A Percussionist's Notebook

Accessory Table is a general term. Their primary use is to hold Tambourines, Slapsticks, Claves, and at times Wood blocks, Cowbells that cannot be mounted on the Accessory Holder. But Sticks, Mallets and Triangle beaters(along with the occasional Girl Scout cookie) are also placed on these tables. Like most groups, we use restaurant tray holders to hold our tables, so the typical table is about 18" X 24". I built a prototype from foam core board 16" X 20" (this the size that I had laying around). After cutting it, I glued solid black rubberized Tool Drawer Liner to one side. After it dried, I glued a layer of layer of perforated Tool Drawer Liner over that. The perforated version is slightly 'bumpy' which helps keep sticks from rolling off the table. For added insurance against rolling I then put small daubs of silicon caulking on the board. If this works I will use 1/4" hardboard (to support more weight) for the real tables. ...

Non-percussionists playing on percussion instruments before and after rehearsals, during breaks and any other time there is no active rehearsal happening. This occurs all too often in many schools and organizations. This is a big problem for at least 3 reasons: 1. It shows a lack of respect for the instrument and to the owner. 2. It reinforces the idea that the percussion instruments are toys and requires very little technique and musicianship. 3. There is an increased chance of damage to the instrument. Ownership: Brass, wind and string instruments are normally owned or rented by the student (or parent) while most percussion instruments are owned by the school or organization, particularly the large instruments such as timpani/mallets/bass drum etc. Stating at the beginning of the year or season  that non-percussionists are never to play the instruments is important. This should be followed by monitoring on a daily basis and reminders when the rule is broken. When coachi...

Broken and lost instruments happen. It's a fact that has to be accepted, but can be minimized with certain precautions. When I first started coaching for the Youth Symphony the accessory percussion was stored in a large plastic container. It was affectionately known as 'The Toy Box'. In their defense there was almost no storage space, just a large plywood square structure big enough to roll in the set of timpani and of course 'The Toy Box'. I bought 2 suitcases at a thrift store and foam sheets from a hardware store. I cut the foam to hold the various instruments and labeled the contents on the top of each suitcase. The original pictures were lost but the one shown is for another group that I coached. Eventually we moved to a location with more space including closets just for the percussion. I made separate wooden cradles for the hand and suspended cymbals. Another trip to the thrift store provided various holders for tambourines and triangles.           ...