FLEMING ISLAND – Carson Frank’s mind is a swirl of triplets, paradiddles and flams and his fingers are constantly tapping out rhythms while he listens to the soundtrack in his head.

Since being exposed to piano at the age of four, Frank has been hooked on music, learning theory alongside the alphabet.

Eventually a young Frank would pick up the alto sax in junior high, but quickly grew bored of what he considered a limiting medium for his musical exploration. Through junior high drumline, where Frank first got acquainted with the marching snare drum, he realized that percussion offered him more room to grow.

Then, after learning about Drum Corps International, essentially a league of professional marching bands that compete in a similar environment to that of professional sports, his mind was made up and he was fully committed to the marching snare as DCI doesn’t include woodwind instruments like the saxophone.

“I just thought saxophone was too easy for me,” Frank said. “Percussion just keeps giving me a challenge.”

Frank, now a junior at Fleming Island High, is one of the band’s four snare players, and has received numerous honors for marching snare performance both solo and ensemble as well as participating in more concert-oriented ventures like All-State Band. He meets any challenge head on, with a practice room at home he can shut himself in and fully immerse his mind in the current solo piece or audition materials. He is always consuming new music and striving to perfect his technique.

“Music is a subconscious part of me that I’m involved in 24/7,” Frank said.

About a year ago he discovered the Drumlines of America through Instagram. The organization offers about two dozen spots on their All American Drumline. When this year’s auditions went live, Frank signed up. He wanted one of those spots.

The contest draws some of the biggest names in drumming, with thousands of applicants up to 26-years-old. Frank, 16, is as much as a decade younger than some of the applicants, but he was never worried about that.

Just before getting ahold of the audition material and preparing his video tryout, Frank had returned from a DCI camp with the Carolina Crown. Soon after returning from camp he was in a car accident and broke his collarbone on the seat belt. His first thought was, “Can I march?” which he could, but then realized his injury would instead prevent him from playing the drums.

“I couldn’t practice at all, or move my arm,” Frank said. “My recovery time was four to six weeks. I tried to do the best I could.”

Frank sat with the music, tapping out what he could, but it wasn’t until about a week before the video had to be turned in that he could pick up his sticks again. Frank learned the music, sent in his tape and crossed his fingers. About three days later, he received a letter and was accepted into the Drumlines of America as one of the members of this year’s All American Drumline.

The distinction will certainly help Frank as he sets his sights on competing in Drum Corps International, a dream he hopes to realize in the next year. He has already started preparing to send videos to three DCI groups.

Frank will not travel to take part in Drumlines of America events. His designation serves much like a Who’s Who or an Honor Roll for drumline players.