The Mandarins Bass line performed "Variations of On the Water" by Leonard Bernstein as a part of the ensemble competition today in downtown Orlando.
From bottom bass to top bass they are: Geoffrey Price, Kit Manuel, Ryan Bruner, Ryan Whippo and Junior Valdivia. "I think a lot of the clarity came out very well today and there was a lot of emotion," Bruner said. "Lots of energy!" Manuel added "It's a big sacrifice. [Rehearsing] took away time that we could have been relaxing and enjoying our downtime." To add some extra sounds to their piece the ensemble used different mallets and techniques. "The different mallets are for different timbre, and different sounds on the drums," Valdivia added. "It's all to add uniqueness in the show." The group feels that performing in a small ensemble is similar and just as intense as performing with their entire corps. However they have a much tighter focus on the smaller things. "With this type of instrument you have to rely on other people more so than others. You have to listen to everybody to make sure everything is going correctly and be ready to adjust if one thing isn't going the way it should be." They feel that they have gained musicality and understanding of what is going on around them.