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.

Blue Man Group Lego Animation Video

I saw this amazing video on YouTube today of a Lego Blue Man Group animation. Kent Jenkins, the creator and animator, did a really fantastic job capturing the best and most memorable moments from the live Blue Man Group show and the stop animation is spot on. There is even a moment where the Lego figures throw marshmallows back and forth using a green screen. I really like his creative use of Lego pieces for instruments, such as barrels for drums and scorpions for guitars! Enjoy the Blue Man Group Lego performance below.

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

Blue Man Group Tour Review

I watched the Blue Man Group perform at the Palace Theater in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday. This is the second time in the past twelves months that I've seen the blue men perform, and third time overall with the previous two being the permament show in Orlando at Universal's Citywalk. Those first two viewings at Universal Orlando were pretty much identical shows. Going into this performance, I was hoping the show would be little bit different and it was! The major changes from the Orlando version was the addition of the Gi-pads ("to do for reading what texting has done for driving!") These giants screens basically serve as a way to transition between the different segments of the show.

Which show did I prefer? While the Blue Man Group tour was plenty entertaining I have to say the Universal Orlando version is superior mainly due to the fact that the theater was custom built and designed specifically for their show. The biggest problem at the Palace was not being able to see everything on stage. Orlando has a smaller, more intimate theater.

What is the Blue Man Group? It's not just about drumming. Actually, being a hard core WGI and DCI fan, the actual drumming in the show by the Blue Men is not impressive at all. However, the show is about way more than drumming. Drumming is only a tiny part. The show is more about entertainment and comedy, technology and cool effects. It's fun for the whole family. I also appreciate some of the themes in the show, such as go out and have a real experience instead of living your life through your phone by texting and tweeting.

Evan's Real Feel Practice Pad Review

What do I use to practice my snare drumming skills? I bought Evan's Real Feel 12" practice pad and I couldn't be more happy (with the exception of playing on an actual drum, which my neighbors would not appreciate). I've found the pad to be very resistant to water damage and tears. Drumming on the pad can be very quiet, you can play it with other people in the room and not annoy them. It's great for high school drummers to take on the bus with them to practice that drum solo they forgot to memorize and not have the bus driver yell at them. Like many practice pads, there two sides: one harder and the other softer with more bounce. I highly recommend Evan's Real Feel practice pads for quiet snare drumming practice with a realistic snare drum feel!


Order Evans practice pads today.