This past week, Alpharetta High School Indoor Percussion traveled to Dayton, Ohio to compete alongside nearly 100 ensembles from across the country in the (WGI) World Championships. The WGI Championships represent the most competitive and comprehensive indoor percussion event in the world, bringing together the very best ensembles to perform in large arenas before an elite panel of internationally recognized judges.
After capturing their fifth consecutive state championship in early April, Alpharetta entered the preliminary round seeded 5th nationally. This was the program's first appearance at WGI Championships, and by the conclusion of preliminaries, Alpharetta had surged ahead of the field. The percussion ensemble finished with the highest score of the day, with a lead of 2.5 points over the next competitor. Over the next two days of competition, no ensemble closed the gap; Alpharetta advanced confidently through semifinals and finals and claimed 1st place and the title of World Champions for the Percussion Scholastic A classification.
In an extraordinary performance, Alpharetta earned a finals score of 97.850, which is the second-highest score in class history.
Through our research, we believe Alpharetta is among only a small number of schools nationwide to have appeared in WGI World Finals in both Winter Guard and Indoor Percussion, and we are proud to be the only scholastic percussion world champion from the state of Georgia. We could not be prouder of our students, instructional staff, designers, and community, whose dedication and excellence made this historic achievement possible. They represented Alpharetta High School, Fulton County, and the state of Georgia with professionalism, passion, and pride at the highest level of our activity.
We extend our sincere gratitude to our instructional staff, Alpharetta Band Boosters, the Alpharetta High School community, and the administration and faculty of Alpharetta High School for their unwavering support and commitment to our program.
* Images – Alpharetta HS - 2026 WGI Scholastic A Champions<https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-cgHpmRtoQNWeIjOX2TMWi9Ut9b1YUZZ?usp=sharing>