Dynasty May 2010 Newsletter
Check out the Dynasty newsletter for May 2010 !

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Dynasty talks with Artist, Rob Ferguson
Dynasty recently sat down with Rob Ferguson, director of Matrix and the Percussion Caption Head for the Glassmen Drum & Bugle Corps to talk about education, Dynasty percussion, and where he is going to be in the future.

1. Please tell us a little about your background. Education, drum
corps, musical experience, etc.

My background for this activity is a bit unusual actually. I grew up in a
small town in Northeast Ohio where the band was a “show style” band, yet
had a corps style drumline. I have a bachelors degree and masters degree
from Kent State University both in Music Performance. While at Kent I was
incredibly fortunate to study with both Michael Burritt and Ted Rounds. I
also did not march drum corps, which is something I would definitely
change if I could go back and do it again. I spent a great deal of time
through my college years as a solo marimba player, and a chamber
percussionist, which I think have massively shaped how I look at things
musically as well as how I arrange and compose. Currently I live in
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio with my wife Kate.

2. What projects are you currently working on?

I currently have a number of projects going. I am in the process of
starting my own design, consulting, and arranging company....something I
have wanted to do for quite some time. In addition to my work with
Glassmen and Matrix I also work as an instructor, arranger, and consultant
for a number of high school band programs, all of which are in the fall
start up process as we speak. In the past few years I have written a few
concert pieces for college students of mine and want to do more of this. I
am currently working on a duo multiple for the section leader of the
Glassmen battery that is a concert multiple that incorporates moments of
unison rudimental style influence. Lastly, and most recently, I am working
on a concert/ clinic program for an ensemble made up of former Glassmen
and Matrix front ensemble members. It is something they have
encouraged me to do over the past year. It will be an ensemble set up in a
traditional front ensemble orchestration, but perform in a more concert
style. The material will be mostly my original music, much of which will be
adapted from music in the Matrix shows from the past few years. Our hope
is to do a concert/ clinic tour this coming winter focusing on bringing a
different style of music into the high school percussion ensemble and
encouraging high school “marching percussionists” to become more
involved in concert percussion ensembles.

3. Could you tell us a couple of things that every band director should
know to get their percussionist’s to play better?

The first thing I would encourage all band directors to do is “engage” the
percussion section as often as they engage the winds. Many of the
concepts that are being focused on with the winds apply in parallel to the
percussion section. As you are asking the winds to use a full breath and
support the tone, you can ask the percussion to make sure they are using
a consistent stroke and using a consistent velocity behind each stroke. As
you ask the trumpets to blend and balance, you can ask the snares the
exact same thing. I think often that a band director that is not a
percussionist may be hesitant to make a lot comments to the percussion
section especially if they have percussion instructors. Unless that
percussion instructor is there ever rehearsal and will be involved daily in
the concert program, it is a MUST that they engage the percussionist so
they feel accountable as a part of the full music ensemble. Secondly, I
would encourage band directors to find means to integrate chamber
percussion playing into the concert program weekly. For example, every
Wednesday the percussionist in wind ensemble work on a mallet quartet
and a multiple trio instead of being in the wind ensemble section. I think
from a concert percussion ( and total percussion) standpoint, chamber
playing and chamber ensemble skills are so crucial to the development of
strong percussionists.

4. What are some technique books or programs you would suggest for
band directors or percussion educators to check out?

This is a place where I am not overly creative. I love many of the
standards. George L. Stone, Stick Control in my mind is an absolute must,
and can be used at a very young age as a supplement to even a 5th grade
band method. I also love all of the Mitchell Peters snare drum methods. I
think they make a very smooth and logical progression through all of the
needed concepts while applying them to musical phrases. As students get
more advanced I tend to use Cirone, Portraits in Rhythm, and any of the
Delecluse, or Macarez snare books for more advanced etudes. I think it is
very important though, that students progress methodically through these
and do not just “jump” into the Cirone or Delecluse books without working
through a basic text first.
For keyboard I have a couple of “go to” books. The first is a vocal
articulation book by Pasquale Bona that I use to develop two mallet skills.
Because it is not a “keyboard” book, it does not work from a kinetic
standpoint. It works from a musical standpoint. It is a great book to get
players to make some basic musical decisions. To decide when and how to
roll notes in a musical line, how to move through various interval jumps
smoothly, and most importantly how to create a musical line within a piece
of music. Ultimately I love it because it engages the player musically as
well as technically. This is a book that Michael Burritt used at length and I
have continued to use ever since. Lastly for four mallet material I have
always wanted to students to own and become familiar with Method of
Movement, by Leigh Howard Stevens. However, with most of my students
now, I recommend Simply Four, by Gifford Howarth. I think both books
cover the same concepts in relatively the same order. Giff’s book just
tends to be a bit easier to digest for most students and the pictures
regarding correct and incorrect grip/ technique are very good. Lastly I
think is is imperative that students work through some developmental
books suck as these before they begin to tack solo literature. I think this is
a huge issue within four mallet development with many young players.

Dynasty Congratulates WGI 2010 Participants
Dynasty Percussion was in full force at the 2010 WGI World Championships. We had a great time watching all of the amazing performances and catching up with all of the groups that play Dynasty Percussion. We were excited to see all of the Dynasty shirts that were floating around the arena throughout the weekend. A big thank you goes out to Rhythm X , Redline Percussion, and Aimachi for all of their help and input on the NEW Dynasty T-Max carrier featuring the new SEM (Single Entry Mount) system. RhythmX took everyone's breath away by standing and even running on top of the drums. We would like to say " Thank You" to all of the groups that play Dynasty and best of luck this summer.

Dynasty T-Max Carriers Set to Launch May 1st
Dynasty is ready to launch the new T-Max SEM Mount carrier on May 1st . The new Dynasty carrier combines style,simplicity, and durability. Made in our factory , this carrier eliminates the need for J bars on the snare and multi-toms set up. The NEW T-Max carrier is simply the most durable carrier on the market and features a quick release system that makes taking the drum on and off effortless.

Dynasty in Jakarta
Dynasty was excited to be well represented in Jakarta  a few weeks back. Dynasty artist Rene Conway developed several clinics for a very famous drum battle over in Jakarta. Rene has spent a good amount of time over there developing skills and techniques for the drum movement there in Jakarta. Thanks Rene for being a great friend to Dynasty and the drum community over there. Dynasty was very proud of the 1st and 2nd place groups who played on Dynasty percussion equipment. Congratulations to "Bhina Caraka" taught by instructor Ahmad Arianto and " The Beaters."

Dynasty Press Release

Lake Park High School at Bands of America
Check out this action photo of Lake Park High School at Bands of America!  Congratulations to Mike Chiodo and his students for their 16th place finish at Grand Nationals!

Dynasty Drums on Primetime!
Check out this clip of hit TV series The Office featuring a full battery of Dynasty drums!

Check out the Dynasty Newsletter
Check out the Dynasty newsletter and please send an email to info@dynastybi.net if you would like to be added to the list.

Choctawhatchee High School Performs in New York
Choctawhatchee High School marching band performed at the 2009 Macy's Day Parade in New York City on Thanksgiving day. The band travelled by bus from Florida and had an amazing time sight seeing and performing in front of a national audience. If you missed the bands performance you can check it out at here at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KXBodPYIUY

Tyler Jr. College heads to Europe
Dynasty and Muremo Music is proud to announce that Tyler Jr. College, of Tyler Texas will be going to Europe. The group will be travelling over there in April of 2010 to attend the Indoor Percussion Europe championships. The groups director, Tom McGowan has built the program from nothing to earning a world championship in the last three years. The group has made finals every year and won the WGI world championship in 2008 with their show " Body Language".

" We are proud to have Tyler Jr. College represent Dynasty at the Indoor Percussion Europe Championships in April. The progress they have made in the last three years has been amazing and I know they will have great information to offer the European indoor community." said Mark Reynolds VP Sales & Marketing for Dynasty USA. " We would like to thank Jean Paul Ratajczak of Dynasty Europe and Muremo Music for making this trip a reality for them."

Centerville HS gets ready for Europe
Dynasty is proud to announce that the Centerville High School indoor drumline and their director, Tim Fairbanks will be going to Europe next April for the Indoor Percussion Europe Championships. While in Europe Tim and his staff will present many clinics to engage the European indoor percussion fans and educators. " There are few people in the world that can design,write, and educate like Tim Fairbanks. He is the best out there and we are excited about the Centerville HS drumline joining Dynasty over in Europe." said Mark Reynolds, VP of  Sales & Marketing for Dynasty USA. Read more about the Centerville trip below.

Dynasty USA and Dynasty Japan award Scholarship

Pacemakers Join the Dynasty USA Family
Dynasty USA is proud to announce that the Pacemakers from England have joined the Dynasty Family of endorsers. We are honored to have the Pacemakers playing Dynasty and we look forward to a long lasting relationship.

WIK Oostende wins the Belgian Marching Band Championships
Dynasty USA would like to congratulate WIK Oostende on the recent victory at the Belgian Marching Band Championships. Dynasty would like to thank them for all of their support of the Dynasty product.

Jubal Wins DCE
Jubal has won the Drum Corps Europe championship. The corps won the DCE Open Class, with a difference of nearly one point and scored a 90.15. " We are honored to have a relationship with Jubal and are very excited about their success throughout the season" said Mark Reynolds VP of sales and marketing. Congratulations Jubal and thank you for choosing Dynasty brass and percussion.

Buccaneers Alive with FIVE !
Rochester, NY (September 7, 2009) - The Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps made history this weekend with two wins at the Drum Corps Associates ("DCA") World Championships in Rochester, New York. The corps set or tied five records in the process, including earning the highest championship score in DCA history.

The corps won the preliminary round of competition on Saturday, besting 24 competing corps with a score of 97.175 out of a possible 100 points. In the process, the corps tied the DCA record for the most consecutive wins, at 46.

Janis Potter becomes a Dynasty Artist !
Dynasty USA is proud to announce Janis Potter as a new Dynasty Artist ! " We are excited to start a relationship with Janis. She has been a force in the world of percussion for many years and we are excited for our future together ." said Mark Reynolds VP of Sales and Marketing.
Janis also commented, " Dynasty produces some of the finest percussion instruments available today. In particular, the Mark Ford and She-e Wu signature marimbas provide performers with numerous timbral choices along with excellent dynamic ranges and outstanding durability... necessities of today's demanding repertoire. The artist roster alone is proof that these instruments are of the highest quality; but beyond that, the customer service is second to none. I am honored to be a Dynasty artist. "

2009 DCI Review

Review of 2009 DCI Dynasty Family

Interview With Scott Johnson

We sat down with Scott Johnson from the Blue Devils and discussed the 2009 DCI Championships, his life in drum corps, and what it means to him to be a part of the Dynasty family.

Brian Zator travels the World !

Dynasty USA is proud to announce that Brian Zator has concluded an 18 day trip to Japan and Australia performing clinics and concerts. Read more about Brian's trip and his exciting time abroad.

Besana Marching Band Earns High Results at World Music Contest!
The Besana Marching Band earned it's highest score and placement in its history at the 2009 WMC!

Check out the July Dynasty Newsletter
Click below to view the July newsletter, featuring product descriptions, interview with Keith Hallas of the Glassmen, and an article by Blake Tyson.

World Gone Mad and Dynasty
Dynasty USA is excited to have a wonderful relationship with World Gone Mad Drum Corps. They are a very exciting group doing some great things with music and education.

Trinity Show Band of UK Chooses Dynasty
Trinity School Showband, 2008 division 2 percussion champions have joined the Dynasty Family. Trinity is proud to carry the Dynasty name and use their products exclusively.