WGI members devote their entire weekend to practicing the same show for five or six months.

Computer science junior Jennifer Proos is one of those students who has to balance school, social life, MSU Drumline and WGI.

Proos has been playing the snare drum for the MSU Drumline since her sophomore year and has been marching in WGI for six seasons. She said there are some differences between the two marching styles.

“As far as MSU Drumline, you are very, very serious, especially here in this college,” Proos said. “We are very serious about what we do and you just kind of have to be a robot, but in WGI, you can really express yourself and I think that is what I like about WGI more than MSU Drumline. You can kind of create your own character and do whatever you want and just be unique.”

WGI has three different ensembles: percussion, color guard and a winds section. The independent percussion groups in Michigan include NorthCoast Academy, Genesis Percussion, Great Lakes Percussion and Redline Percussion. Each group competes weekly and performs in a final competition in April.

Proos is a member of Genesis Percussion, a group based in Grand Rapids. She said she drives an hour and a half to practice every weekend.

“Basically, you get music and a show and you kind of have to work them into each other until you get a product that is both entertaining to watch, and it has to be musically intricate and dynamic and changing and everything like that,” Proos said.

Proos said she spends hours practicing music, marching and driving each weekend. She even took time off from WGI her freshman year to focus on her studies.

“It is definitely a huge commitment because your weekends are usually relaxing and catching up on school, but I am rehearsing the whole time,” Proos said.

Proos has been playing music since middle school and said the hard work is worth the reward. Proos is one of the few women to have been on the MSU Drumline.

“The MSU Drumline is known for being one of the best, and drumming is scientifically harder for girls because of the whole chops thing and being able to play fast, so I’ve had to work pretty hard,” Proos said. “I figured it out, I think I am the fifth female snare drummer at MSU.”

Music education sophomore Cameron Halls joined the MSU Drumline his freshman year. He plays the snare drum and is a part of the NorthCoast Academy group based out of Saginaw, Mich.

“It is pretty physically intense,” Halls said. “For this you work on the same seven and a half minute show for five or six months, so the tempos we usually march at are above 200 beats per minute. So, it is really quick and fast paced and really aggressive style of playing.”

WGI is acting and theater-based and can include upwards of 50 people. Each WGI performance centers around a certain theme and combines costumes, design, theater and marching band to make a dynamic show. 

WGI groups have intense rehearsal schedules, Halls said.

“It’s pretty much you wake up, you eat breakfast, rehearse for four or five hours, eat lunch, rehearse for four or five hours, eat dinner, rehearse for four of five more hours and then you go to sleep,” Halls said. “You wake up and do it again every weekend until pretty much the middle of April.” 

Biochemistry freshman Connor Riegal joined the MSU Drumline this year and plays snare drum for Redline Percussion, based in Canton, Mich. He joined WGI before coming to college to continue performing outside of school. 

“I’ve been doing drumline ever since high school and it’s just something I’m pretty passionate about so I wanted to continue doing it,” he said.

Riegal said performing in a percussion group creates a deep bond. 

“My favorite thing about performing is probably how unified you have to be with a group of people,” he said. “It just brings you really close with them. Definitely that kinship aspect is my favorite part.”