IPOH: A primary school marching band from Gerik became the pride of the town after bagging an award during the Jakarta Drum Corps International (JDCI) competition.
SK Sri Adika Raja won the Drumline Battle category in the Elementary Class at the Jakarta International Velodrome.
The competition was held from Dec 19 to 21.
Wearing costumes inspired by Japanese manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, the team beat MB Corps Junior Diniyyah Al-Azhar from Jambi, Indonesia.
Bandmaster Muhammad Khairul Nizam Zulkifli said they were the only team from Malaysia in the competition.
“I am so happy and proud of the children for what they have accomplished.
“They have worked so hard to achieve this success. It is truly a special moment for us as we come to the end of the year,” he said when contacted.
The JDCI is an annual marching band competition held in Jakarta in collaboration with Drum Corps International.
A total of 55 contingents took part in the competition, including the host country and others such as Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong.
There were five categories – Drum Corps, SoundSport, Street Parade, Drumline Battle and Flag Ensemble – and each grouping has three sub-categories.
In the Drumline Battle category, the sub-categories include Elementary Class for primary schoolchildren, Senior Class for secondary schools and Challenge Class for tertiary institutions.
The judging criteria included rhythmic difficulty, precision and creativity.
School headmistress Siti Asah Mohd Nor also expressed her pride and congratulated the children and bandmaster for their success.
