ErgoSonic Percussion Receives Award

-Story via ErgoSonic Percussion

ErgoSonic Percussion Awarded Best New Marching Band Teaching Tool, Presented By School Band and Orchestra Magazine

ErgoSonic® Percussion is proud to announce that their Adjustable Angled Shell Marching Bass Drum was selected as the Best New Marching Band Teaching Tool at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Annual Show, held in Anaheim, California. The NAMM Show is the largest international gathering of music manufacturers, distributers and retailers in the world.

On behalf of NAMM and School Band and Orchestra Magazine (SBO Magazine), who presented the award, music educators adjudicating the awards searched the exhibit halls at the NAMM Show seeking out the best new products for instructional use. ErgoSonic’s Adjustable Angled Shell Marching Bass Drum was unanimously selected to receive the award in the marching arts category out of the thousands of exhibitors at the show. The award was presented to Ken Turner, president and chief executive officer of ErgoSonic Percussion by awards chair Dr. Karen Childress-Evans.

“It is an honor to be recognized by NAMM and SBO Magazine for this prestigious award,” said Turner. “We feel the award validates what we have known for some time — our innovative bass drums can be transformative for students in the percussion section, and are an innovative and invaluable teaching tool for music educators”.

About the ErgoSonic Marching Bass Drum

The ErgoSonic Adjustable Angled Shell Marching Bass Drum is an innovative new marching percussion instrument which has a unique shape that transforms the performer’s experience by addressing the many acoustic, pedagogical, tuning and movement challenges associated with the standard bass drum. With conventional equipment, players have little flexibility and control when it comes to utilizing various percussive strokes, hand dampening and muting techniques. Additionally, marching is difficult because the unwieldy size and shape of the conventional marching bass drum obscures the player’s line of sight and limits movement options.
Copyright © 2015 ErgoSonic Percussion, All rights reserved.

FFCC Premier

For those who reside in the Florida-Georgia region, competition season is now just one day away as the Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit (FFCC) percussion premier happens tomorrow, January 31.  Teams from all over Florida and South Georgia will come together at Oviedo High School in a drumline extravaganza that is sure to make any indoor/corps lover weak in the knees.  Competition starts at 1:55pm and the general admission is $15.  Some of the featured ensembles will be RPT Percussion, Ancient City Ensemble (ACE), and Infinity.  There will also be an indoor winds exhibition by Project Arts.  Get there early, and bring a friend!

For more information, please CLICK HERE.

Ocoee HS Echo Percussion, FFCC competitor.
Florida Federation of Colorguard Circuits – percussion competition.

DCI Auditions

A complete list of auditions for Drum Corps International, by corps.

7th Regiment

Feb. 13-15, 2015 : New London, CT (February Camp)
Mar. 20-22, 2015 : New London, CT (March Camp)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : New London, CT (April Camp)

Academy

Feb. 6-8, 2015 : Phoenix, AZ (Training Camp – Brass & Percussion)
Mar. 6-8, 2015 : Phoenix, AZ (Training Camp – Brass)
Mar. 27-29, 2015 : Phoenix, AZ (Training Camp – Brass)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Phoenix, AZ (Training Camp – Full Corps)

Blue Devils B

Feb. 8, 2015 : Concord, CA (Musician Rehearsal, Guard Workshop)
Feb. 22, 2015 : Concord, CA (Musician Rehearsal, Parent Meeting)
Mar. 14-15, 2015 : Concord, CA (Brass Only)
Mar. 29, 2015 : Concord, CA (Musician Rehearsal)
Apr. 12, 2015 : Concord, CA (Musician Rehearsal, Guard Workshop)
Apr. 26, 2015 : Concord, CA (Full Corps)

Blue Knights

Feb. 20-22, 2015 : Denver, CO (Training Camp – Brass)
Mar. 13-15, 2015 : Denver, CO (Training Camp – Brass)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Denver, CO (Training Camp – Full Corps)

Blue Stars

Mar. 6-8, 2015 : Indianapolis, IN (Brass Only)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Indianapolis, IN (Full Corps)

Boston Crusaders

Feb. 6-8, 2015 : Orlando, FL (Round 2 Audition Camp)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Orlando, FL (Round 2 Audition Camp)

Carolina Crown

Feb. 13-15, 2015 : Fort Mill, SC (Brass, (Percussion TBD))
Mar. 20-22, 2015 : Fort Mill, SC (Brass Only)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Fort Mill, SC (Brass, Percussion, Color Guard)

Cascades

Feb. 13-15, 2015 : Auburn, WA (Guard Only)
Feb. 20-22, 2015 : Auburn, WA (Brass, Percussion)
Mar. 13-15, 2015 : Auburn, WA (Brass, Percussion)
Apr. 10-12, 2015 : Auburn, WA (Brass, Percussion)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Auburn, WA (Guard Only)

Cavaliers

Feb. 27, 2015 – Mar. 1, 2015 : Rosemont, IL (Rehearsal Camp: Brass Only)

City Sound

Jan. 31, 2015 : (Rehearsal Camp)
Feb. 15, 2015 : (Rehearsal Camp)
Feb. 28, 2015 – Mar. 1, 2015 : (Rehearsal Camp)
Mar. 15, 2015 : (Rehearsal Camp)
Mar. 28-29, 2015 : (Rehearsal Camp)
Apr. 18-19, 2015 : (Rehearsal Camp)

Coastal Surge

Feb. 27, 2015 – Mar. 1, 2015 : Myrtle Beach, SC
Mar. 27-29, 2015 : Myrtle Beach, SC
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Myrtle Beach, SC

Colts

Feb. 20-22, 2015 : Dubuque, IA
Mar. 20-22, 2015 : Dubuque, IA
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Dubuque, IA

Columbians

Feb. 20-22, 2015 : Richland, WA (Camp)
Mar. 13-15, 2015 : Richland, WA (Camp)
Apr. 17-19, 2015 : Richland, WA (Camp)

Crossmen

Feb. 27, 2015 – Mar. 1, 2015 : San Antonio, TX
Mar. 20-22, 2015 : San Antonio, TX

Genesis

Feb. 20-22, 2015 : (Camp)
Mar. 13-16, 2015 : (Camp)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : (Camp)

Golden Empire

Feb. 6-8, 2015 : (February Camp)
Mar. 6-8, 2015 : (March Camp)
Apr. 17-19, 2015 : (April Camp)

Guardians

Feb. 6-8, 2015 : (Audition Camp)

Impulse

Feb. 8, 2015 : (Auditions)
May. 23-26, 2015 : (Rehearsal Camp)

Jersey Surf

Feb. 13-15, 2015 : Sicklerville, NJ (Rehearsal Camp: Brass, Percussion)
Mar. 6-8, 2015 : Sicklerville, NJ (Rehearsal Camp: Brass, Percussion)
Mar. 27-29, 2015 : Sicklerville, NJ (Rehearsal Camp: Brass, Percussion, Color Guard)

Legends

Feb. 20-22, 2015 : Kalamazoo, MI (Brass, Percussion)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Kalamazoo, MI (All Sections)

Les Stentors

Feb. 20-22, 2015 :
Mar. 13-15, 2015 :
Apr. 2-4, 2015 :

Louisiana Stars

Jan. 31, 2015 – Feb. 1, 2015 : (Brass Saturday, Percussion Sunday)
Mar. 8, 2015 : (Brass, Percussion)
Mar. 25-26, 2015 : (Full Corps)
Mar. 29, 2015 : (Brass, Percussion)

Madison Scouts

Feb. 27, 2015 – Mar. 1, 2015 : Indianapolis, IN (Brass Only)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Indianapolis, IN (Full Corps)

Mandarins

Feb. 14-15, 2015 : (Brass)
Mar. 21-22, 2015 : (Brass)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : (Full Corps)

Music City

Feb. 13-15, 2015 : Franklin, TN (Brass, Percussion)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Franklin, TN (All Sections)

Oregon Crusaders

Apr. 24-26, 2015 : (Full Corps)

Pacific Crest

Feb. 7-8, 2015 : Diamond Bar, CA
Mar. 14-15, 2015 : Diamond Bar, CA
Apr. 25-26, 2015 : Diamond Bar, CA

Phantom Regiment

Feb. 20-22, 2015 : Rockford, IL (Rehearsal Camp: No Guard)
Mar. 20-22, 2015 : Rockford, IL (Rehearsal Camp: Brass Only)

Pioneer

Feb. 6-8, 2015 : Cudahy, WI
Mar. 13-15, 2015 : Cudahy, WI
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Cudahy, WI

Racine Scouts

Jan. 30, 2015 – Feb. 1, 2015 : Jacksonville, FL (Brass, Percussion)
Feb. 27, 2015 – Mar. 1, 2015 : Jacksonville, FL (Brass, Percussion)
Mar. 13-15, 2015 : Jacksonville, FL (Brass, Percussion)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Jacksonville, FL (Brass, Percussion)

Raiders

Feb. 13-15, 2015 : TBA (Brass, Percussion)
Mar. 13-15, 2015 : TBA (Brass, Percussion)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : TBA (All Sections)

Santa Clara Vanguard

Mar. 6-8, 2015 : San Jose, CA (Brass, Percussion)
Apr. 17-19, 2015 : San Jose, CA (Brass, Percussion)
May. 1-3, 2015 : San Jose, CA (Color Guard Only)

Spartans

Feb. 13-15, 2015 : Nashua, NH (Brass, Percussion)
Mar. 29, 2015 : Nashua, NH (Brass, Percussion)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : Nashua, NH (Full Corps)

Spirit of Atlanta

Feb. 13-15, 2015 : (February Camp)
Mar. 20-22, 2015 : (March Camp)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : (April Camp)

Thunder

Feb. 21-22, 2015 : Spokane Valley, WA (February Camp)
Mar. 28-29, 2015 : Spokane Valley, WA (March Camp)
Apr. 18-19, 2015 : Spokane Valley, WA (April Camp)

Troopers

Feb. 13-15, 2015 : Cheyenne, WY (Camp)
Mar. 20-22, 2015 : Cheyenne, WY (Camp)

Vanguard Cadets

Jan. 30, 2015 – Feb. 1, 2015 : San Jose, CA (All Sections)
Mar. 6-8, 2015 : San Jose, CA (Brass, Local Guard on Sunday)
Apr. 24-26, 2015 : San Jose, CA (Full Corps)

Watchmen

Feb. 22, 2015 : Riverside, CA (Audition Camp)
Mar. 8, 2015 : Riverside, CA (Audition Camp)
Apr. 26, 2015 : Riverside, CA (Audition Camp)

For more information on auditioning for a DCI corps, please CLICK HERE.

Pioneer becomes Jewel City

As ensembles begin to gear up for another season of drum corps, the Midwest will see a major change on it’s corps landscape.  Pioneer Regiment of Mt. Vernon, OH is planning to compete in DCI‘s open class as Jewel City Drum & Bugle Corps of Huntington, WV.  After a year in Ohio, making almost no headway, Percussion Caption Head Joshua Joseph convinced the staff to move the corps to West Virginia.  Surrounded by a new community full of support, the corps seems to be flourishing.  “As soon as we announced that we were holding audition camps there (in West Virginia), it has been non-stop,” Joseph told DOA.  Currently under DCI’s SoundSport, the organization has partnered with Melhart Percussion this year in an effort to keep costs down as they prepare for the open class evaluation.  Things seem to be off to a great start for another in DCI’s newest crop of ensembles.

For more information on Jewel City Drum & Bugle Corps please visit them on their Facebook page.

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A look inside ‘Hot Scots’ viral drumline video

Dylan Charles
Dylan Charles

In 2011 the drumline world was changed forever, all because of a little YouTube video.  “Hot Scots” has become an internet sensation and a household name for drummers everywhere.  But how did it happen?  Dylan Charles is a snare player for Infinity Percussion, but he’s probably best known for his role as the center snare in the Hot Scots video.  He gave DOA the inside scoop on how this monumental video actually came about.  When Dylan initially sat down to talk with DOA, he was very humble about the whole experience and did not want to take much credit for the group itself.  He says the Hot Scots drumline has actually been around at his school since the 1990’s.  The original group consisting of Luis Rivera, Ryan Dixon, and Matt Verberg (the man behind Timber Creek Independent) were simply 3 friends looking for a day off from school.  “The high school was holding some sort of cultural or ethnic event,” Charles says. “Apparently if they gave a performance they would get an entire day off of school.  Thus the Scottish drummers were born.”  After a few years the group died out, until Dylan partnered up with Nigel Fernandez and some other friends to bring it back to life at a school talent show.  This was where the video was taken.  “We just played some of our favorite drum corps excerpts and then Nigel & I filled in the rest,” Charles says casually.  He thought it was just another performance until Nigel’s mother told the boys that their little YouTube video was getting thousands upon thousands of hits.  Charles told DOA he knew things had really begun to change when America’s Got Talent became relentless in contacting them for a potential performance.  “I always get recognized at percussion competitions now, and every once in a while random people on the street will recognize me too.”  Dylan is grateful for the impact that the video has had over the years and is even more grateful for the fact that he is still friends with all of the guys that appeared in it.  He says they still talk all the time and are even planning some sort of sequel to the already great video.

Heat Wave of Florida

Recently Drumlines Of America was able to sit down and talk with Ben Pisani, director of Heat Wave of Florida, and get the inside scoop on the brand new drum corps hitting the sunshine state! “They took us off the streets…” That’s how Pisani described getting his start with drum corps as a kid in New Jersey. To him, this activity is about giving the children a positive outlet and a place to grow, and that’s exactly what his new corps is all about. That’s also why Pisani chose DCI over DCA for this new venture, junior & cadet corps will give him and his staff a chance to focus on a younger crowd. After the folding of Teal Sound, many saw a void of a formidable corps that young people in Florida could turn to. Pisani is stepping up to the challenge with Heat Wave of Florida! Not to be confused with the former drum corps, Heat Wave of Orlando. Pisani says that he is not trying to revive, but honor Florida’s drum corps history with the name. He says this corps is going to “take things slow and do it the right way.” Pisani doesn’t want to financially burden the new corps and bring it to an early demise like so many others we have seen in the past. He believes showing the kids that building a solid foundation is important will not only effect the drum corps world, but Florida as a whole. A corps for the kids, a corps for the state, Heat Wave of Florida!

For information on becoming apart of Heat Wave of Florida you can join them at their next camp on January 24 at Inverness Middle School or visit them on the web at www.HeatWaveofFlorida.com.

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Instruments Needed

2014 FFCC Independent A Class Champions and WGI Orlando Finalists, RPT Percussion, are in dire straights as they enter the 2015 season with warn and battered equipment.  Some of the instruments are older than the performers themselves! To move into the next classification of competition, it will be imperative to have the proper equipment.  Please help RPT by donating ANY amount here.