Chops Percussion will be selling all of the Pearl/Adams gear used by Veritas Percussion during the 2022 WGI season. This is a HUGE opportunity to save on gear that has only been used for a few months. If you’re looking to upgrade your battery percussion or your front ensemble gear, this is the time to do just that. In order to reserve an item we must have a PO from your school, check or credit card payment. We will arrange delivery to you in the final weeks of April 2022. Keep an eye on the list to see what is still available and give us a call to get more information! To check out the currently available gear, click here!

If you’re attending the IMEA conference this week, here’s a list of performances and clinics with percussion interest you should check out!  Many of these events are percussion focused but we also highlighted some clinics that would definitely apply to any music/percussion educator. We hope you enjoy your time at the conference this year! Be sure to stop by the Paige’s Music/Chops Percussion booth and say hello! Performing Groups All State Jr. and HS Jazz Band Friday 1/14, 12:00pm Intercollegiate Band Friday 1/14, 7:30pm Homestead High School Jazz Band #1 Saturday 1/15, 9:00am Carmel High School Percussion Ensemble Saturday 1/15, 11:00am Purdue University Jazz Band Saturday 1/5, 1:00pm All State Percussion Ensemble Saturday 1/15, 2:30pm Northern Illinois University Wind Ensemble Saturday 1/13, 1:00pm Clinic Sessions with Percussion Interest or General Interest Friday 1/12: 11:00am Retaining the Tech-Savvy Generation (John Mlynczak) 12:00pm The Compositional Process/Q&A (Jacob Narverud) 2:30am  Technology for Ensembles in a Post-Pandemic World (Mike Olander) 3:30pm Finding a Teaching Job (Penny Dimmick) Saturday 1/13: 10:00am Better Solutions for Sight Reading (Mike Olander) 11:00am Tips and Tricks for Teaching in a Small School (Katelyn Helms/Laura Helms) 12:00pm Afro-Brazilian drumming and dance for K-8 music (Christopher and Jessica Fashun) 12:00pm Rudiments

This week would like to highlight an upcoming Community Percussion Clinic hosted by Northwestern HS in Kokomo, Indiana. They will be having an interactive clinic later this month with Julie Davila. You can find more details and contact information below. What: An “interactive” clinic with renowned Clinician, Composer, Adjudicator and Teacher Julie Davila Where: Northwestern High School, Kokomo, IN When: Friday, January 28th, 2022 Time: 5-9pm Cost: $25 per student for pre-registration ($40 at the door) Who: This clinic is for high school students or (experienced) middle school/junior high students. Expectations: This clinic is intended to be “hands on” and interactive. Students that are attending should plan to bring sticks, practice pads and mallets. You will be playing!! Marching drums (snares, tenors and marching bass drums) as well as marimbas will be provided. Registration: Please send registration forms and the $25 fee to: Northwestern HS Attn: Jon Rodgers 3431 N. 400 W Kokomo, IN 46901 Julie Davila Clinic Registration form.docx Deadline: All registration forms and fees are due to Jon Rodgers by Friday, December 17, 2021. Make checks payable to the Northwestern Band. Any questions can be sent to Jon Rodgers- [email protected] About the Clinician Julie Davila is renowned percussionist

  WHAT: 2021 Indiana Percussion Association Clinic Day and I&E Competition WHEN: Saturday, December 7th, 9am-5pm (on-site registration begins at 8am) WHERE: Plainfield Community Middle School HOW TO REGISTER: For Individuals or group pay by CC: Tickets are $15 in advanced or $20 at the door To buy your ticket, please CLICK HERE. For schools paying with school check: For school groups, please send an email to BROOKE at [email protected] with the following information. You will be sent an invoice for school check payment. *School name, Number of tickets requested DETAILS: Come listen, watch and learn from amazing percussion educators at the IPA Clinic Day! Participants will visit multiple clinics throughout the day, hearing from some of the best performing artists and educators on all areas of percussion. Clinic sessions run from 9am-5pm with a lunch break. Lunch will be available for purchase at Plainfield Middle School or students may provide their own. I/E COMPETITION: http://www.indianapercussion.org/?q=content/ie-competition Individual and Ensemble Competition will be held during the day. The categories are: Snare Drum, Tenors, Keyboard, Timpani, and Percussion Ensemble. The entrance fee for a solo is $12. The fee for an ensemble is $8 per member. Find more information here: http://www.indianapercussion.org/?q=content/ie-competition Don’t miss this great opportunity to

As the new year approaches, your program is likely going into the busiest time of year with concert band, solo and ensemble, jazz band and indoor percussion all happening at the same time.  Often times you may not think about taking a little extra time to do a thorough inspection of your gear, but it will go a long way in getting the most out of your investment. Now is a great time to do some general equipment maintenance and cleaning that can ensure you are ready for the busy months ahead.  Having your students actively participate in this process will help them take pride over equipment that will be used long after they leave your program and can help the process move along faster and seem less overwhelming. Below are some quick and easy tips for making sure your gear is in top shape to start the new year: Take an inventory of all your equipment at the end of each semester. Clean all equipment using a soft cloth to remove any dirt or grime that has built up over time.  A small amount of diluted rubbing alcohol can help remove major build-up. Inspect your instruments for any missing parts. Check for broken or

Welcome back to the Chops blog! Now that many students are starting to get their instruments for the upcoming school year, there are instrument assembly questions that need to be addressed. The Musser Xylo kit seems to be the one that people have the most questions about, so we’re sharing an assembly video from Jim Catalano to help you out! If you have any additional questions after the video, please feel free to call or email us!

Keep improving this summer with a rental from Chops Percussion! Chops has several drum sets and keyboards available for rental that are perfect for home practice. Now is the perfect time to prepare for practice at home this summer. Pearl Decade Maple Drum Set For $69 per month, you will now be able to rent the Pearl Decade Maple set with 830 series hardware, a Sabin XSR cymbal package (14” hi hats, 16” and 18” crashes, 20” ride), and a Pearl D930 drum throne. We’ve had many requests for drum set outfits with upgraded drum and cymbal options, and this package definitely fits the bill. Do you want to hear the Decade in action? Please check out this video (best to listen with headphones or high-quality speakers): Adams MSPV43 Soloist Series Marimba Adams Soloist Series Marimbas offer the precision construction methods and many of the great features found on the Artist and Concert series instruments, and combine them with a number of keyboards and size options ideal for beginners and schools looking for a high quality, wood bar instrument, at an extremely affordable price. [Learn more] Adams AMPD33R Academy Marimba The AMPD33R 3.3 octave Academy Marimba with Resonators is designed

With many indoor percussion seasons now at an end, it is the perfect time to check over all your marching percussion gear and get it ready for both use during summer camps and into the fall. By taking the time to go through and do an inspection on all your drums you can likely avoid any emergency situation that might pop up at the worst time. Marching percussion equipment is exposed to the most environmental challenges throughout the course of the school year and is often times used year round. With these environmental demands, there comes a need for taking care of the instruments on a routine basis. One of the biggest pitfalls in maintaining marching percussion equipment is failing to regularly change your heads. With the materials and high tension nature of modern marching heads, failing to change them regularly can place unneeded pressure on the bearing edge and shell if heads continue to be over tightened. If you are a school that does both marching band and indoor percussion, try and line up a cleaning day when you are executing a head change. This allows you to thoroughly clean your equipment and get fresh new heads on the

  In this weeks blog we want to highlight one of the best manufacturers of drum and percussion products for recently celebrating their 75th Anniversary. Along with this create achievement they will be realizing some new products this year that both celebrate their history while also creating new and exciting products with the best in modern drum making. The President Series Phenolic line of of drums are the highlight of this year for them, as they bring back one of the first lines of drums they make back in the 1966. These will be limited and come with classic logos, throwback hardware, felt muffling strip and a beautiful drum wrap. Along with this series of drums there are new cymbal stands that feature a curved design to give even more flexibility to your set up. They will also feature a new concert snare drum this year that features 20 ply of Maple/Birch and will produce the most articulate concert snare sound in all of the Philharmonic Series. There will also be some updates to Adams Percussion products (distributed by Pearl in the US), as they will roll out a new line of concert frames that will replace the Voyager Frame

It is hard to believe that the 2021 IPA season is already coming to a close this coming weekend at Ben Davis HS and Avon HS. The hard work and dedication of all the students, directors, and parents to pull off a successful season is to be highly commended and it is such an honor to sponsor this great circuit. As we head in to the final weekend here is some information that will be able to keep up to date with everything for the final performances of the season! PSB/WINDS RECAP First we would like to congratulate all the Winds and PSB groups that completed their seasons last weekend at Center Grove HS or Avon HS. Congratulations to the top 3 groups in each class as well for the 2021 Season and you can find a full recap on the Indiana Percussion Association website. PSB State Finals – Top 3 1st – Warren Central HS 2nd – Bishop Dwenger Winter Percussion 3rd – Washington Indoor Percussion Winds Scholastic A Finals – Top 3 1st – Springs Valley Winds 2nd – Lewis Cass Winds 3rd – Warsaw Winter Winds Winds Scholastic Open Finals – Top 3 1st – Westfield Winds

In this week’s blog we want to highlight an excellent resource for band directors and newer percussion instructors and can help to give more in depth information for all the basic instruments in the concert setting. With videos on everything from snare drum and bass drum to triangle and tambourine, the Vic Firth Education 101 series is logically broken down to highlight what a newer student would need to know about each instrument. The 101 series focuses on maintenance, set-up, performance tips, practice tips, etc. that can help you guide your students in the right direction from the beginning of their percussion journey. The site even features external learning tools that can be used to reinforce what can be learned in the video by the way of study guides and quizzes. Using the study guides to review important points in class that you reinforce in person can go a long way to help your students understand all the fundamentals of the game. You can take this one step further by using the online quiz to evaluate what your students learned from the video nd in class reinforcement. You can follow this link to the Vic firth Education 101 page: https://vicfirth.zildjian.com/education/percussion-101.html

With indoor percussion shows starting to happen on a weekly basis, we thought it would be a good idea to give you a small reference of items you should always keep on hand during show days in case of an emergency. While you can’t always predict when an emergency or accident will happen, you can be prepared for some of the most common issues by having a proper percussion repair kit available to you and your students at all times. A great idea is to get a tackle-box or divided toolbox that is always with your percussion section whether it is during travel to a show, a concert in the auditorium, or a rehearsal on the field.  By keeping the following items in your kit you will be able to address many repairs quickly and efficiently. The following items are standard tools and supplies to keep in your toolbox:   Tools Drum Key (Standard)  SAE/Metric Wrench Set Drum Key (High Tension T-Style)  Screw Drivers (Various – Phillips and Flat) Drum Dial  Medium Sized Vice Grips Timpani Key (Ludwig/Yamaha vs. Adams)  Needle Nose and Regular Pliers Scissors SAE/Metric Allen Key Set Lighter  Supplies White Lithium Grease (Tube or Container)   Various Size Cymbal

In this weeks blog we want to place the spotlight on a new product coming this year from Innovative Percussion. The new CMS-1 Concert Snare Multi-Stick is sure to become a favorite or multi-percussionist that have long desired a multi-stick that feels and responds great no matter which side you are using. These stick were designed in conjunction with Paul Rennick and modeled after his very popular marching tenor stick, but shaped down and constructed for better use in the concert setting. The CMS-1 will give you the ability to play with both ends of the stick, while maintaining the feel and balance of a regular drumstick. The tip has a Taj Mahal shape with allows for some added weight at the front of the stick to help with playing low-end passages while still getting the warmth out of your drum. The butt end has a latex sleeve that will give any performer another tool to use on many surface such as wood blocks, toms, and more, elimination the need to switch to another mallet or beater. This smooth transition is sure to work well in many concert percussion settings, multi percussion solos, and even in front ensemble set-ups. At

Welcome back to the Chops blog!  Indoor Percussion season is about to get underway, and we’re proud to once again be the presenting sponsor for the Indiana Percussion Association!  Indoor Percussion continues to grow in popularity within the state and across around the world.  We’re lucky to have one of the best and largest indoor percussion circuits in the country, and we’re proud to support the efforts of IPA and all of the participating groups. The Indiana Percussion Association is celebrating their historic 25th year in existence this year and while things might still be a little different from normal, we are  so excited to see the students, directors, and parents enjoy an activity we all love! Here’s a schedule contests for 2021 to help you find a show near you! (*denotes wind divisions at show) February 13    IPA Invitational at Franklin Central HS February 13    IPA Invitational at Norwell HS* February 20   IPA Invitational at Franklin Community HS February 20   IPA Invitational at Decatur Central HS* February 27    IPA Invitational at New Palestine HS February 27    IPA Invitational at Greenfield Central HS* March 06        IPA Invitational at Carroll HS March 06   

Keep improving at home with a rental from Chops Percussion! Chops has several drum sets and keyboards available for rental that are perfect for home practice. Pearl Decade Maple Drum Set For $69 per month, you will now be able to rent the Pearl Decade Maple set with 830 series hardware, a Sabin XSR cymbal package (14” hi hats, 16” and 18” crashes, 20” ride), and a Pearl D930 drum throne. We’ve had many requests for drum set outfits with upgraded drum and cymbal options, and this package definitely fits the bill. Do you want to hear the Decade in action? Please check out this video (best to listen with headphones or high-quality speakers): Adams MSPV43 Soloist Series Marimba Adams Soloist Series Marimbas offer the precision construction methods and many of the great features found on the Artist and Concert series instruments, and combine them with a number of keyboards and size options ideal for beginners and schools looking for a high quality, wood bar instrument, at an extremely affordable price. [Learn more] Adams AMPD33R Academy Marimba The AMPD33R 3.3 octave Academy Marimba with Resonators is designed to be an affordable option that allows the intermediate student to work on