Drumline Profiles

By Jasmine Bourgeois with editing assistance from Angela Sells | Photos courtesy of the artists

Annie Heffley

Annie Heffley is a 20-year-old drummer from Denton, Texas, who drums with the Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps. She started playing percussion in sixth grade and hasn’t stopped since, first playing snare all four years of high school and later becoming a member of Roots Percussion Independent, the River City Rhythm Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Green Brigade snare line at the University of North Texas.

Photo by Geovani Ayala

Tom Tom: What’s your background with drumlines?

Annie Heffley: I started playing marching snare at Denton High School and did that all four years I was there. I was also a member of Roots Percussion Independent, an indoor drumline group, for three years. The summer of 2017—going into my sophomore year of college—I marched River City Rhythm, an open-class drum corps based in Minnesota, and my sophomore year of college, I was on the Green Brigade snare line at the University of North Texas. Currently, I’m marching Guardians, and it’s a lot of fun!

Tom Tom: Do you rock a drum kit, too?

Annie: I wish I could play drum set! I’m going to have to take a couple semesters of drumset lessons at UNT, so I’m sure I’ll be significantly better after that. But as of now, I have very limited set experience. I can keep time but nothing fancy.

Tom Tom: Any major marching band idols?

Annie: Corps-wise, I really look up to Santa Clara Vanguard. I only have one summer left after this one, but I’m going to put in a lot of work, and do my best to at least put up a fight for a spot there. People-wise, I’ve had a lot of really great teachers that have helped me immensely who I definitely look up to.

Tom Tom: What’s the coolest thing that's happened to you at an event?

Annie: The coolest thing that’s happened to me in a show is probably just the whole experience of performing in Lucas Oil for the first time last summer. Everyone was super hyped, and I had actually toured the stadium with my high school a couple years before and knew that I wanted to be able to play there someday. So, performing there was kind of surreal. Plus, at the end, on all the big hits everyone was giving a ton of energy, and the guy next to me actually had his drum fall off on the last note, so that was pretty wild.

Emily Bloch

Emily Bloch is a 24-year-old news journalist and drummer from South Florida who started playing as a young girl. Her ear for drumming and attention to rudiments served her well in her high school marching band and later helped her drum with Stryke Percussion. She currently plays bass drum with the Miami Heat Street Band, a funky dancing band that pumps up Miami’s NBA team before their home games. Bloch has also played in various rock bands over the years.

Photo courtesy of the artist

Tom Tom: When did you start drumming?

Emily Bloch: I started drumming when I was seven years old. I had awesome instructors over the years who drilled as many rudiments as you can into a kid’s attention span. We’d do maybe a half hour of rudiments and then some full-kit work. The rudiments came in handy by the time I hit high school for marching band.

Tom Tom: What's your background with drumlines?

Emily: I currently drum for the Miami Heat Street Band. I play bass drum with the group. We also double as the 305 Street Band for non- NBA affiliated events. I've been with the group since 2014. Before that, I did two seasons with the WGI group, Stryke Percussion.

Tom Tom: Do you rock a drum kit, too?

Emily: I do! It’s been a minute, because drumming isn’t my full-time gig. I’m actually a journalist, but I've been in a good handful of rock bands over the years.

Tom Tom: Any major marching band idols?

Emily: My idols are all of the badass babes that do DCI. I don’t care who you are. If you’re hauling heavy ass equipment in the hot sun day after day, and you’re dealing with added bonuses like your period—you deserve the entire world.

Tom Tom: What’s the coolest thing that's happened to you at an event?

Emily: This was cool but also really intimidating. The Heat were playing against the Spurs in 2015. A time-out was called, and the band ran onto the court to do our routine. Everything moves really fast, since we only have about a minute and 30 seconds to work with. If we go over our time slot, the team can get penalized. So, we’re running to our spots, and I look up, and Tim Duncan is in my spot arguing with a ref. He’s 6'11" and was heated, and my 5'2" butt is looking up at him like, “Um, excuse me, Mister Duncan, sir?" He and the ref ended up moving a few feet over, at best. We did our entire routine, and you could see the two of them still arguing in the background.

Melody Gonzalez

Melody Gonzalez is a 23-year-old drummer from Reading, Pennsylvania, who recently moved to Brooklyn, New York, to pursue her passion for drumming. She fell in love with marching bands at a young age, and that led her to becoming captain of her high school senior drumline, which gained the title of regional champions. Gonzalez firmly believes drums are an important form of entertainment and creates videos through her Instagram for audiences far and wide. Soon, she wants to direct her efforts toward creating live street performances in New York.

Photo by Martha B

Tom Tom: When did you start drumming?

Melody Gonzalez: The start of my drumming journey was at the innocent age of eight years old. It started when I went to my sister's middle school concert-band performance. All I did was keep my eyes on the percussion group that was playing. At that moment, I knew I had to join the band next year to be a part of the group who banged and thumped to the beat.

Tom Tom: What's your background with drumlines?

Melody: After joining the concert band, [drumming] became my life all the way up to high school. I knew the drumline was going to be my next journey in life, when I started high school. Reading High School has a reputation for their drumline. Of course, I was nervous, but I was also certain that I was going to make the line. I started as the small girl on the snare, but after three years of hard work and determination, I became the drumline captain center snare. During my senior year, I had to lead not only nine men on the line but also a hundred marching band members. We became regional champions that year. After high school, I was distraught that they did not have a marching band at the college I attended. I was still determined, and kept my passion for drumming towards entertainment. I now make drum videos for my Instagram page. I am soon going to start street performing in New York to entertain the crowds around me. I am excited about my next stage of drumming and performing.

Tom Tom: Do you rock a drum kit, too?

Melody: I rock the kit, too, mainly for my own enjoyment.

Tom Tom: Any major marching-band idols?

Melody: My marching-band idol has to be Nicole Casino, the center snare of the Blue Devil snare line back in 2013.

Tom Tom: What’s the coolest thing that's happened to you at an event?

Melody: The coolest thing that happened to me at an event would have to be my final pep rally performance. As the drumline captain, I had to perform a solo for the entire school. With this solo, I had to increase my speed constantly. The tempo I set was the quickest speed I ever did on my snare. The whole audience was silent as they listened to me play at a ridiculous speed rate, and after my solo, the crowd went wild and cheered me on. I received a lot of positive feedback from the students and faculty at my school. It was the best experience ever!

Shaina Grodi

At only 15 years old, Shaina Grodi has been drumming for the better part of her life. The Oak Harbor, Ohio, native picked up her first pair of sticks in the fifth grade and hasn’t looked back. For the last two years, Grodi has played snare drum at the Oak Harbor High School marching band, through which she has performed at a number of parades and festivals, events,, and innumerable football games. Grodi is not sure at what level she’ll be pursuing drumming once she graduates, but she certainly can’t picture her life without it.

Photo courtesy of the artist

Tom Tom: When did you start drumming?

Shaina Grodi: I was in fifth grade when I first picked up a pair of drumsticks. Back then, I could barely play eighth notes, but when middle school started, another band director came who played percussion in college and really elevated our playing skills!

Tom Tom: Do you rock a drum kit, too?

Shaina: I know the basics of a drum kit and have played it once or twice, but I’ve never gotten the chance to completely rock one. However, it’s always been a dream of mine, and I look forward to learning more in the future!

Tom Tom: Any major marching-band idols?

Shaina: I don’t have any names in particular, as my marching-band idols, but I draw inspiration from every female drummer I see. Their focus, their skill, and their spirit inspire and motivate me to continue improving my skills as a drummer. However, some of my musical inspirations in general are Lzzy Hale and David Bowie.

Tom Tom: What’s the coolest thing that’s happened to you at an event?

Shaina: The coolest thing to happen at an event was when our band went to the Anthony Wayne Band Festival. There were somewhere between 10 and 20 different high school bands from our area there to perform their halftime shows, and at the end of it all, we all marched on the field together. Someone started playing “Seven Nation Army,” and everyone seemed to know it, so we all played it together! It was very fun.

Amanda Muse

Amanda Muse is a 23-year-old independent artist, performer, and clinician from Orlando, Florida. She has been playing snare drum for over nine years, marching with ensembles that have performed at Bands of America in Georgia and Indianapolis, Florida Marching Band Championships, and New York City’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. While a member of Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band, she received the 2016 Spirit of the Line Award and currently holds the position of Purple Drumline Instructor.

Her teaching experience spans multiple high school drumlines, private lessons, and interactive clinics. She is recognized internationally through the unique videos and music she produces on her social media handles, which total over 100,000 views. Muse has been featured in video collaborations with BYOS, AJ Drumz, the Grid Book Series, Old Bridge Elementary Drumline, and was a winner in Vic Firth’s 2017 global Rodger Carter SRC JAM video.

Muse has also been featured in articles by WCU’s marketing department and College Marching for being an inspiration by overcoming stereotypes and shattering glass ceilings. She performs at corporate entertainment events with an all-girl group, Orlando’s Lady and the Beat, and is currently earning her master’s degree from New York University. She is on the artist roster of Pearl Drums, Vic Firth, and Beetle Percussion.

Photo courtesy of the artist

Tom Tom: When did you start drumming?

Amanda Muse: I started drumming as a hobby in middle school. My main band instrument was flute, however, the percussion instruments always caught my interest. I put buckets upside down in my room, got my first pair of sticks, and started drumming for fun around the age of 11. My parents put me in drum set lessons when I was around 14. Although I decided to continue with flute as my primary instrument in concert band and wind ensemble, I took a leap by auditioning for my high school drumline at the end of my ninth-grade year and was put on the snare line.

Tom Tom: What's your background with drumlines?

Amanda: After high school, I went on to play snare in WCU’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band. I spent my summers playing snare at Universal Studios Orlando. It was with a small drumline called Sweet Beats—two snares, two tenors, and one bass, with a parade float that was candy themed. This job completely opened my eyes to the entertainment and performance world. I fell in love with the job and entertainment in general. It was a dream! After a few years, the float's contract was complete, and we all went our separate ways. I finished up four years of snare at WCU, but then a solo career began. In March of 2017, I started posting solos and different compositions on my social media handles. This led to receiving some fun opportunities to perform and teach clinics around the US and internationally.

Tom Tom: Do you rock a drum kit, too?

Amanda: I do also play drum set. I enjoy putting in my headphones and jamming out to some fun songs at home!

Tom Tom: Any major marching band idols?

Amanda: When I was younger, I was always inspired by Florida State University’s marching band. My sister went to FSU, and the first time I got to see them live made me fall in love, with not just the wall of sound, but the style and arrangement of songs they were playing. It looked so fun! I was able to participate in the same kind of experience at WCU.

Tom Tom: What’s the coolest thing that’s happened to you at an event?

Amanda: There are a couple of mind-blowing events that I have gotten to experience. The first one was marching in the 2014 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with WCU. We marched three miles, and it was the most painful, draining three miles of most of our lives, because of the pace, but I couldn’t stop smiling. You could look up, and see people crowding up their balconies just to catch a glimpse of us. The performance at the end was surreal. The trip holds a special place in my heart. The second coolest event I have been able to experience was having the privilege of teaching a clinic in Costa Rica and getting to judge their annual drumline competition. It was a huge event for the country’s drumlines. Everyone was always so happy, and I was very impressed with the skill level and passion they had. This event inspired me to market myself as a clinician. I am excited to do the same thing in Hong Kong this July!