Her passion for what she does beats strong. She spends countless hours in the band room.  She is Megan Yasaki (12), one of two captains for West High’s Drumline.

Drumming since her freshman year, Yasaki’s initial interest in percussion was influenced by  her two older sisters, who had both been in Drumline before her.  Her previous experience in band and keyboarding contributed to her being chosen as captain, a position which entails “dedication, communication, a lot of practice, and respect for others to get respect in return,” according to Yasaki.

Such a leadership role is certainly not easy.  In her opinion, the most difficult aspect of being a part of Drumline is “the many hours that are put into practices and competitions.”  Due to the fact that many of the other Drumline members are enrolled in multiple honors and AP courses, “getting homework done easily on days where a practice is scheduled is very tough.”  Very tough indeed, seeing as the typical practice schedule is from 3 P.M. to 6 P.M. on Mondays, 6 P.M. to 9 P.M. on Wednesdays, and occasional weekend practices that can last as long as 8 hours!

With such long, rigorous hours, one may expect Yasaki to have virtually no free time.  However, she still finds time for frequent involvement at her Buddhist church, and Taiko, a Japanese form of drumming.  In addition, she takes part in winter Drumline, which is optional, which consists of much more work than fall season, and “definitely an extracurricular [Yasaki is] proud to be a part of.”  When she is not leading the West’s Drumline, volunteering at church or Taiko drumming, Yasaki can be found texting incessantly, playing games on her iPod, and spending time with friends.

Though in college, Yasaki “[does not] plan on joining any Drumline groups” and will “be focusing more on academics,” she loves Drumline.  Yasaki asserted fondly that in Drumline, “we have fun, have inside jokes, and definitely fight, but in the end, we’re all back on good terms. We act like a family.”