VIC FIRTH SIGNATURE ARTIST
TOM AUNGST

As the Percussion Caption Supervisor and arranger of the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, Tom Aungst has captured seven D.C.I. World Championship rings, five Fred Sanford High Percussion trophies, and nine runner-up titles.

A member of the Cadets from 1981-1984, Aungst went on to become a lead percussion tech with the corps from 1985-1988 before assuming the caption supervisory role in 1989, a position he still holds today. In 2006, Tom was inducted into the D.C.I. Hall of Fame.

In life outside drum corps, Tom is the Percussion Director for the Dartmouth Public School System in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. His job includes teaching percussion students at all levels of the program, from the beginning students in 4th grade, to the middle and high school percussionists. Under Tom's direction, Dartmouth High School has captured two W.G.I. Indoor Percussion championships (1998 & 1999) and has consistently placed in the top three.

VIDEO INTERVIEW SERIES:

 Installment 1: Tom's early years in drum corps
  Tom talks about how he got his start on the drums; from being 25th chair in his elementary school band through his first drum corps experience.
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 Installment 2: Drum Corps evolution; lessons learned
  Tom discusses the evolution of drum corps in the early 80's, lessons he learned from Thom Hannum, and his first years of teaching and writing.
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 Installment 3: The secrets of Tom's sucess
  Tom pinpoints a few of the factors that has led him to be a successful teacher and writer over the years.
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Check out Tom Aungst's Signature Corpsmaster® Marching Sticks:
Tom Aungst Tenor Hybrid (STATH)
The Tom Aungst Tenor Hybrid blends the feel of a traditional tenor mallet with the sound of a snare stick. A “step-down” grip design, pronounced taper and perfect tip shape and size assists the player in getting around the drums easily while producing a great sound. Great for both indoor and outdoor applications.
L = 15 3/4 ", Dia. = .700" at butt, .650" at shaft
Tom Aungst (STA)
A long, "reverse tear drop" tip and moderately long taper. Rebounds with ease and creates a bold sound.
L = 17", Dia. = .697"
Tom Aungst Indoor (STA2)
A reduced version of Tom Aungst's Signature model. Modified to create great sounds for indoor snare.
L = 16 5/8", Dia. = .675"

Tom Aungst and The Cadets percussion line created this excellent instructional video showing rehearsal techniques, field performances and how the two work together. The following clips are just a sample of the educational material available on this video! Order a copy for yourself in The Cadets online store!

View clips from the video:
Rehearsal  overview
(6.4 meg)
 In this clip, Tom talks about the importance of structured rehearsal strategy.
Sectionals
(5.6 meg)		 Tom defines 6 key ingredients to successful sectional rehearsals.
Designing a schedule
(8.5 meg)		 Specific techniques and scheduling
contribute to the success of the ensemble.

DON'T MISS OUR OTHER FEATURES WITH TOM AUNGST!

After capturing the DCI High Percussion Trophy in 2002, we sat down with Tom Aungst and front ensemble instructor/arranger Neil Larrivee to find out more about how they work together to create award winning shows and top performances. Don't miss this engaging audio interview series!

Neil Larrivee, Vic Firth's Director of Education, had the opportunity to sit down with Tom to talk about the Dartmouth Public School System percussion program. For highlights of Tom's interview, pictures, audio & video clips from Dartmouth's percussion program, check out our Educator Spotlight feature.

Read Tom's article about developing a strong scholastic program from the ground up, "Expectations for Your Program"