March 2016 News at Chops

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 No Comments

If you aren’t signed up for our Chops Transmission emails, you may be missing out on the most update happenings around the store. Below is the March edition of the transmission. If you don’t receive our emails, you can sign up here!

Visit Us At IPA State Prelims and State Finals!

Visit us at IPA State Prelims & State Finals

Indoor Percussion season is in full swing and we’re proud to once again be the Presenting Sponsor for the Indiana Percussion Association. This weekend starts the march to state finals, with State Prelims and Divisional Finals at Avon High School and Decatur Central High School. Check out the schedules at the links above.

An exciting change this year is the move of IPA State Championships to the Hulman Center, on the campus of Indiana State University in Terre Haute. Once this weekend’s preliminary events are complete, the State Finals schedule will be available here.

We’ll be running a booth at state prelims (Avon site) and state finals, so if you’re attending either of these, make sure to stop by and say hi! We’ll have lots of sticks, practice pads, mallets, stick bags, t-shirts, and many other items to choose from. It would be a great time to try out all the different sticks and pads and take something home!

If you go to any shows, let us know what you think on our Facebook page! If you wear a Chops Percussion shirt, make sure to post a pic to our Facebook or Twitter page!

For more information on events, schedules, venues, ticket sales and more, visit the Indiana Percussion Association (IPA) website.

Demo Gear/Clearance Items

Demo Gear at Chops Percusssion

Our demo list has been updated. follow the link below to view what’s been added!

View the list on our website.

Chops Closed for State Prelims & State Finals

Chops closed on 3/19/16 & 4/2/16

Due to our heavy involvement with the Indiana Percussion Association we will be closed on Saturday, March March 19, 2016 to support them at their State Prelims competition. We will also be closed for IPA State Finals on Saturday, April 2, 2016.

We will resume regular hours on Monday, April 4th. Thank you for your understanding!.

March Drummer Birthdays

Zildjian demo cymbals from Midwest

Do you have a birthday in March? Follow this link to see which famous drummers share your birthday month.

The Music For All National Festival Is This Week In Indianapolis

Tuesday, March 8, 2016 No Comments

Music For All National Festival
March 10-12, 2016
Indianapolis, IN

There’s a fantastic opportunity to hear some great concert bands and percussion ensembles from all over the country this week, but we find many people don’t even know its happening right here in our backyard!  It’s the Music For All National Festival, featuring high school percussion ensembles, concert bands and orchestras from across the US.  The festival also includes a middle school concert band festival, along with Honor Ensembles for concert band, jazz band, and orchestra.  This is a non-competitive festival, meaning its all about just creating and listening to great music, created by some of the best high school and middle school music programs in the nation.

Here’s a general schedule for the event:

Thursday, March 10
National Concert Band Festival 5:00pm-9:00pm
Friday, March 11
National Concert Band Festival 8:00am-6:00pm
National Percussion Festival 9:00am-5:30pm
Chamber Music National Festival 9:00am-3:30pm
Honor Orchestra with the ISO 7:00pm (Hilbert Circle Theatre)
Honor Jazz Band of America 8:30pm (Clowes Hall)
Saturday, March 12
National Concert Band Festival 8:00am-2:00pm
National Percussion Festival 8:30am-12:30pm
Middle School Concert Band Festival 8:30am-12:30pm
Honor Orchestra of America 8:00pm (Hilbert Circle Theatre)
Honor Band of America 8:00pm (Clowes Hall)

If you’re taking in some of the festival, be sure to support our Indiana ensembles performing at the times and locations below:

Carmel High School Wind Symphony – Michael Pote, Director
Friday, March 11
11:00am
Clowes Memorial Hall, Butler University

Franklin Central High School Wind Ensemble – Audrey Torres, Director
Friday, March 11
5:00pm
Schrott Center for the Performing Arts, Butler University

For full details and ticket info, visit the Music for All National Festival website.

What Mallets Does My Student Need – Advanced? – FAQs

Tuesday, March 1, 2016 No Comments

Welcome back to the Chops blog series on mallet FAQs (frequently asked questions). Late last year we addressed the mallet needs of the beginning and intermediate band and orchestra student. Today we’re going to discuss the needs of the advanced student.

As an intermediate student reaches their senior year of high school, they should own mallets for marimba, vibraphone, timpani, and various accessory instruments. As they continue to progress, and eventually approach an advanced level, it is critical they have a wide variety of mallets available for those instruments.

As we’ve discussed many times before, mallet preference is dependent on the individual percussionist. As an intermediate student gains experience they will develop their own preference for brands and models. The following recommendations, therefore, are general.

For the glockenspiel (bells) and xylophone, the advanced student should at least have a hard and soft mallet choice. Plastic is the most common material for these mallets but other choices such as hard rubber or wood or hard rubber exist. For the glockenspiel, a metal mallet, either brass or aluminum is occasionally needed for the most bright and piercing situations.

For the marimba, vibraphone, and timpani the advanced student should own a set of mallets in varying hardness, from very soft to very hard. The brand and models do not need to be consistent across the set, but should represent a wide variety of choices. Advanced students literature will commonly hold different mallet styles while performing modern four mallet marimba literature.

Finally, for accessory instruments, the advanced student should consider owning mallets for bass drum and gong. A medium, general purpose mallet for each instrument will generally suffice. For concert bass drum, a pair of smaller, “rolling” mallets is useful. Other implements, such as brushes, rods or rutes, and a set of triangle beaters are also needed.

With a large variety of mallets available, the advanced student can perform well in any situation. If you, or your student are considering studying music, or performing after high school, it’s time to expand your mallet collection. Contact us for guidance, or to purchase mallets.

Until next time, go practice!

2016 Indoor Percussion Season Preview

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 No Comments

Welcome back to the Chops blog.  Indoor Percussion season is already underway, and we’re proud to once again be the presenting sponsor for the Indiana Percussion Association!  Indoor Percussion continues to grow in popularity within the state and across the country.  We’re lucky to have one of the best and largest indoor percussion circuits in the country, and we’re proud to support the efforts of IPA and all of the participating groups.

Along with local IPA contests, there’s also a national WGI regional, hosted by Franklin Central, where you can see performances by ensembles from all over the Midwest.

Here’s a schedule of remaining contests to help you find a show near you!

February 27 IPA Invitational at Pendleton Heights HS
February 27 IPA Invitational at Owen Valley HS
March 5 IPA Invitational at Greenfield-Central HS
March 5-6 WGI Regional at Franklin Central HS
March 12 IPA Invitational at Ben Davis HS
March 12 IPA Invitational at New Palestine HS
March 19 IPA State Prelims/Divisional Finals at Avon HS and Decatur Central HS
April 2 IPA State Finals at Hulman Center, Indiana State University
April 9 WGI Preview Show at Center Grove HS (for groups going to WGI World Championships)

 

Come visit us at IPA State Prelims and State Finals!

We’ll be running a booth at state prelims (Avon site) and state finals, so if you’re attending either of these, make sure to stop by and say hi!  We’ll have of sticks, practice pads, mallets, stick bags, t-shirts, and many other items to choose from.  It would be a great time to try out all the different sticks and pads and take something home!

If you go to any shows, let us know what you think on our Facebook page! If you wear a Chops Percussion shirt, make sure to post a pic to our Facebook or Twitter page!

For more information on events, schedules, venues, ticket sales and more, visit the following:
Indiana Percussion Association (IPA)
Winter Guard International (WGI)

February News at Chops

Tuesday, February 16, 2016 No Comments

If you aren’t signed up for our Chops Transmission emails, you may be missing out on the most update happenings around the store. Below is the February edition of the transmission. If you don’t receive our emails, you can sign up here!

Futureman & Jeff Coffin Clinic at Fishers High School


Futureman (Roy Wooten) and Jeff Coffin Clinic at Fishers High School on February 23, 2016 at 4:30pm.

The 5x Grammy Award Winning Drummer of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and The Black Mozart Ensemble, Futureman (Roy Wooten), will be giving an instructional clinic with Jeff Coffin. Jeff Coffin also plays with Bela Fleck as well as the Dave Matthews Band!

The clinic is taking place at Fishers High School on Tuesday, February 23rd at 4:30pm. Don’t miss this opportunity to check out two great musicians!

View the flyer here.

Demo Gear/Clearance Items


Demo Gear at Chops Percusssion

Our demo list has been updated. follow the link below to view what’s been added!

View the list on our website.

Zildjian Demo Cymbals from Midwest Clinic


Zildjian demo cymbals from Midwest

We’ve partnered with Zildjian at this year’s Midwest Clinic to bring you some great prices on the cymbals that were on display in Chicago in December. Visit the link below to view the list of cymbals that are still available.

Visit the list on our website.