Bliss Hall Percussion Instrument and Facilities Maintenance Policy - Overview
All instruments and facilities are to be treated with the utmost care and respect. Facilities and gear that are well maintained, clean, and well organized are indicative of professionalism, pride, and mutual respect. Equipment abuse or messy facilities are not tolerated. Violators will face verbal warnings, grading penalties, fines, and/or expulsion from the studio. Theft is grounds for immediate expulsion and university legal action.
In order to encourage pride of ownership and to efficiently and equitably maintain our collective property, each percussion major shares in studio maintenance duties at Dr. Schaft’s discretion. Please anticipate repair and maintenance concerns and notify the Graduate Assistant in writing, so that adequate time is available to secure the necessary supplies and complete the work.
Lock the rooms whenever leaving them. Personal items will be removed from the rooms as YSU lockers are available for such items in the percussion hallway.
Bliss Hall Percussion Facilities Organization
2234 - Studio A Dr. Schaft’s Studio. Faculty or staff may be issued a key to this room at Dr. Schaft’s discretion. Because much of the gear is personal, I am obviously concerned about security and wear/tear. It must be locked anytime you leave the room. Turn off lights. Use only YSU ceiling lights. No food or drinks, except bottled water. Do not use audio/visual gear or computer without my permission. Do not adjust anything on the drumsets. Re-position all gear as you found it. No wood timpani mallets, plastic xylophone mallets, or hard marimba mallets.
2240 - Studio B Adjunct teaching, practice, PE rehearsal, storage. Priority use order: faculty/staff teaching, percussion ensemble rehearsals, graduate students practice - multiple perc, timpani, 5 octave marimba, undergraduate student practice. Dr. Schaft stores his cases on the northeast wall and shelves. Do not touch these. A sound system is provided for practice with recorded music. The tables and chairs are for use in this room only.
2232 - Percussion Instrument Storage.
2032 - Band Library; also houses Percussion Ensemble Library
2326 - Ensemble rehearsal room. Keep all instruments in their designated places.
In order to provide an appropriate practice space, instruments, and acoustical environment for percussion chamber ensembles, large multiple percussion set-ups, and timpani practice, the Dana Director and I have agreed to allow the room to be signed-out for percussion practice. The Dana Office manages a Room Schedule Sign-Out Book. Room usage priority is scheduled classes, signed-out chamber groups, multiple percussion, and timpani practice. If there is no booking for these, then you may practice as desired.
2222 – Recording Studio, Jazz Studies, drumset practice. Tama Starclassic drumset and pair of LP congas are property of the Jazz Studies Division and are not to be removed without permission from the Percussion Coordinator. Often a Musser vibraphone is left in there as well.
Third floor practice rooms: six locked percussion practice rooms along the east wall of Bliss Hall - 3112-A, 3113-B, 311-C4, 3115-D, 3116-E, 3001-F
Practice room sign-out policy: Schedules, valid for the entire semester, are posted on each door. Sign-up for all practice times so we may monitor room usage to efficiently utilize our facilities. Use pencil only. If your schedule changes, erase unused times. If you do not arrive within 10 minutes of your scheduled time, the room is deemed first-come, first-served.
Drum set practice policy: Drumset may be practiced in 2222, 2240, 3137, 2326, or the third floor practice rooms. Drumset majors and those enrolled in Dana big band and combo courses are granted first priority. If you are a commuter, practice drumset at your home as that will significantly reduce the demand on our facilities and help free-up practice time for resident students, who obviously must practice on-campus. Sign-out drumset practice times in 2326 “band room” or 2222 “jazz studio” through the music office.
Instrument Care Guidelines
Congas & Bongos. Natural skin-heads should be loosened after playing to avoid damage.
Concert Snare Drums. Do not adjust tuning unless you have section leader approval. Avoid adjusting snares on Pearl Philharmonic drums until you have read the tuning article on the Pearl/Adams website.
Concert Bass Drums. Loosen both wing-nuts before re-positioning the stand to avoid stripping threads.
Timpani. Tune drum in opposite pairs and turn each lug a small amount rather than only turning several lugs (which destroys the tuning symmetry). No uncovered wood mallets without faculty permission.
Drum must be covered when not in use. Never set anything on the heads. Clean heads with cloth before and after playing. Do not adjust tension rods without proper training from the faculty. Bare wood timpani mallets are prohibited without Dr. Schafts’ permission, regardless of "what your part says" or what your ensemble director says. Forceful playing with any mallet may damage the heads if the proper stroke is not utilized. If you receive conflicting advice from your ensemble director see Dr. Schaft before using questionable mallets or excessive force levels. The solution is not always for you to play louder with harder mallets, often it's to get the ensemble to play softer.
Wood Temple Blocks and wood blocks. Only use soft rubber, med-soft yarn or cord mallets.
Keyboards.
Keyboard Mallets. Every keyboard should be covered when not in use. Do not place covers on the floor, rather, fold them interior inside. Do not touch the bars or use instruments as tables. In transport, lift frame over uneven surfaces.For rosewood bars you must own and use appropriate mallets - no exceptions. If your conductor requests volumes, force levels, or mallets that might damage an instrument, explain you are using the hardest mallet your teacher permits. If they persist, notify me and change to a synthetic bar instrument.
Rosewood Marimbas. Hard mallets may damage (crack) the bars, especially in the low register. If in question, do not use a mallet until approved by faculty. If you crack a bar you are responsible for its replacement. Mike Balter “green mallets” or similar hardness models should not be used without faculty permission
Rosewood Xylophones. Use extreme care in mallet selection as any rubber or plastic mallet harder than Malletech model #36 will dent rosewood bars. Never use a hard plastic mallet on rosewood. Rosewood mallets and the Grover model 4 poly-ball and the freer xylo mallets are acceptable.
Cartage fees. You should request a “cartage” fee from your employer for moving large equipment. Cartage is a standard reimbursement to compensate for time and labor. The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) locals usually include lists of the instruments for which you should receive cartage, including the fee schedule. For example, to move several timpani, a reasonable fee might be $35.00-60.00. Many orchestras have cartage conditions and terms in their contracts.
