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This article is about the non-profit music education organization. For the album by Charles Brackeen, see Rhythm X (album).
Rhythm X performing their 1st place 2013 show, The Man in the Arena inspired by a speech by Theodore Roosevelt.
Rhythm X, Inc.
Formation2001
FounderCraig Dunn
TypeNon-Profit Organization
Location
President & Chairman
Devon Bergman
Executive Director
Abby Hermesch
Program Director
Tim Jackson
AffiliationsWinter Guard International Indiana Percussion Association
Staff
30
Volunteers
30-50
Websiterhythmx.org
Formerly called
Rhythm X Performance Ensemble

Rhythm X, Inc. is a non-profit music education organization that operates a competitive indoor percussion ensemble, as well as an online school for marching music called The X Academy. The company was founded in 2002 by Craig Dunn as the Rhythm X Performance Ensemble. The ensembles compete in both the Winter Guard International (WGI) and Mid-East Performance Association (MEPA) circuits in the World Class,[1] which is the classification given to the ensembles that execute musical and visual programs of the highest difficulty.[2] In 2013, Rhythm X announced the launch of The X Academy, an online and in-person educational program suited for high school and college-age musicians interested in competitive percussion and wind ensembles.[3] Later that year the organization announced the addition of its newest ensemble that would compete in the new WGI Winds Division in 2015.[4] Rhythm X Winds was operational until their last season in 2020, when they were forced to disband due to financial struggles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]

Rhythm X was the 2008, 2009, and 2013 WGI World Champion in Percussion Independent World (PIW) Class[6] and is well-known to indoor marching percussion fans and participants around the world as consistently one of the most highly skilled competitors. The percussion ensemble has also gained a reputation for presenting some of the most innovative content at each WGI Percussion World Championship and is a crowd favorite virtually every year.[7]

History

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Rhythm X was founded in 2001 by Craig Dunn and was initially intended to provide a competitive percussion performance experience for young musicians in Ohio. The unit was immediately successful, as it captured the gold medal in its inaugural season in Percussion Independent Open class at the 2002 WGI World Championships. Rhythm X has been classified as Percussion Independent World every season since then.[8]

As Rhythm X's successes have continued, the membership has expanded beyond local Ohio students. Several hours of transportation is typical, but members have commuted as far as twelve hours one way every weekend to participate. Others move to Ohio for the season's duration. In its early years, the ensemble had a mixture of high school and college students, but the current membership contains almost exclusively college students. Most of the members also have experience in World Class Drum Corps International drum and bugle corps.[9]

In 2007, Rhythm X became the first independent Winter Guard International percussion ensemble to conduct a tour of Europe. The members and staff performed and offered clinics in England, France, and Belgium using their 2007 show "Behind the Velvet Rope" as a demonstration.[7]

In 2008, Craig Dunn announced that Andrew Markworth would be overtaking the role of Ensemble Director for Rhythm X, while Dunn would continue with some duties as executive director.[10]

In 2009, Rhythm X announced its sponsorship of a newly formed percussion ensemble in the Netherlands called European X. Head staff members Craig Dunn, Tim Fairbanks, Andrew Markworth, and Tim Jackson periodically visit them to assist with their shows' designs and their members' educations.[11]

In 2010, Rhythm X announced that Tim Jackson would be assuming the role of Ensemble Director for the group.[12]

In 2012, in preparation for the coming 2013 season the Rhythm X staff was slightly restructured. Tim Fairbanks assumed the role of Ensemble Director and a new position was added. Mike Scott joined the administrative team as Operations Director. In 2013 Rhythm X also launched a new website, e-commerce store, and a staff blog.

WGI World Championship Results

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Rhythm X has maintained consistent competitive success at WGI World Championships and has been a finalist every year since its inception. The unit has been awarded 3 PIW gold medals, 7 PIW silver medals, 3 PIW bronze medals, and 1 PIO gold medal.[6]

Gold background indicates WGI Championship; Silver background indicates WGI silver medal, Bronze background indicates WGI Bronze medal pale blue background indicates WGI Class Finalist; pale green background indicates WGI semifinalist

Year Program Title Placement Score Class
2002 Our World 1st 96.150 PIO
2003 Picture This 7th 88.200 PIW
2004 AudioVisual 3rd 93.250 PIW
2005 Wired 2nd 96.700 PIW
2006 Lunaria 2nd 95.750 PIW
2007 Behind the Velvet Rope 6th 92.200 PIW
2008 Gone 1st 96.900 PIW
2009 Touch 1st 97.263 PIW
2010 Inspired 2nd 96.250 PIW
2011 St& By Me 4th 94.225 PIW
2012 enLIGHTened 4th 94.125 PIW
2013 The Man in the Arena 1st 98.263* PIW
2014 The Razor's Edge 3rd 96.113 PIW
2015 When One Door Closes 2nd 96.950 PIW
2016 The Alpha 4th 95.963 PIW
2017 Looking Back 6th 94.225 PIW
2018 All The World's A Stage 2nd 97.513 PIW
2019 Alinea 4th 97.225 PIW
2020 Parabellum 1st* 85.850* PIW
2022 Art Shaped Box 2nd 98.075 PIW
2023 The Unspoken 3rd 97.088 PIW
2024 Blackbird 2nd 98.400 PIW
  • Score taken from final WGI show before the remainder of the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
  • Rhythm X did not field an ensemble in 2021.

WGI World Winds Division

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Rhythm X has maintained consistent competitive success at WGI World Championships and has been a finalist every year since its inception. The unit has been awarded 4 WIW gold medals, and 1 WIW silver medal.

Gold background indicates WGI Championship; Silver background indicates WGI silver medal, Bronze background indicates WGI Bronze medal pale blue background indicates WGI Class Finalist

Year Program Title Placement Score Class
2015 Uncharted Territory 1st 94.125 WIW
2016 Aurora 2nd 96.375 WIW
2017 Jumping Through Loops 1st 96.750 WIW
2018 With A Twist 1st 97.475 WIW
2019 A Day In The Life 1st 96.600 WIW
2020 The Devils Breath 1st* 83.750* WIW
  • Score taken from final WGI show before the remainder of the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
  • Rhythm X Winds did not field an ensemble in 2021 or 2022.

Achievements

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  • The third highest-scoring WGI PIW performance at World Championships is held by Rhythm X's 2013 show "The Man in the Arena" with a score of 98.263.[13]
  • Rhythm X is one of only 6 ensembles to ever win the PIW gold medal at WGI World Championships.
  • During the 2007 season, Rhythm X became the first independent WGI indoor percussion ensemble to ever tour Europe.[14]
  • Rhythm X and the Blue Knights Percussion Ensemble are tied for the second-most consecutive WGI PIW gold medals.[8]

References

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  1. ^ List of registration for WGI Percussion Independent World class units
  2. ^ What is WGI? (Includes ensemble classifications' descriptions)
  3. ^ "Rhythm X". rhythmx.org. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  4. ^ "rhythmx.org". Rhythm X Is Coming To WGI Winds. Rhythm x. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  5. ^ https://rhythmx.org/about
  6. ^ a b Historical WGI PIW World Champions
  7. ^ a b Evans Press Release
  8. ^ a b List of WGI World Class Champions, Finalists, Scores, and Medal Counts
  9. ^ Rhythm X FAQ Archived 2010-03-28 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ New Vision for Rhythm X
  11. ^ Rhythm X Announces Sponsorship of European X
  12. ^ "Rhythmx - Columbus, OH". Archived from the original on 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  13. ^ "Scores/Percussion/World/Class/Finals - WGI". www.wgi.org. Archived from the original on 2013-04-24.
  14. ^ Sabian and Rhythm X
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