Next to an enthusiastic cheerleading squad, nothing can help give a high school football team the much-needed edge on the gridiron quite like an expertly-coordinated drumline team pounding out the beats to a crushing victory. With that being the case, it comes as a bit of a surprise that the Carle Place School District has been lacking a drumline of any sort…until now, that is.
Kevin Kavanagh has spent his entire 21-year teaching career at Carle Place Middle and High School, where he serves as band director. He notes that the district had a “casual” drumline several years ago, but a lack of cohesion and focus soon saw that effort dissipate after only a small handful of performances.
However, chairperson Joni Russo, knowing of Kavanagh’s talents as a percussionist, came to him and suggested that he use those talents in assembling and training a true, official drumline dedicated to supporting the school’s efforts on the football field.
“[She] really wanted me to do a class geared towards drummers, so I could share my specialty,” Kavanagh said. “This is a home run for me. I get to share with my kids what I’ve been doing personally for 30 some-odd years.”
With the full support of Carle Place principal Thomas DePaola, Kavanagh recruited 15 volunteers from the student body from grades 7-12, focusing on percussionists from his concert bands. The newly assembled drumline practices hard every other day from 7:20 to 7:50 a.m., before classes begin in the morning, and the group has quickly become a cohesive musical force to be reckoned with, Kavanagh said.
“They’re all working so hard and they’re really giving it their all,” he said.
Sophomore Nichole Arocho has been playing drums since the fourth grade, something she admits isn’t a typical “girl thing” to do. She said that transitioning into Carle Place High’s very first official drumline after all this time was just a natural progression for her, musically speaking.
“I think it’s an interesting thing for a girl to do. My uncle’s a musician, and he helps me out a lot,” she said. “Getting into the drumline was a lot of fun for me…everyone loves it and they have come to me with positive responses. It’s great.”
James Lima, a junior, has been a musician for seven years. He said that he’s ventured into guitar and bass on occasion, but his first love has always been the drums, which he said was a big part of the allure to him for joining the drumline.
“It’s kind of like a ‘drum-only’ show, with no other instruments, so that really appealed to me,” he said. “Plus, we get to work really hard and show everyone else why drums are so much fun.”
Junior Michael Coulter noted that being a member of the drumline is not only a great outlet for him creatively, but bashing those drums over and over can help work out some aggression as well.
“It’s an opportunity to open up…just banging out on those drums, laying down rhythms and beats. I just enjoy it,” Coulter said. “With the drumline, you get to play with a group and it’s a whole new experience then when you’re playing on your own, and it’s great.”
Fellow junior Elias Costidis learned the drums at an early age thanks to the efforts of his father; joining the drumline was a way of expanding his drumming repertoire while having fun with his friends, several of whom are also members of the group.
“Mr. Kavanagh first introduced us to the idea of this new program during the summer last year, and it sounded really cool,” he said. “It’s amazing…I love it. Playing in front of the crowds is a great feeling…they were definitely cheering for us louder than anyone else on the field.”
To date, the new drumline has played one pep rally and two football games, and Kavanagh said the overall reaction, both by students, administration, and the crowds at live events, has been overwhelmingly positive.
He attributes that to the raw talent and dedication of the students under his tutelage.
“It’s usually the job of a teacher to inspire the kids, but these kids inspire me to keep doing more,” Kavanagh said. “The first two games we played the drumline was stationary but now we’re starting to put a little choreography into the routine, which just takes it to a whole other level. We have a great relationship with each other, and it’s been a great experience…and we’re only two months into the school year.”
