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Vic Firth Education Team Newsletter, Issue #1107/02 Contents Of This Issue's Newsletter 1. Greetings from Neil Larrivee, Vic Firth's Director of Education 2. Featured Article: "The Recording Teacher" by Dan Garvin 3. In the News: Lee Beddis joins VF; Education team - 1000 and growing; The Cadets and Vic Firth team up to produce SOUND CHOICES clinic series; Vic Firth welcomes new education team members 4. Goings On Line: Vic's new "Media Vault"; Upcoming education team ONLY discussion room 5. What You Had to Say 1. Greetings from Neil Larrivee All of us at Vic Firth Inc. are quite pleased to make our Percussion Education Newsletter available to all via email. As a result, we will now be able to share more information to more people, more frequently and in a more personalized manner! We hope you enjoy the new format and will take the opportunity as well to participate. Be sure to share your questions, ideas and concerns so that we can serve you at the highest level possible. We look forward to hearing back from you! My Best To You All! Neil Larrivee Director of Education 2. Featured Article "The Recording Teacher" by Dan Garvin Today's teachers have an amazing amount of instructional material at their disposal, from books to videos to play-along CDs. But the technology of today has also opened a new avenue for the teacher: home recording. Students often don't see the "big picture" while they're playing, so recording a student is a very efficient way of getting the point across. In fact, by playing something back, the teacher can present the more subtle aspects of playing such as feel, tone and touch. There's no need to try to explain an intangible in words after the fact. In my experience, a single playback can usually take the place of several minutes of discussion and easily settles any disputes over timing accuracy, or other issues. Some teachers have used home video cameras or hand-held cassette recorders to accomplish this for years. Setting up a teaching studio for recording is a great way to take students and your teaching to the next level. Read the rest of the article: Education Team Member Dan Garvin has recorded and toured with SR-71 and ninedays, and has been teaching privately in the Baltimore area for 10 years. 3. Product Spotlight Musician's Stereo Isolation Headphones (SIH1) What better way to start on your way to building the teaching studio of the 21st century than to invest in a quality set of headphones? Vic Firth now offers the perfect solution - our newly released Stereo Isolation Headphones. These isolation headphones are designed to protect musicians from the high sound levels associated with their instruments. Prolonged exposure to these excessive levels of noise can have traumatic and lasting effects, including hearing fatigue, tinnitus and permanent hearing loss. These specially designed headphones drastically reduce the level of external sound reaching the musician's ears, offering valuable protection from potential damage. The SIH1 reduces overall noise levels by 24 decibels and features high quality stereo headphones. Unlike non-isolation headsets, where musicians typically crank the volume to very high and potentially damaging sound levels in order to hear the music clearly, the SIH1 reduces ambient noise from the instruments. This allows the musician to play along with the recorded music or monitor other performers in a live situation at comfortable and safe sound levels. Designed in conjunction with Vic Firth Signature artist Rod Morgenstein (http://www.vicfirth.com/artists/morgenstein.html), these headphones were made with the recording, performing and teaching musician in mind! When asked about the SIH1's, Rod commented, "The concept of these headphones has changed my musical life! After years of using open air headphones in studios and practice at volume levels that were damaging my hearing - I can now use these new headphones for hours on end with no fatigue at all, and with no risk of hearing damage since I can listen at a comfortable volume level." Visit your local Vic Firth dealer to check out the headphones today! Technical Information: Speaker Type: 50.m/m Dynamic Speaker Mylarcon Magnet: NFB 15x1.5 Four-Hole Style (50u) Sound Pressure Level:110.Db +/- 3dB (1mw at 1kHZ) Rated Input Power: 30.mw Max. Input Power: 100.mw Impedance: 250-ohn +/- 15% Frequency Response: 20HZ - 20kHZ Cord: 12.5 F coil cord with 3.5 stereo plug (1/4" and 1/8" plugs included) Comfort Features: Automatically self-aligning for perfect fit and protection. Broad foam cushions provide maximum comfort. 4. In The News * Lee Beddis Joins the Vic Firth Team! We are proud to welcome Lee Beddis, Percussion Caption Head and Arranger for The Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps, to the Vic Firth team. "VF has always been a leader in sticks and mallets, and it is my honor and privilege to become a part of such an amazing team," states Lee. With a drum corps career spanning two decades, Lee Beddis has become one of Drum Corps International's most sought after percussion authorities. Born in Ontario, Canada, Lee started his drum corps career with Peterborough's Krescendos and later joined the Canadian Knights. During the mid-eighties, Lee marched with Kitchener's Dutch Boy before finally heading south and joining the ranks of the world champion Garfield Cadets in 1987 - where he was part of the now legendary "perfect" percussion line. Lee aged out in 1990 after winning a second DCI championship with the Cadets. Since his marching years, Lee has worked with such corps as the Madison Scouts and Star of Indiana. In 1996, he instructed the Phantom Regiment as they captured their first world championship. From there, Lee took on the role of Percussion Caption head and Arranger for the Glassmen from Toledo, Ohio. Within 1 year, he had rebuilt the percussion section into one of the best in the world. Lee remained with the Glassmen through the 2000 season before moving onto the Crossmen in 2001. In addition to the drum corps experience, Lee has been a judge with such organizations as Winter Guard International, USSBA and many others. "Lee joins a long list of great marching percussion artists here at Vic Firth," said Neil Larrivee, Director of Education for Vic Firth Inc. "We are thrilled he has chosen to join our team and we look forward to a great partnership for many years to come!" Look for Lee's new signature snare stick that will be played with by the Crossmen this coming DCI season! For more information on the Crossmen, visit http://www.yea.org * Vic Firth Education Team - 1000 strong . . . and growing! We are pleased to announce that the Vic Firth Education team has grown to over 1,000 members strong. The program, started in 1997 as a means to foster dialogue between percussion educators of all levels and strengths, remains the industry's leading force in providing resources to percussion educators. Vic himself comments, "Congratulations to the Education Team at Vic Firth. They are 'batting a thousand' - as our educator list now passes the 1,000 mark. These educators are the back-bone of music's future!" * The Cadets and Vic Firth team up to present SOUND CHOICES clinic Vic Firth Inc., in association with The Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps, is pleased to announce a very special and unique clinic opportunity for band directors and percussion instructors. SOUND CHOICES The Implementation of Technique, Arranging Skill and Quality Stick & Mallet Choices Come see the percussion section of the 2001 High Percussion Award winning and 8 time DCI World Champion Cadets Percussion Section, as they demonstrate their approach to technical development and rehearse their 2002 show. This clinic will be lead by Neil Larrivee, Pit Arranger for the Cadets and the Director of Education and New Product Development for Vic Firth Inc. This is a great chance to see how the choice of specific sticks and mallets impact the sound of the percussion ensemble. Product literature and educational promotional items will be available along with door prizes! The clinics will be held at the following locations: Monday, June 17th Robert E. Fitch HS - Groton, CT Thursday, June 20th Central Gwinnett HS - Lawrenceville, GA Friday, June 21st Baldwin Middle/Senior School - Baldwin, FL All clinics begin at 1:00 PM This Clinic will be presented as part of Youth Education in the Arts, "Music is Cool Tour", featuring The Cadets in a series of one-day events. These events are designed to assist students and teachers. The programs will feature the award winning corps staff and the marching members of the corps and will include: * Hands-on sessions with the creative and instructional staff *Hands-on sessions with the members of The Cadets * The opportunity to attend rehearsals and performances of The Cadets * Free Director Sessions * Lunch "a la-tour" with the corps * Discounted Cadets souvenir merchandise The sessions begin at 9:00 AM with registration. FOR INFORMATION: 201-384-8822 x 12, or visit http://www.yea.org/index.asp?newsstory=244 For registration details, go to http://www.yea.org/musiciscool.org * Vic Firth Welcomes Pat Amann, Dave DeLullio We are pleased to announce that Pat Amann (percussion caption head and arranger for the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps) and Dave DeLullio (percussion program coordinator and arranger for the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets) have joined our growing list of Percussion Educators! * We would like to welcome ALL of our newest Education Team members: Mark Ellis-PDT, Dave Dickerhoof-PDT, Chris Daniel-MPS, Derek Ethridge-PDT, Robert Lazenbery-MPS, Scott Schroedl-PDT, David Beach-MPS, James Comfort-SEP, Robert Habib-CEP, David Napoli-PDT, Chris Rivera-MPS, Dave Rutherford-MPS, Rodney Smith-SEP, Josh Thomas-SEP, Travis Williamson-SEP/PDT, Richard Wilson-PDT, Bill Castillo-MPS, Dennis Crites-PDT/SEP, Donna Hall-PDT, Rob Leytham-PDT, Michael Maure-PDT, Douglas Lieux-MPS, Jason Cassell-SEP, Michelle Humphrys-CEP/SEP, Lisa Lambert-PDT, Eduardo Leandro-CEP. Joining the ranks of our college and university endorsers: University of Illinois Bands (Ken Steinsultz, director), Ohio University Bands (Richard Suk, director), Eastern Michigan University Bands (Dr. David Woike, director), The University of Colorado at Boulder (Matthew Roeder, director). And our latest Indoor ensemble endorser - Aftermath. 5. Goings On Line: * Vic's new Media Vault! Surely one of the most successful additions to the Vic Firth website has been the media vault - providing "one-stop" access to our growing library of video and audio files. A perfect place to send your students for some inspiration! New this week are videos from Bill Bachman (MPS member & author of Quad Logic, published by Row-Loff publications), drumset artists Tommy Igoe, Frank Belluci, as well as an interview with Anton Fig, drummer for t.v.'s The Late Show with David Letterman. To access the media vault, go to http://www.vicfirth.com and click on the vault logo. 6. What You Had To Say Some comments from educators and others who have recently visited vicfirth.com Just a note to say thanks for posting the videos of the WGI Parking Lot Warm-ups as well as the Jeff Queen/Bill Bachman video . . . and most recently Bill Bachman playing quads with the mountains in the background. This is some really great material and represents you guys very well . . . certainly Vic Firth is leading the pack in state-of-the-art web design (kudos to Mark and his hard work!) and the sticks are really top of the line as well! - René Conway I would just like to pass on my congratulations at the excellent amount of media and educational information available via the "Media Vault" and the Vic Firth website. Overall I find the Vic Firth web site outstanding. Interviews, audio, video, new exiting and innovative products.... what else can we ask for . . . - Gavin Stace I just wanted to let you know that I love your sticks and I love your web site. Not many companies would dedicate so much space to educational materials and video/audio clips of performers using your stuff. I'm a loyal customer, and proud of it. - Dave Flynn I can't believe all of the video that you have on your site! The DCI and WGI "in the lot" series is some of the most exciting stuff for rudimental junkies like myself. Once again, thanks for all the hard work you do on the Firth web site. All sites should be so robust and chock full of content. Keep those videos coming! - Gavin Guest I would like to comment on the new media vault feature. I think it is a great addition to the Vic Firth website. Not only does it let surfers see what drumming is all about, but it also lets enthusiasts check out new rising artists as well as some we may already know of. Keep up the good work! - Michael Fairbanks I just spent some time looking at the new Vic Firth media vault. I must say it looks very nice, and all the videos are very informative and flat out cool to watch. I just wanted to say thanks for going the extra mile help keep other drummers like myself in the loop so to speak. I hope to see and hear great things from Vic Firth this summer. - Luke Young To keep up to date on all the latest happenings from the Vic Firth Education Team, visit our "in the news" page online at: http://www.vicfirth.com/news/news.html Copyright 2002 by Vic Firth Incorporated |
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