A couple of weeks ago a few of us from Paige’s Music had the pleasure of traveling to sunny Anaheim, California to attend the annual winter NAMM Show (National Association of Music Merchants). There we had the opportunity to meet with our vendors to review current products, as well as see and learn about new products hitting the market in 2016. One of the most notable products on the winds side came from Buffet where they introduced us to their new Tradition clarinet. Expected to launch next month, the Tradition is being described by its creators as being “inspired by a pre-1950’s design while taking into account the needs of modern musical repertoire and performance practice”. Featuring a cylindrical bore that compliments the R13 and RC bore families, Buffet has stated this new instrument is “Le son à l’état pur,” or “Sound at its purest level”. They also go on to say: “The project was completed with the objective of offering a clarinet in its most natural form, with no unnecessary changes or overstated technology. The new bore concept traces its inspiration to one of the earliest modern professional clarinets, the fabled Buffet Crampon BC20. Featuring a cylindrical bore design,

Summer is almost here and school is almost over. If you’re looking for some awesome entertainment that will blow you away, you should check out DCI or Drum Corps International. From modest beginnings more than three decades ago, Drum Corps International (DCI) has developed into a powerful, nonprofit, global youth activity with far-reaching artistic, educational and organizational influence. Through the annual DCI Tour and more than 35 World Championships in 17 North American cities, Drum Corps International provides entertainment to millions through live performances and nationally-televised events. Drum Corps International is Marching Music’s Major League™. Student’s ages 13-22 travel from all around the world to participate in DCI every summer. Each year more than 8,000 students audition for about 3,500 positions in the top-tier member corps and participate in about 100 events all across North America. Fortunately for those of us living in Indiana, there are a couple of shows hosted here every year. Including the DCI World Championships hosted by Lucas Oil Stadium on August 6-8. If you get the chance, you should try and make it to one of these shows. June 15 – DCI Dress Rehearsal – Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis June 17 – DCI Tour Premiere

The WGI Percussion World Championships are this weekend and we have our top 5 reasons why you should go. But before we get to that, maybe you’ve never heard of WGI and are wondering what this is all about? From their website: “WGI Sport of the Arts is the world’s premier organization producing indoor color guard, percussion, and wind ensemble competitions. As a non-profit youth organization, WGI serves as the leading governing body of the winter guard and indoor percussion activities. It is called the Sport of the Arts because it brings music to life through performance in a competitive format. Now entering its 38th year in 2015, the sport continues to evolve and grow. There were more than 36,000 participants at the regional level, and more than 12,000 participants at the Sport of the Arts World Championships this past April.” If you would attend this weekend, you would see the percussion section or “drumlines” of a marching band performing indoors. These show aren’t just thrown together. Hundreds, if not thousands of hours are spent designing, building, rehearsing and competing over several months. Indiana is one of the premier states when it comes to competitive percussion ensembles. The Indiana Percussion