Not like the movie

How many times have you had to explain this one to your friends?

2013 WGI World Championships Recap

The 2013 WGI World Championships were held in Dayton, Ohio last weekend. Rhythm X won first place in Independent World competition with a record score of 98.263. Aimachi, the WGI group from Japan and always a fan favorite, placed 6th. In scholastic world class, for the first time ever, Dartmouth High School did NOT place in the top three (they just missed the medals by placing fourth)! Father Ryan always has entertaining shows and finally got a medal for their effort. The list of winners for each class is below (with some links to some YouTube videos):

• Independent World Champion - Rhythm X
• Scholastic World Champion - Chino Hills School
• Independent Open Champion - Capital City Percussion
• Scholastic Open Champion - Upper Darby High School
• Independent A Champion - Brookwood Independent
• Scholastic A Champion - Hilton High School
• Concert World Class - James Logan High School
• Concert Open Class - Clayton High School

You can find all the finals scores here.

Fan Favorite Awards

Fans at the show voted for their favorite drumline via text message. Interesting, none of the fan favorites were the gold medal champions picked by the judges. Here are the winners of the fan favorite award for each class:

• Independent World - Infinity
• Scholastic World - Father Ryan High School
• Independent Open - River City Rhythm
• Scholastic Open - Dorman High School
• Independent A - Spirit of America
• Scholastic A - Mechanicsburg High School
• Concert Class - Tunstall High School

Now that indoor drumline season is over it’s time to begin looking forward to drum corps. See the 2013 DCI schedule here: http://www.dci.org/schedule/

Dartmouth HS 2012 Snare Sheet Music

Today I've got some snare drum sheet music from Dartmouth High School's indoor drumline. Dartmouth has won the Scholastic World Championship four times, silver medal five times, and bronze medal five times as well. The snare line typically plays with a matched gripped, atypical of most line’s traditional grip. Dartmouth earned a silver medal at the 2012 WGI World Championships with their show "Evolved", scoring a 96.825. They beat out Ayala but lost to Chino Hills. Here's a video clip to:
 

 

Download the 2012 snare segment here. My favorite show of theirs was called 2006's "What It Means To Be Human."



Download more indoor percussion sheet music for FREE from our downloads page.

Pulse Percussion 2012 Snare Solo Sheet Music

We’ve got some new drumline sheet music for you, starting with the Pulse Percussion 2012 snare solo. Pulse Percussion was the surprise 2010 Independent World Champion.Their 2012 show was called "Coming and Going" and placed third at the 2012 WGI World Championships with a score of 94.825.

Get the full snare solo sheet music here. Check out the cool video clip below.



Download more indoor percussion sheet music for FREE from our downloads page.
 

WGI World Championships Recap

WGI Percussion World Championships were held in Dayton, OH this past weekend. I unfortunately didn’t make it out so the event (no indoor shows for me at all this year) but I did follow the performances through the live blog, which was a pretty cool feature. Following the live blog while at the actual show would be very cool as the commentary offered great detail and insights into each group’s shows as well as pieces of WGI history.

Congratulations go out to Woodbridge? HS for obtaining the highest score ever at a WGI event (including color guard I believe). They scored an incredible 99.6! Three out of four judges gave them a perfect score. A high school group!

The Sport of the Arts (also known as indoor drumline, indoor percussion, winter percussion, etc.) has evolved quite a bit over the years. The most recent rule changes allow the use of video projection and lighting effects, which several groups including Rhythm X used to their advantage.

I’ll do my best to round up some sheet music for some of the best shows, including Rhythm X, Riverside Community College, Music City Mystique, and North Coast Academy.

Click here to see the completescores from Championship weekend.

WGI Percussion World Finals!

WGI Percussion World Finals started today! Check out all of the 2012 Championship scores here.

2012 March Madness

The NCAA men's basketball tournament has arrived. It's time to download and fill out your bracket. Who wants to get a Percussion and Drum Stuff bracket pool going? No money involved, just for bragging rights. Visit our downloads page to download the March Madness Excel spreadsheet bracket and pool manager. Comment below or on our Facebook page if you're interested in joining our pool. To read more about the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket Excel files visit my Excel Spreadsheets Help blog.

Also, I recommend checking out March Madness Picks to get the latest information and tips on picking those bracket busting teams to help you dominate your office pool!

On a side note, and more Percussion and Drum Stuff related, I will hopefully be attending a WGI show or two soon and will try to have reviews, videos, etc.

2012 WGI Show Video Update

We're in the midst of the 2012 WGI season and I have yet to make it to any shows (though hopefully that will change soon) so I've been trying to keep up with my favorite groups through YouTube. I've uploaded a couple of videos below.

Rhythm X 2012 MEPA 2/11/12 "Enlightened"

Northcoast Academy performing their 2012 show "Lose Yourself" February 11th at Troy Athens High School

Riverside Community College (RCC) 2012 Full ensemble 2-11-12 opener

Music City Mystique 2012 Premier | Nü Tribe

Snare Drum Sheet Music - Rhythm X 2010 "Inspired" Complete Show

Earlier, I posted the first movement of the snare book for Rhythm X's 2010 show "Inspired." Well, I've finally got around to uploading movements two and four: The United States of Eurasia and Knights of Cydonia by Muse. View movement one, Butterflies and Hurricanes, here. I embedded a video of the show from Centerville High School below. I'll be posting a rare piece of Rhythm X music from 2003 coming soon!

Inspired movement 1 snare drum.pdf download
Inspired movement 2 snare drum.pdf download
Inspired movement 4 snare drum.pdf download 

Rhythm X 2011 Tenor Solo Sheet Music

I recently found a pretty good transcription of the tenor solo sheet music for Rhythm X's 2011 show "Stand by Me." It's not ideal, but if you don't have a tenor pad or drums to practice on you can always use your Rock Band or Guitar Hero drums!

New Percussion and Drum Stuff Download Page

I’ve created a new page for the Percussion and Drum Stuff blog where I will be adding links to all the drumline sheet music files I’ve made available to download. You will be able to find all of our cadences and sheet music snare, tenor, bass, cymbal, battery, pit, marimba, etc. We’ve got transcriptions of some of the best indoor percussion lines out there as well as audition packets. Please comment if you have any original compositions you would like to share.

 

Now you won’t have to search through the whole site looking for one file. Simply go to the new page and read through the list of pdfs. The link to the downloads page is located at the top of the blog, or click here.

 

Please let me know if any links are not working. Thanks!

 

In the coming weeks I plan on adding a ton of new music so stay tuned!

Video: Vic Firth Hybrid Rudiment Series- Flammed 3-2-1s

VicFirth.com presents the Hybrid Rudiment Series of videos on YouTube. In the latest installment, Casey Brohard breaks down the Flammed 3-2-1. Casey is an amazing drummer and is very well spoken. His explanations and tips about technique are very good and I highly recommend watching his videos. Check it out here.

Percussion and Drum Stuff's Best of 2011

It's that time of year. Let's look back at our most popular posts from 2011:

1. Snare Drum Sheet Music - Rhythm X 2010: "Inspired"
2. Snare Drum Sheet Music: Cavaliers Flam I Am 
3. Drumline Sheet Music: Double Drizzle Cadence 
4. Marching Snare Drum Sheet Music: Blue Devil's Dick 
5. Tenor Sheet Music: Rhythm X Quad Solo 2002 
6. Snare Drum Sheet Music: Blue Devils 2003 Opening 
7. Drumline Sheet Music: Music City Mystique 2011 
8. Radiohead deput new song with two drummers 
9. Sheet Music: Glassmen Cadence 2003 
10. Snare Drum Sheet Music: Arcadia High School 2011

We aim to make 2012 even better! What are you looking forward to in the new year? I personally cannot wait for indoor drumline shows to start. I'm also going to be seeing the Blue Man Group perform this February in Columbus, Ohio which I'm super stoked for!

Blue Knights Auditions 2012

What are you doing this winter?

Rhythm X Presents "enLIGHTened" in 2012

In 2012, Rhythm X will bring ‘enLIGHTened’ to life. Look for themes of Personal Enlightenment, the Age of Enlightenment and many actual lights to combine with Rhythm X’s trademark athleticism, musicality and innovation.

Rhythm X will be performing locally in the Mid-East Performance Association and nationally at the WGI Dayton Regional, Indianapolis Regional, Mid-South Percussion Championship and World Championships.

Rhythm X was founded in 2002 and is under the direction of Tim Jackson and Craig Dunn. In their inaugural season in WGI, Rhythm X was the PIO Champion and since joining World Class has medalled six times, winning the PIW Championship in 2008 and 2009. Designing together since 2008, Tim Fairbanks, Tim Jackson and Andrew Markworth all return to the design team to bring you Rhythm X 2012... “enLIGHTened”.

“He who knows others is wise.
He who knows himself is enlightened.”
Lao Tzu

Technique: How to hold a pair of drum sticks

This is taken from Northcoast Academy's 2012 Battery Percussion program.

Right Hand Grip

Start by holding the right hand palm up, fingers together and thumb

open (creating an “L”). Place the stick across the hand so that 1/3rd of

the way up the stick, the shaft lies on the middle knuckle of the index

finger. Next, the shaft near the blade of the hand should contact the

palm about a ½ inch below the pinky knuckle. From here, curl the

fingers around the stick and follow that by pulling the thumb into the

stick, effectively closing the hand. As you look at your grip, your thumb

should be just slightly to the left of parallel with the shaft of the stick.

The space between the thumb and index should be minimal, if there is

any space at all. The back of the stick should never slide into the crease

in the middle of the palm near the wrist at any time.

Left Hand Grip
Start by holding out the left hand, as if shaking someone else’s left
hand. Place the stick as far back into the pressure point between the
thumb and index finger as it can go; squeeze the thumb toward the
hand, gripping the stick. The stick should be gripped at this point 1/3rd
of the way up the stick. Curl the index finger on top of the stick, and
place the thumb on the index finger. The thumb should contact the
index finger either on the 3rd knuckle or between the middle and 3rd
knuckles. The index finger (from tip to middle knuckle) should be just
about perpendicular to the thumb (The position of the index fingers and
thumbs of both the right and left hands should be nearly identical, with
the exception of the space between the thumb and hand). Next, curl the
middle finger next to the stick in the same manner as the index, with
the tip of the finger sitting on top of the stick (the middle finger should
never be used to produce a stroke). The ring finger should be curled
under the stick and support it from underneath, with the stick sitting
between the 3rd knuckle the cuticle. The pinky curls in next to the ring
finger and is always relaxed. Looking at the grip palm down, there
should be little or no space between each finger.

WGI Partners with Dayton Through 2019

Good news for us WGI fans who reside in Ohio. World Championships will remain in Dayton through 2019. Here's the full press release:

WGI Sport of the Arts along with the Dayton/Montgomery County Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Greene County Convention & Visitors Bureau held a press conference at the Dayton Dragons Professional Baseball game on Monday evening, August 29th to announce that WGI has committed to keeping the World Championship events in the Greater Dayton area.

The festivities were kicked off by a performance from the Centerville High School Drumline. President & CEO of the Dayton/Montgomery County CVB, Jacquelyn Y. Powell stated, “We were pleased to work with our hospitality partners to put together what we felt was a creative and competitive bid to present to WGI. We are thrilled that WGI has voted to continue to host their World Championship events in Dayton through 2019. Additionally, we are extremely proud to be affiliated with an organization as outstanding as WGI. We applaud their commitment to excellence, to youth around the world, to education, to creativity and freedom of expression through the unification of pageantry and the performing arts. WGI fosters growth and leadership skills, teamwork, individuality, healthy recreation, educational and cultural opportunities that enrich not only the participants, but all of our lives.”

“WGI is proud to call Dayton our home,” said WGI Director of Operations Bart Woodley. “The Dayton community always makes our competing ensembles feel welcome and special. There is always a special buzz in the air when it is WGI time. The Convention and Visitors Bureau has been instrumental in helping this event become a community wide affair.”

Mr. Woodley also added, “The staff at the University of Dayton Arena, Wright State University’s Nutter Center, the Dayton Convention Center and James Trent Arena are extremely helpful and take great pride in their facility. Those staff members are committed to providing a quality experience for our 10,000 young performers who passing through them each year." 

Northcoast Academy 2011 online workshop/audition

NorthCoast Academy Percussion Ensemble just posted this on their Facebook page:   

Dear friends, online workshop/audition RSVPs will be up by the end of the week! In the meantime, share this page and help us break 2,000 fans! 

We're pleased to announce the date for the annual NCA Workshop!

The Workshop is NOT a part of the audition process. It is a no-pressure event geared towards prospective auditioners who are looking to learn NCA's approach to technique or get a feel for the NCA audition and rehearsal process.

All positions are open! We are looking for snares, tenors, basses, cymbals, marimbas, vibes, 2-4 rack/oil drum, guitar, bass guitar, 2 synth, and movement line. Members of the movement line should have some gymnastics and movement background.

Online RSVP will be available at northcoastacademy.org in a few days. Please "Like" NCA's Facebook page to stay updated. 

All dates will be held at Reese High School from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
1696 S. VanBuren
Reese, MI 48757

Fee is $40 and covers all three weekends.

Visit the link below to submit any questions to director Diane King.
http://www.northcoastacademy.org/contact

Like Northcoast's Facebook page today!

Music City Mystique Drumline Audition Music Download

 Ever wonder what the audition music is like for one of your favorite drumlines? Well, wonder no more. I've just uploaded that audition packet for Music City Mystique's 2007 indoor drumline. Yeah, it's pretty challenging. Download the packet now and see if you've got the chops!

Don't forget to check out some of our other battery sheet music downloads! Any requests?

Music City Mystique Drumline Audition Music Download.pdf

Drummers Unite: Get the Word Out! We Need Your Help!

There is strength in numbers, and the only way for WGI’s “Big Idea” to become reality is to have you and all of your friends, students, neighbors, parents and co-workers take the time to vote for WGI, and then have them tell everyone they know.

Please take moment to change your status on facebook, twitter, and any other way to announce to the world that the Sport of the Arts is an important cause! Ask your friends to do the same.

You can also take this image and change your profile photo!

Step One
Allow your Facebook page to connect with the Chase Community Giving app so you can vote. Just hit the "like" button at the top of the page.

Step Two
Vote for each organization:
•WGI Sport of the Arts 
•Drum Corps International
•Music for All/Bands of America

Step Three
Share with your friends like crazy!