MEPA Units at WGI

Hello MEPA Members

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of being the contest host for the 2010 WGI Dayton Percussion Regional. Numerous units from as far away as New York came to Dayton to compete and the day was unforgettable. One of the highlights of the day was watching our MEPA units competing. 11 of the 19 finalist units were MEPA units and 4 of our units won their class. Of course you could argue that the Dayton Regional took place in the middle of our circuit territory but let me tell you what I saw.

I saw a competition in the middle of February that had groups like New Philadelphia scoring an 85.5 and Kings at an 84.9. Centerville scored an 85.1 and many other MEPA units were at or near the 80 mark. Finally, Rhythm X nearly broke 90 with an 89.175! Scores don’t mean everything and in fact, they often mean very little. The experience of our performers is what really matters and I count many of our directors as my friends and I’m proud to say that I know some of the amazing educators.

It’s no accident that MEPA units are some of the best in the country. I want to tell you a quick story. I can’t give names because I haven’t asked their permission but the names won’t be important. Yesterday, between prelims and finals of the competition, I was sitting at a table talking to a few members of the MEPA board. We were all tired from what was already a long day and just talking about anything and everything. Both of these board members have been in the activity for a long time and if I mentioned their names, most percussion directors in the area would know them right away.

They talked about how they had made contact with numerous MEPA directors in their area just to offer their assistance. One of them was telling me that he was talking to one of the directors a couple of times per week giving him advice. What really impressed me about this was that this board member was mentoring a director who was in his class. They are direct competitors.

On the other side of it, I was talking to a director of a unit and was giving him my feedback on his show. Not everything I said was positive but he thanked me and told me that he values a colleague’s opinion and was going to think more about it and asked if I would give him more feedback next time I saw him.

This week I’m highlighting the percussion side of our activity because of the regional but let’s be clear. MEPA doesn’t have some of the best units in the nation by accident. When competing directors aren’t selfish with their knowledge, it helps the activity. When directors are receptive to criticism from fellow members, judges, and other qualified people, everybody wins.

I don’t think we realize that a good portion of circuits across the country aren’t producing a fraction of the quality that MEPA produces. We aren’t spoiled. We are blessed with people who are passionate about the activity and are more concerned with being THEIR best and helping others achieve that goal.

My congratulations not only goes out to those who competed over the weekend. It also goes to every unit director, guard and percussion, who work to make their performers the best they can be but understand that the knowledge that they have gained from so many must be passed on to the many new directors who will continue to evolve our activity.