 Most school band directors are not percussionists by trade. More than likely, they grew up with a woodwind and/or brass background. So when you try to sell percussion products to them, you may need to provide them with information so they can select the right percussion products and accessories, as well as the right products on a budget.
Derek Felix, percussion specialist at Chops Percussion, a division of Paige’s Music in Indianapolis, encounters this on a daily basis. “We opened with the idea of not being a combo shop here in town, but to have a percussion store that percussion educators in the state of Indiana and beyond can go to for their school percussion needs.
We cater to all areas of percussion in the schools.”
The first challenge could be convincing band directors you have their best interests in mind. Trust is always important so that a band director doesn’t just feel as though you’re trying to only sell them something. “The manager here, Jeff Huffman, and I were both teachers before Chops opened,” said Felix. “We’ve been percussion directors in schools ourselves. Jeff taught percussion for 15 years. I taught for 12 years before I came here. So band directors know we’ve been in the schools and used the equipment with our kids. Many calls begin with them asking what products we used at our schools. So it’s not hard to get them to believe what products they should be using. So for non-percussionists, they trust our judgment.”
OK, so perhaps that’s not a big problem. How about recommending the right products to band directors on a budget? “Now that’s a tough one,” said Felix. “The first cuts schools make are in music. A lot of small schools in Indiana are dealing with that problem.
“Our goal is to be profitable,” continued Felix, “but the ultimate goal is to make sure the schools and educators get what they need and can afford. We try to carry as many different brands of mallets and sticks as we can to offer to them. That way, we can offer them different price ranges. We’ll say something like, ‘Yes, it will be great if you can afford this pair of $30 marimba mallets, but here’s something that will work for $18.’ We try to offer them as many options as we can. We know not every school can buy $30 marimba mallets every time. And they do break, of course, so that’s a downside for band directors because they know they’re buying something they will have to replace at some point. They’re trying to be fiscally responsible while giving their students the right products. That’s not always easy to do, but we do the best we can.”
Milford, Mass.-based Don Rose, music educational representative for Music & Arts, offered these tips when working with band directors. “1. Tell them to plan ahead. Try to put together a five- to 15-year program. The best way to start is by selecting the music at all levels the band director wants to achieve. Each year will vary depending upon the players the directors have and their abilities. 2. Tell them to buy the best quality they can afford. There are four ways to buy this: a. school budget, b. fund-raising and boosters, c. leasing in a three- to five-year program, d. getting grants from their state.
3. It’s helpful for the band director to know what percussion instruments the best symphony orchestras and marching bands and the best jazz bands use. If they don’t, you can be very helpful in advising what their options are. For me, it’s been one of the fun parts of my job for the last 31 years.”
Rose also added that he groups elementary- and middle-school band directors together because they are often the same person. The high-school band director, as well as the college band director—of course—will be different individuals. Elementary- and middle-school band directors may get their instruments from the high-school band director, who often purchases new products and “hands used products down.” According to Rose, basics elementary- and middle-school band directors often require are 26- and 29-inch timpanis, concert bass drums between 26 and 30 inches, a concert bass drum stand, a concert snare drum with a stand, a pair of 16- or 18-inch concert band cymbals, a pair of suspended crash cymbals with stand, orchestra bells with stand, and accessories which perhaps would include woodblocks, cabasas, cow bells, claves, tambourines, and triangles. “Larger ensembles would need xylophones, marimbas, vibraphones, gongs, and more than two timpanis. (A good high-school band would have five timpanis),” said Rose.
Rose also agreed most band directors are not percussionists. Being a drummer himself, as well as having a long career in the industry helps a great deal as far as band directors trusting you is concerned. But if you don’t have 31 years of industry experience, or a new band director is hired who doesn’t know you, he offered this advice. “What I do with the newer band directors is pick their brains about exactly what they’re looking for,” said Rose. “I keep them aware of new products as they come out. Also, we do have about three band directors who are very familiar with percussion products. So I’ll tell band directors what products they’re buying and why they like them. Band directors who are not familiar with percussion like to know what the percussion specialist band director uses. I tell them, ‘These instruments have been very successful for [insert name] band director. So I think it’s a good thing for you to try it.’
“Some band directors will ask me what I think of certain products as well,” Rose continued. “What I try not to do is oversell. I only sell them exactly what they need at a price they can afford.”
No Rental Recession
As far as a trend involving school percussion products, Chops is renting plenty of drum kits and related items to students. According to Felix, if you’re not renting percussion instruments, it’s definitely worth a shot. But aren’t those products too heavy to carry to and from school every day? “A lot of schools have kids rent percussion kits to leave at home so they can practice,” said Felix. “But when I was a teacher, in my last year, my beginning band students took their percussion kits home every day. I had 16 students then. So they’re all learning snares or bells at the same time, and there are not enough instruments to go around. But the students need to practice at night. So companies have designed rolling percussion kit bags. Some are built like backpacks so students can carry them with shoulder straps. They [aren’t light], but they are a lot easier to carry than when I was in sixth grade.”
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