Yamaha-equipped ensembles made a strong showing at the 2019 Winter Guard International (WGI) Percussion and Winds World Championships, with nine awards going to groups exclusively using Yamaha marching instruments.
The Championships were held at a number of venues located in and around Dayton, Ohio. The 2019 Championships featured over 250 percussion and wind ensembles from across the country, and a few around the world.
Ensembles compete in separate Scholastic and Independent divisions, each boasting a range of classes.
The WGI Percussion Championship honors include:
Chino Hills High School Percussion Ensemble (California) – Gold in Scholastic World
Arcadia High School (California) – Silver in Scholastic World
Broken City Percussion (California) – Gold in Independent World
Pulse Percussion (California) – Silver in Independent World
Spirit Winter Percussion (Massachusetts) – Bronze in Independent Open
Norwalk High School (Connecticut) – Bronze in Scholastic Open
Grand Blanc High School (Michigan) – Gold in Scholastic ‘A’
Railmen Indoor Percussion (Nebraska) – Silver in Independent ‘A’
FIU Indoor Percussion (Florida) – Fan Favorite in Independent Open
Dartmouth High School (Massachusetts) – Fan Favorite in Scholastic World
The WGI Winds Championship honors include:
Chromium Winds (Illinois) – Gold in Independent Open
Avon High School (Indiana) – Fourth place in Scholastic World
Crossmen (Texas) – Fifth place in Independent World
“For more than 20 years, many of WGI’s top groups have been using Yamaha percussion, pro audio equipment, and more recently, wind instruments. We continue to witness these impressive young performers and the results of their hard work and dedication to the ‘Sport of the Arts’,” said Troy Wollwage, marketing manager, Drum and Percussion department, Yamaha Corporation of America. “Educators and performers rely on Yamaha to provide quality instruments so they may focus on performing to the best of their ability and it’s incredibly rewarding to know that we are trusted by this caliber of talent.”
At the WGI World Championship Finals, Yamaha continued its tradition of awarding scholarships to two deserving WGI performers. The 2019 Yamaha/Dennis DeLucia Scholarship recipient was Sean Chen from Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. This scholarship is named for the acclaimed teacher, arranger and clinician who continues to contribute both indoor and outdoor marching music. Hunter Mays from Licking Heights High School in Pataskala, Ohio won the 2019 Yamaha Music Education Scholarship, which supports students pursuing careers in music education.
In addition to Yamaha instruments being such a pervasive brand in WGI competition this year, dozens of Yamaha Performing Artists took part as instructors, adjudicators, ensemble directors and mentors throughout the season. These included Mike Jackson and Kevin Shah from Broken City Percussion and Matt Harloff from Avon High School Winds.
Looking Back on 2025: A Year of Controlled Chaos (Emphasis on “Controlled”)