Revamping Beginning Percussion

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At Morton (IL), we've struggled for years with the equipment for 6th grade beginning percussionists. We started the students on exactly what the local music shop offered: the educational pack with a bell kit, stand, snare pad, and snare drum all in a … [Read more...]

Eleven Great iPad & iPhone Apps for Marching Band

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Overview Apple said it sold 35.1 million iPhones in the second quarter of 2012, an 88 percent increase from the period a year before!  It sold 11.8 million iPads, more than double the number it sold in the same quarter in 2011!  Almost every band … [Read more...]

Keyboard Percussion – Quality of Sound

Almost every school owns the equipment for a front ensemble: a number of marimbas, so many vibes, a microphone or two, maybe a xylophone. But the major issue around the nation is a lack of information about how to play these instruments or create a … [Read more...]

Using a Laptop as a Front Ensemble Instrument

This is the ultimate in "Cool Factor" for your front ensemble!  Adding a laptop, an Oxygen 8 MIDI Controller, an M Audio Firewire Solo, an Apple MacBook Pro, and Kontakt Software (with some cables from Planet Waves- of Course!) you can create a … [Read more...]

Marching Band Percussion Instrument Choices

This article is a supplement to the instrumentation section of the "Have no Fear Get the Gear" track on Dynamic Music - In the Mix with Michael McIntosh.  In this article we present 3 scenarios for instrumentation of a marching band battery and … [Read more...]