If you go What: Rocky Mountain Percussion Association Competition When: 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Longmont High School’s large gym, 1040 Sunset St. Cost: $10 for adults. $5 for seniors and students. Free for children younger than 8 and for middle schools students who show an ID. More info: Snacks, refreshments and a silent auction will raise money for the Longmont drumline. The schedule can be found at rmpa.org/events.

Using drum beats and dance, the Longmont High School drumline communicates the answer to the question, “What will we do to save mankind?”

“Really, our message is be kind to one another,” Dave Marvin, director of the winter percussion ensemble, said.

This Saturday, the high school will play host to more than 20 schools from around the state for this season’s fifth Rocky Mountain Percussion Association Competition, which is open to the public.

The local show is the finale before the drumline heads to the state championships April 8 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. They’ve won first place six times in the last 15 years.

This year’s piece meditates on the theme “Mankind,” beginning with demonstrating how fragile life can be, transitioning to a Native American poem focused on taking care of the world and closing with Peter Gabriel’s song “Heroes” about how humanity can be the hero.

“It’s just a fantastic feeling watching what the kids get out of the show each year and how hard they work each year to create a show of this level,” Marvin said.

The 23 members — pounding drum sets strumming guitars or tapping a xylophone — appear in colorful geometric face paint and flesh-tone costumes striped with coppery paints.

Mike Dobson, the group’s parent director, said the audience will likely recognize clips of songs tossed throughout the show. He said it’s his son’s second year as a sophomore in drumline.

“It is a great opportunity to support Longmont High School and see some fantastic music composition and choreography,” he said. “These kids work so hard from October to the end of the season putting in hours and hours each week to perfect and fine-tune before state championships.”

Band Director David Merrill, who oversees the high school’s music department, said newcomers and old-timers of the program have united to put on a show consisting of music, drumming, theater, dance and other elements in the percussion section that was popularized 25 years ago.

“Some of these high school kids are doing things that adults weren’t doing years ago,” he said.

Merrill said of the 23 members, some come from drumming backgrounds, while others are more accustomed to trumpet, saxophone and even violin. He said in addition to being musically talented, they’re also athletes, dancing while lugging around drums weighing 30 to 40 pounds.

“Just being here at school and watching them warm up is fun,” he said. “They all have worked very hard and their performances are very exciting.”

Amelia Arvesen: 303-684-5212, arvesena@times-call.com or twitter.com/ameliaarvesen