Author: Drumlines Of America

by Alissa

Picture this, a once beautiful planet coated in the colors green and blue. Vast amounts of plants and animals flourishing in all types of environmental habitats. Sounds amazing doesn’t it? Well, our Earth did once look like this, but with all of the pollution that we humans have created, it has changed dramatically. You may not notice it automatically but take a look around, trash can be seen everywhere, some water systems such as lakes and ponds are turning green, a thick heavy smog fills the atmosphere… If you take your time to really just pay attention to everything you see daily you would begin to notice that our planet is slowly dying off, and mankind is the only one to blame. You see, as an environmentalist, I try to do the best I can to be as eco-friendly as possible. If we do not change our habits we are going to run our Earth straight into the ground and we are not going to be able to salvage it.

Now you are probably wondering why there is a random article about the environment on a website meant to target percussionists, right? Well, because this is exactly what Beetle Percussion’s mission is, they are trying to change the Earth one practice pad at a time. North American pine forests in the western section of the country have been affected by beetles drastically over the past decade. These beetles are causing millions of trees to be killed due to a fungus they carry into the trees bark when they go to lay their eggs. Under normal conditions, this wouldn’t be an issue as most of the eggs would be killed due to the harsh temperatures of winter. Although, due to our extensive release of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, we have slowly began to warm the earth, allowing winter to have a warmer than average temperature. The shortage of colder temperatures allows the beetles’ larvae to survive the winter, along with the fungus they carry, this fungus eventually kills the host. Beetle Percussion takes these trees and handcrafts them into uniquely designed practice pads and more.  These products help reduce the threat of wildfires on the environment, and help dispose of these infected trees. This is just one way that Beetle Percussion is ecologically friendly.  Not only does Beetle Percussion use the remnants of trees affected by beetles, they use rubber from tires reducing the harmful environmental effects it has on the surrounding areas. They reuse tire material keeping them out of landfills and ocean systems to cut down on pollution and create a better opportunity to be eco-friendly.

Honestly this organization is making an extreme impact on the percussion world, not only giving us the opportunity to help save the world that we live in and be sustainable, but by also producing great products and providing a large variety of different designs and models. I would definitely recommend checking them out if your haven’t already.

DOA had a great time on our trip to WGI World Championships last week in Dayton, OH.  Here’s a few snapshots of our adventures with DOA director, JD:

Watching performances.

Visiting the vendor booths.

Hanging out with world famous drummers.

Getting in on the action.

For more pictures and videos of our trip, please visit us on Instagram @dlinesofamerica

Ariell Fernandez (Executive Director and Drumline Manager) is a professional dancer from Ocoee, FL.  She has studied dance for over 12 years, recently working with Matt Steffanina and dancing for The Orlando Predators, AFL team.  Ariell teaches dance at Citrus Elementary, is a Visual Tech with Ocoee High School’s Echo Percussion, and serves as support staff with Marching Auxiliaries Dance.  She is also a photographer for Infinity 3 of Infinity Percussion.  With DOA, Ariell is responsible for many of the technical decisions that shape the company, as well as the welfare of ensemble members during live performances.  Those involved with DOA refer to her as “Mama Ariell.”

JD Ralph (Executive Director and Producer) is a professional percussionist and percussion instructor originally from Sandusky, OH.  JD has worked with the likes of Michael Bolton, Prince, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx, The Firelands Symphony, and others.  He marched with Florida A&M’s Marching 100 and the Sun Devils Drum Corps.  He is now in his 12th season with Marching Auxiliaries as their Drum Major Caption Head.  Currently playing with the Orlando Magic’s Rhythm In Blue Drumline, JD also serves as the Percussion Director at Ocoee High School and Bass Drum Technician with Infinity 3.  With DOA, JD is responsible for show production and public relations.  JD says that he likes to think of all the members and fans of DOA as apart of his family.

Click on the SHOP tab to get yours today!

 

Photos from the Drumlines Of America clinic at Gaither High School in Tampa, featuring Mark Perrett from The Grid Book Series, on Feb 27, 2016.

We’ve all seen these 2 personality types in percussion/band/corps; the great player that thinks they know almost everything and the mediocre player that hangs onto every word of instruction.  Both can be assets to the program, but only one can truly have longevity and be successful in a highly competitive or professional environment.

Student A; they’re a great player (or really have the potential to be), ego usually helps drive their progression in the program and they really like leadership roles/being in the spotlight.  A bit of ego can be good, as you need a high level of confidence for this activity, but when ego drives you, bad things can happen.  Speaking out of anger is a common mistake with students like this.  It ultimately turns the line off to your leadership and shows your instructors that you don’t have the most solid decision-making skills.  While Student A may not act this way at all times, the times he/she does can make a huge impact on the overall attitude in the program, creating problems for the future that he/she may not ever see.  This is not the student that is successful in the activity later down the road.

Student B; usually softer spoken in the beginning.  This student initially may not seem like they have much potential, but they really do and it will eventually show.  This student is hungry for knowledge, secretly soaking in every word of instruction during rehearsal.  Soon they begin to showcase solid (not great) skill sets.  Once this happens, respect will most certainly drive their progression through the remainder of the program.  Other students will respect them, creating a built confidence (instead of a false confidence) that will allow them to advance their skills even farther.  This student will come to understand that things are earned in this activity, not taken.  If he/she so chooses, their talents and skills will help them go far in the percussion world.

Both of these are very broad, general characterizations.  Of course many people are a mixture of both in some way, and there is a much wider variety of personalities to be seen on a drumline.   But how are you viewed?  Which of these would your classmates/instructors more closely relate you to?  If you said Student B, you are on the right track.  If you said Student A, now is the time to take a step back and think about how your words/actions influence the group.  Playing well isn’t everything.  In fact it’s not even the most important thing; how you work with your team is!

Instructors, you must be patient.  It is possible for Student A to become Student B.  You can’t force this to happen but you can help it by creating a personal-type bond with the kids (letting them know they can trust you), continuing to teach the correct things, holding the group to a standard no matter what, and being transparent (in a professional way).  Of course there are some children that won’t change or even try.  But if you continue to promote these values over the years, you will start to see more Student Bs in your program.  You must understand that it’s not an overnight process.  Once again, patience is key.

As a percussion community, we should all strive to be better than we were yesterday.  That is the only way to draw more in and keep our world spinning.  THAT is how you are able to leave behind a more wonderful legacy!

Breakfast at the Holiday Inn:

Unloading the vans:

Warming up in the lot:

Performance time:

Heading home:

Check out all the videos from Life In Color Miami by following us on Instagram: @DLinesOfAmerica 

Artist Profile: Ralph Nader

*Steppers Marching Band(Black Fire Percussion), Hampton University, Blue Devils, Cold Steel International, Disneyland Soundsational. 

Primary Instrument: Snare.

Teaches at: BAM! (Berlin)

Taught at: Hickory High School (Chesapeake, VA).  Also a clinician for schools in Australia and Taiwan.

Other  Associations: Seeed and BYOS.

Inspirations & Motivations: Being a positive influence and sharing his gift with the world. “There are a lot of school music programs that no longer exist due to cuts in funding, so I use BYOS as an outlet to connect people all around the world through music.”

Interesting Moment: At about 5 or 6 years old, his neighbors would frequently call the cops about his drum set playing.  That was when he joined the Steppers Marching Band.

Quote: “I enjoy performing and connecting with my audience.  Putting a smile on someone’s face, influencing others, and watching them appreciate what I do; those are the best things in the world for me.  When I teach, I focus on building character and a personal relationship with my students and audience.  I want people to know that I’m just like them and that they can accomplish so many things, as long as they stay dedicated to what they love.”

Ralph Nader playing “Bang Dem Sticks”

A special thank you to Ralph Nader for taking the time to speak with Drumlines Of America.

We are all familiar with the movie Drumline, starring Nick Cannon.  This movie gave us the gift of bringing marching band into the mainstream.  But with every gift there is a dark dark curse!

Here are 5 ways that fans of the movie Drumline have killed my soul…

5. Atlanta A&T is not a real school:  When people ask band kids if they’ve though about attending Atalanta A&T University after high school, it just makes me want to hurt someone.   I know they’re band program is great and all but, IT DOESN’T EXIST!

4. Zoe Saldana is not Black:  As beautiful as she is, sorry bruthas, she’s Hispanic all the way.  She gave all those young men who marched at an HBCU false hope that they would show up as scrawny freshmen, get an automatic spot in a famed marching band, and bag a beautiful movie star quality red bone.  Unfortunately most of you all had to settle for whatever ratchetness was running around your practice field.

3. Self-centered HBCU students:  Sorry HBCUers, a lot of you were so certain that this movie was written about your school/band in particular.  The truth is that it wasn’t.  This movie was actually a compilation of information gathered by students at multiple HBCUs.  Plot, cadences, even the actual band students that made appearances in both movies hail from a multitude of Black colleges.  So get off your historically Black high horse and realize that it’s not all about you.

2. Nick Cannon references: Anytime a non-band person sees a drummer with chops, they begin spewing movie references that always go something like this, “Oh you think you’re Nick Cannon, huh!?”  No, actually I don’t think I’m a moderately successful rapper with a terrible ability to pretend I’m playing drums.  I like to think of myself in a bit of a higher regard.

1. P-1 Syndrome: Every time a misinformed student compares their skills to that of a “P-1,” a spock head pops.  Well not really, but these ratings were used in the movie at one particular school.  This is not a universal rating system as some people seem to believe.  Besides, people who actually say this are usually more like a P-37.

 

 

 

Percussion instructors (and teachers in general) often find themselves at odds with their students’ skill sets, attention spans, and sometimes general attitudes.  After successfully teaching a new skill, it’s the instructor’s job to ask the student to perform and then assess the student.

When assessing students, positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement both can play an important role.  Encouraging your students, while still being realistic, and exposing them to appropriate results/consequences can go a long way.

Each student has their own mind, personality, and set of struggles.  You as an educator have to be sensitive to that. Not to say that you must coddle all, but some do need coddling.  Others may need something a bit tougher.  Don’t be scared to get tough on your students.  When the time for high-fives arrives, give the kids a high-five.  And when it’s time for push-ups, explain to them why they are getting down on the ground but don’t simply avoid it because it’s negative.

The line between negative and positive can be a tough one for teachers.  You as an instructor have to gauge when it is an appropriate time for either.  Too much of one or the other can hurt your program, so you also have to stay alert and aware to the condition of your group’s morale and willingness to learn.  Talk to your students, observe their behavior, and try to put yourself in their shoes.  I promise it will only help you be more on top of things.  Stay encouraged and keep on motivating those kids!