson. “Our xylophone rack was in shambles as well.”
Band members decided to make their video a parody of the new Disney movie “Frozen.” The camera spans through the band room showing broken mallets, scratched cymbals, busted drumheads and other old equipment with the song, “Do You Want to Buy Me New Drums?,” sung to the tune of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?,” in the background. The video also showcases students and Ferguson saying why the band itself has been successful and ends with a drumline feature.
AnnMarie Sanfilippo, manager of social media and web content for Zildjian, says that Ferguson’s video definitely stood out from the rest. “Their video was just really creative in the way it showed need for equipment,” she says. “You could just see that everyone was into it, and everyone wanted to win for their school.”
The other winners were:
- Bradwell Institute in Hinesville, Georgia (second place).
- James Monroe HS in North Hills, California (3rd place).
- Oliver Springs (Tennessee) HS (Viewer’s Choice).
The four winners combined received percussion equipment and gift certificates worth more than $25,000 from Zildjian, Calderwood Percussion, Woodwind & Brasswind, Music & Arts Centers, Lone Star Percussion, Steve Weiss Music, Remo and Vic Firth. Lawrence County purchased an all-terrain rack for its xylophone, mallets and sticks, and a 4.3-octave marimba.
To view the winning video, search for “My Pits The Pits – Lawrence County High School” on YouTube.com.
