In this weeks blog we want to highlight one of the best manufacturers of drum and percussion products for recently celebrating their 75th Anniversary. Along with this create achievement they will be realizing some new products this year that both celebrate their history while also creating new and exciting products with the best in modern drum making. The President Series Phenolic line of of drums are the highlight of this year for them, as they bring back one of the first lines of drums they make back in the 1966. These will be limited and come with classic logos, throwback hardware, felt muffling strip and a beautiful drum wrap.

Along with this series of drums there are new cymbal stands that feature a curved design to give even more flexibility to your set up. They will also feature a new concert snare drum this year that features 20 ply of Maple/Birch and will produce the most articulate concert snare sound in all of the Philharmonic Series.

There will also be some updates to Adams Percussion products (distributed by Pearl in the US), as they will roll out a new line of concert frames that will replace the Voyager Frame and will be

If you would like to learn more about some of the new products they will be offering you can check out this link: www.pearldrum.com/75th and I highly encourage you to watch the below video that gives you a little information about the history of the Pearl Corporation.

We look forward to sharing more details about thier new products over the coming weeks and congratulations to Pearl Corporation for your continued success!

It is hard to believe that the 2021 IPA season is already coming to a close this coming weekend at Ben Davis HS and Avon HS. The hard work and dedication of all the students, directors, and parents to pull off a successful season is to be highly commended and it is such an honor to sponsor this great circuit. As we head in to the final weekend here is some information that will be able to keep up to date with everything for the final performances of the season!

PSB/WINDS RECAP

First we would like to congratulate all the Winds and PSB groups that completed their seasons last weekend at Center Grove HS or Avon HS. Congratulations to the top 3 groups in each class as well for the 2021 Season and you can find a full recap on the Indiana Percussion Association website.

PSB State Finals – Top 3

1st – Warren Central HS
2nd – Bishop Dwenger Winter Percussion
3rd – Washington Indoor Percussion

Winds Scholastic A Finals – Top 3

1st – Springs Valley Winds
2nd – Lewis Cass Winds
3rd – Warsaw Winter Winds

Winds Scholastic Open Finals – Top 3

1st – Westfield Winds
2nd – Decatur Central Indoor Winds
3rd – Plymouth Winter Performance Ensemble

Winds Scholastic World Finals

1st – Avon Winds
2nd – Greenfield Central Winter Winds

FINALS 2021 – Ben Davis HS/ Avon HS

There will be two different sites for finals the upcoming weekend with Avon HS hosting the concert class groups and Ben Davis HS hosting all other groups. You can find specific information about both sites at the links below.

Information for Ben Davis HS – http://indianapercussion.org/?q=content/ipa-state-finals-ben-davis-high-school

Information for Avon HS – http://indianapercussion.org/?q=content/ipa-state-finals-concert-class-avon-high-school

LIVE STREAM

If you are unable to attend the event in person but want to support and watch the groups this weekend, there will be a live stream of the full state finals event. The event is produced by BOX5TV and you can get a one day subscription for access from your home computer, mobile device, or Roku TV. Details and links for the live stream below.

http://indianapercussion.org/?q=content/state-finals-live-stream

STOP BY AND SEE US

While it certainly has been a different year, we are looking forward to having a small booth of stick, mallets, stick bags and more for you to purchase throughout the event. We will have be at Ben Davis HS from the start of the first group to the last note played. Stop by and say hello and check out some great deals on our products!

We look forward to seeing you this weekend and best of luck to all competing groups on your final run of the season!

In this week’s blog we want to highlight an excellent resource for band directors and newer percussion instructors and can help to give more in depth information for all the basic instruments in the concert setting. With videos on everything from snare drum and bass drum to triangle and tambourine, the Vic Firth Education 101 series is logically broken down to highlight what a newer student would need to know about each instrument. The 101 series focuses on maintenance, set-up, performance tips, practice tips, etc. that can help you guide your students in the right direction from the beginning of their percussion journey.

The site even features external learning tools that can be used to reinforce what can be learned in the video by the way of study guides and quizzes. Using the study guides to review important points in class that you reinforce in person can go a long way to help your students understand all the fundamentals of the game. You can take this one step further by using the online quiz to evaluate what your students learned from the video nd in class reinforcement.

You can follow this link to the Vic firth Education 101 page: https://vicfirth.zildjian.com/education/percussion-101.html

With indoor percussion shows starting to happen on a weekly basis, we thought it would be a good idea to give you a small reference of items you should always keep on hand during show days in case of an emergency. While you can’t always predict when an emergency or accident will happen, you can be prepared for some of the most common issues by having a proper percussion repair kit available to you and your students at all times. A great idea is to get a tackle-box or divided toolbox that is always with your percussion section whether it is during travel to a show, a concert in the auditorium, or a rehearsal on the field.  By keeping the following items in your kit you will be able to address many repairs quickly and efficiently.

The following items are standard tools and supplies to keep in your toolbox:  

Tools

Drum Key (Standard) 
SAE/Metric Wrench Set
Drum Key (High Tension T-Style) 
Screw Drivers (Various – Phillips and Flat)
Drum Dial 
Medium Sized Vice Grips
Timpani Key (Ludwig/Yamaha vs. Adams) 
Needle Nose and Regular Pliers
Scissors
SAE/Metric Allen Key Set
Lighter 

Supplies

White Lithium Grease (Tube or Container)  
Various Size Cymbal Felts (large, small, hi-hat, clutch)  
Wing Nuts (8mm and 6mm)  
Cymbal Stand Sleeves (6mm and 8mm)  
Keyboard Percussion String (Paracord is best – 1/8” shock cord)  
Snare Strand Cord or Nylon Strips
Various Size Nuts/Bolts (Most Common are 10m or 12m and ⅞” or ½”)

It is very important to have tools in both standard and metric, as depending on where things are made, you will have all sizes and types to fit most of your percussion needs. Being prepared is the number one factor in performing emergency repair needs for percussion instruments.  While you may end up needing to perform a “quick fix” to get you by for a performance, having the right items for those scenarios will go a long way into getting your gear working again.

If you need more suggestions or help with percussion repairs feel free to give us a call today at 1-877-900-3786 or bring your equipment into the shop for a free evaluation.