Derek Felix

2018 BOA Indy Super Regional Info

Some of the country’s best marching bands will come to Indianapolis this weekend to compete in the BOA Super Regional, presented by Yamaha. Check out the list of competing bands here: https://www.flomarching.com/events/6180440-2018-bands-of-america-indianapolis-super-regional-pres-by-yamaha/entries This weekend’s regional will give many schools a chance to perform in Lucas Oil Stadium before Grand National Championships next month. The regional is also a great chance for schools that don’t compete at Grand Nationals to perform in a world-class stadium. Many of the performing bands are from right here in Indiana, but we’ll also see bands from all over the Midwest, Oklahoma, and Texas. If you haven’t been able to get to a marching band contest this year, this weekend is a great time to change that. Best of luck to all competing bands this weekend!

Oct 16, 2018 No Comments

Chops Percussion and Meinl USA at PASIC 2018

Welcome back to the Chops blog. As you may or may not know, PASIC 2018 is right around the corner. We will be joining forces with Meinl USA once again this year, so we’re going to try something a little different this time around. What do YOU want to see in the Meinl booth this year? Whether it be cajons, frame drums, or cowbells; we want to know what product(s) would bring you into the booth this year. If you have a product suggestion, please send it to [email protected] We look forward to seeing you all the weekend before Thanksgiving in Indianapolis for PASIC 2018.

Oct 2, 2018 No Comments

Evans and Promark are #builttocompete

In case you missed this clip at DCI Finals, here’s the initial video for Evans and Promark’s joint campaign: [arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYbaVgcCW_s”] Both Evans and Promark are widely used by many DCI and WGI groups, as well as marching band percussion sections all across the country. They are constantly working at making new and exciting products, as well as trying to make their current products better. To keep up with the Built to Compete campaign, be sure to follow Promark and Evans on all their social media outlets. Just be sure to use the hashtag #builttocompete. You can also find the newest Promark and Evans items here. If you have any specific questions about Evans or Promark products, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Sep 25, 2018 No Comments

September 2018 News at Chops

Demo Gear Updates The demo list has some fresh updates for the month of September. Follow the link below to see what’s been added and removed since June. [View List] Percussion Equipment Evaluations and On-Site Repair Now that we’re back to full staff, Chops Percussion and Paige’s Music’s repair department are willing to send a trained specialist to your school to assess your percussion inventory. Brian Travelsted, our percussion repair specialist and sales associate for Chops, will work with you in deciding the best course of action to get your inventory back in its best shape! [Learn More] Product Feature: D’Addario’s Proprietary Mallet Manufacturing Improvements We not sure if you’ve heard, but D’Addario has completely revamped its manufacturing process from the bottom up. Get the low down over on the blog. [Learn More]

Sep 18, 2018 No Comments

Percussion Equipment Evaluations and On-Site Repair

Now that we’re back to full staff, Chops Percussion and Paige’s Music’s repair department are willing to send a trained specialist to your school to assess your percussion inventory. Brian Travelsted, our percussion repair specialist and sales associate for Chops, will work with you in deciding the best course of action to get your inventory back in its best shape! Paige’s Music offers on-site repair for large percussion instruments such as timpani, mallet instruments, concert bass drums, etc. This service is intended to alleviate the need to send in large instruments with your District Manager and be without them for several weeks. If an instrument is not repairable, Brian will recommend the best replacement options to best suit your ensemble’s needs. No more waiting for your large instruments or going without because the instrument is waiting in the shop! Small percussion instruments can be paired with a large percussion instrument request for added value. If interested in an equipment evaluation or on-site repairs, please email Brian at [email protected] for more information.

Sep 11, 2018 No Comments

Product Feature: D’Addario’s Proprietary Mallet Manufacturing Improvements

We not sure if you’ve heard, but D’Addario has completely revamped its manufacturing process from the bottom up. Here’s the low down: Rather than purchasing raw materials from third-party suppliers, they now using injection molds and make all cores in house. They have also developed a new method to attach cores to shafts by developing a threaded insert that dramatically increased durability With the new process, it requires over 200% more force to pull the core off of the shaft versus nailed construction. Taking D’Addario’s proprietary string winding technology, they developed and custom built a new mallet winding machine that offers a more consistent finish and increased variability in design. They can now custom tailor “wrap recipes” that are optimal for the shape and use of each mallet. Diversity of Materials: With access to a vast library of materials, as well as developing an innovative new way to achieve multi-tone sounds, we are able to create mallets that can be tailored to any playing situation. Quality Control + Consistency: By manufacturing all of the components in house, they’re able to apply their own quality control practices and ensure that every mallet core and shaft are made to the highest possible standards. This

Sep 4, 2018 No Comments

2018 College Marching Band Season Preview

Welcome back to the Chops blog! Today we’d like to take the chance to preview the new college football season and several of our local collegiate marching bands. If you are a fan of the marching arts, it’s hard to beat Indiana. Between drum corps during the summer, marching band in the fall, and winter guard and percussion during the winter and spring, there’s rarely a break between marching seasons. However, it’s easy to forget that there are many great college marching bands in the state. Butler, Purdue, Indiana, Indiana State, and Marian University are all located in, or within a short drive from Indianapolis, and have excellent marching bands. These bands will perform before, during, and after their school’s home football games throughout the fall and winter. For the relatively inexpensive price of a ticket you can see an exciting college football game and performances from the band. Be sure to get there early for some tailgating, as most of the bands will perform outside the stadium before everyone heads inside!

Aug 28, 2018 1 Comment

Meet The New Chops Team

Hey, everyone. I hope everyone is settling into the new school year! The Chops crew recorded this video to let you know that we’ve undergone some personnel changes. Please take a moment to check this out.

Aug 21, 2018 No Comments

2018 DCI Wrap-up

We had a great time at the DCI World Championships last week! Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth. We had a great time catching up with many of you, and hope you had a great time watching the incredible performances throughout the weekend. Congratulations to the Santa Clara Vanguard on their first world championship title since 1999, and to the Santa Clara Vanguard percussion section for winning high percussion for the third straight year! Thank you to Vic Firth and Zildjian for teaming with us on the display booth for the 13thconsecutive year. Make sure to visit their websites to keep up with the latest trends in sticks, mallets and cymbals for marching season! Vic Firth.com Zildjian.com Congratulations to all performers, staff members and volunteers on a great drum corps season! For official scores, be sure to visit the DCI score page.

Aug 14, 2018 No Comments

It’s Back To School Time and We’re Ready!

It’s back to school time here in Indiana and that means everyone is out shopping for supplies. Here at Chops we’re ready and waiting to help you find exactly what you need for your school percussion program. We’re in regular contact with band directors and percussion instructors to make sure we have everything in stock that they are requiring for class. Here are our promises to you: You get to talk to a human being that knows exactly what your percussionist needsfor school.We’re current and former percussion educators, so we speak the language. We offer FREE SHIPPING to your child’s school! We have dedicated road reps at your school once a week (Paige’s Music account schools only). You can check which day Paige’s Music visits your school on the Paige’s website. As long as you order it the day before our visit, and we have the product in stock, your child will have what they need on our next scheduled delivery day. Sometimes as soon as the next day. Easy returns and exchanges.This process is exponentially easier at Chops than with an online retailer. No need to box it back up and visit a UPS store. Just send it back

Aug 7, 2018 No Comments

2018 DCI World Championships

Below is an article that we shared last year for DCI World Championships happening next week. We’ve updated it for 2018! Welcome back to the Chops blog. We’re busy gearing up for the Drum Corps International (DCI) World Championships, held right here next week in Indianapolis! It takes place at Lucas Oil Stadium and surrounding areas. The competition inside Lucas Oil stadium isn’t the only thing to see. There are many events throughout the week, most of which are free and open to the public! Here’s our basic guide to help you take in some of the action.

Jul 31, 2018 No Comments

Proper Nutrition and Hydration is a Must for Marching Band

When it comes to marching band, we tend to spend a lot of time thinking only about the notes being played or the steps being taken. There isn’t always enough thought placed on how to keep performers well-nourished and hydrated for maximum performance. Marching band, like any other sport, counts on members to be healthy in order to be successful. Make sure you (the director, parent, and student) are doing your part to keep yourself and everyone else on the field! Here is an article from July 11, 2014 that was found at halftimemag.com. You’ll find that many of today’s top drum corps and marching bands put a lot of emphasis on proper nutrition and hydration. If you’re in marching band, you are an athlete; it’s time to treat your body as such! http://www.halftimemag.com/features/fueling-your-body.html

Jul 24, 2018 No Comments

Chops Percussion is Hiring!

If fixing percussion instruments and working in a drum shop part-time are your thing, then you may be the person we want to talk to! Chops Percussion is currently seeking a qualified person to work part-time on our sales team and part-time in percussion repair. You can check out the job posting here at this link: https://www.paigesmusic.com/paiges/run?id=6&_jlid=4797&lvid=557 This posting expires next Monday, July 23rd. If you think you are the right person for this job, please follow the application instructions located in the posting and I will personally make contact with you. All the info you should need is there, but if there are additional questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected] Thanks in advance for your interest!

Jul 17, 2018 No Comments

July 2018 News at Chops

Demo Gear Updates The demo list has some fresh updates for the month of July. Follow the link below to see what’s been added and removed since June. [View List] Student Equipment Lists We send this request out each year and heard back from many of you. We’re asking again this year just in case you’ve made changes to your list of required items for 2018. For parents with kids in band for the first time, back to school can be quite confusing (especially with a young percussionist at home). Do you, the teacher, have a required list of sticks and mallets for your percussionists to get? We would love to have an updated copy of that here at Chops. A list of all of your required implements would be a huge help to us and would ensure that your student gets exactly what they need before their first day of band class. This also helps us with keeping your required implements in stock, so that no child is waiting on sticks or mallets when school starts. I know it’s hard to believe, but the first day of school isn’t that far away. Let’s work together and make sure your

Jul 10, 2018 No Comments

The End Of An Era at Chops Percussion

On May 30, 2006, Jeff Huffman and I began our journey here at Chops Percussion. We had taught together before that and we had been roommates a couple of different times, so the two of us teaming up together to start Chops made perfect sense. For 12+ years now, the team known simply as “Jeff and Derek” have held down the fort here at Chops, which is what makes this blog so difficult to write. Made official as of this past Tuesday, Jeff will no longer be with Chops Percussion. He is moving on to a job with Hoshino USA, to help grow the Tama Marching Percussion line of instruments. Jeff is perfect for this position when you consider not only his dealer experience, but also his 6+ years of experience with the Tama product while leading Avon HS to multiple IPA State Championships and WGI PSW Finals appearances. Hoshino is very lucky to have him, and we are very sad to see him go. I can assure you of this: no one is sadder about this than I am, but I know Jeff will be great at his new gig and Tama will be a stronger brand because of

Jul 5, 2018 No Comments

FAQ: How Do I Pay Off My Instrument Rental?

Did you know you can pay off your instrument rental contract early and save! If you choose, you may pay off your instrument balance in full and save 40% off your remaining balance. You can do this at anytime during your contract. There is no penalty for paying your instrument off early. To do this, please call our accounting office at Paige’s Music by calling 1-800-382-1099. You can also complete this process online on the Paige’s Music website. Please refer to this earlier post that explains how to make a payment on our website. As always, please give us a call if you have any questions.

Jun 26, 2018 No Comments

WGI 2018 Percussion Championships Wrap Up

Chops Percussion made the trip to Dayton, OH this past weekend for the WGI World Championships. We are very lucky to have the support of many groups that competed at the three-day event. Without these groups, our success would not be possible. Congratulations to the following groups for making it to the Finals round in their respective classes: Scholastic A (PSA) Finals Plainfield HS – 1st Place, Gold Medalist Minooka HS – 15th Place Scholastic Concert A (PSCA) Finals Decatur Central HS – 1st Place, Gold Medalist Scholastic Concert Open (PSCO) Finals Plainfield HS – 6th Place Scholastic Concert World (PSCW) Finals Fishers HS – 1st Place, Gold Medalist Scholastic Open (PSO) Finals Victor J Andrew HS – 3rd Place, Bronze Medalist Lawrence Township HS – 6th Place Greenfield-Central HS – 13th Place Independent Open (PIO) Finals Legacy Open – 11th Place Scholastic World (PSW) Finals Franklin Central HS – 5th Place Avon HS – 7th Place Center Grove HS – 8th Place Fishers HS – 15th Place Congratulations also to the following groups for their participation at the WGI World Championships: PSA: Milford HS, Southport HS, Hamilton Southeastern HS PSO: Zionsville HS, Forsyth Central HS, Clinton HS PSW: Lambert HS PIW: Legacy World

Apr 24, 2018 No Comments

Indoor Percussion Tips: Getting On and Off the Floor

Now that most of you are getting into the contest portion of your indoor season, you find yourselves rehearsing your group on the basics of getting on and off the competition floor in a swift and stress-free manner. Some groups struggle with this aspect of the show day, and that can have a negative impact on the most important part of the day – your performance. I have a unique perspective on this topic. Being a Timing & Penalties judge for the Indiana Percussion Association (IPA), I get to see many groups enter and exit. Here are a few tips that you can use to make sure you’re ready for a quick and efficient entrance and exit:

Feb 27, 2018 No Comments

Remembering John Henry Bonham

Welcome back to the Chops blog. Today we’re remembering the untimely passing of one of the most influential drummers of all time, John Henry Bonham. We’d like to celebrate his life and influence by sharing some of our favorite Bonham-related links we’ve found on the web. They include an article from Drum! Magazine on 10 ways to sound like Bonham, a video from his drum tech Jeff Ocheltree on how to tune and mic like Bonham, and some isolated drums tracks of him in the studio. Give the article a read, check out the Jeff Ocheltree video, then sit back and listen to the bombastic sounds and heavy grooves of John Bonham.

Sep 26, 2017 No Comments

July is a Great Month to Have a Birthday if You’re a Drummer

We had no idea, but July is apparently a good month to be born if you’re a drummer. Check out the partial list of legendary timekeepers below! July 1 – Ndugu Chancler (Drummer on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”) July 4 – Butch Miles (Mel Tormé, Count Basie Orchestra) July 6 – Louie Bellson (Jazz Legend) July 7 – Ringo Starr (The Beatles) July 8 – Jaimoe Johanson (The Allman Brothers Band) July 9 – Stanton Moore (Galactic) & Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix) July 15 – Philly Joe Jones (Miles Davis) July 16 – Stewart Copeland (The Police) July 17 – Joe Morello (Dave Brubeck) July 22 – Don Henley (Eagles) July 23 – Jim Chapin (Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey) July 26 – Roger Taylor (Queen) July 31 – Bill Berry (R.E.M.) If you’re a drummer and celebrate a birthday in July, you’re obviously in great company! Happy Birthday from all of us at Chops Percussion.

Jul 4, 2017 No Comments