Rufus King International High School Repeats as MPS Drumline Champion

(MILWAUKEE) —  The Rufus King International High School varsity drumline was crowned the city champion on Saturday, December 14, at the 22nd annual MPS Battle of the Drumlines.

The event took place in the packed gymnasium at Rufus King International High School, 1801 W. Olive St., Milwaukee. Battle of the Drumlines takes place at the defending champion’s school; this was the 17th year that the King varsity squad won the title, taking first place with 86 points.

Riverside University High School‘s Mighty Marching Tigers Drumline took second place, with 81.2 points; the Reagan College Preparatory High School varsity drumline placed third, with 74.8 points, and the Rufus King International High School junior varsity drumline came in fourth, with 65.2 points.

Saturday’s event was the biggest drumline battle in more than a decade — 16 schools performed their choreographed drumming, up from 10 in 2023. In all, nine schools competed for the championship, and seven schools performed in exhibition.

Six MPS schools added drumlines this school year, reflecting music education’s growth at MPS since 2020. One of those schools, Obama School of Career and Technical Education, has two drumlines, for a total of seven new MPS drumlines.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.