Smith Mallets Endorsers

Terry Beckler

Northern State University - South Dakota

Terry Beckler currently serves as Percussion Professor and Assistant Director of Bands at Northern State University. Prior to his appointment at NSU, Beckler served as Director of Bands at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN and Director of Bands at Huron University. He also has ten years of public school experience as band director for the Red Rock Central (Lamberton, MN) and Sioux Valley (Volga, SD) school districts. Beckler has been a member of the 147th Army Band based in Mitchell, SD for over twenty years. He enlisted in 1986 as a percussionist and since 1998 has served as commander/conductor of this group. In January of 2006 the 147th Army Band was awarded the Howard Citation of Musical Excellence administered by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. Beckler currently holds the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3. He is an active clinician in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota and a former member of the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps.
 

Raymond A. DeMarchi

Percussion 

 Ray is a native of Buffalo, New York. Ray came to Kansas City to complete his Masters of Music degree at the conservatory of music at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. He has served as an adjunct-faculty member at the University of Missouri, Johnson County Community College, and William Jewell College, where he teaches percussion, and directs the jazz bands. He also is the drum line instructor for various high schools in the Kansas City area. As a private instructor, many of his students have been selected to perform in state bands, and have been awarded college scholarships.
As a percussionist, he has performed a wide variety of musical styles with various organizations, in Kansas City including, Music Theater at Starlight Theater, Opera with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Ballet with the Kansas City Ballet and Missouri State Ballet companies. He is also a regular player with the Kansas City Symphony. He is a founding member of the percussion groups Sticks of Thunder, and Tri Percussion. With the Russ Long trio, he has backed up such artists as Pete Chrislied, Bud Shank, the late Claude "Fiddler" Williams, Karrin Allison, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Steve Allen, Etta James, The Moody Blues,Kansas, The Who, Chic Corea, Mark O'Conner and many others. Ray can be heard on over 30 CD's with various artists, and can be seen playing on a regular basis around Kansas City.
Ray has been married to his wife, Dody, for ten years, and they have a beautiful 8 year old boy named, Joseph. His favorite past time is golfing, golfing and more golfing.

Paul Heckel - Jazz Musician

Paul has been an active player in the New England jazz scene for over 30 years. His recent recording with bassist John Hunter reflects his current focus on Jazz Duos and Trios where the music resembles improvised conversations among friends.

Paul started playing drums at age 10 and has been actively gigging since he was 16. He's played in a wide variety of settings: from backing up a crew of singing waiters and waitresses to an orchestra and chorus performing Carl Orff's Carmina Burana; from a local college bar to the main stage at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Paul started playing mallet percussion instruments in high school and began seriously performing on the vibraphone while attending the University of New Hampshire.

Paul received a Bachelor of Music degree, with honors, from the University of New Hampshire in 1978. While at UNH he studied in Boston with Arthur Press, Percussionist & Timpanist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and professor at the Boston Conservatory of Music.

Paul has had the opportunity to play with many world-renowned jazz artists including: Buddy DeFranco, Dizzy Gillespie, Barbara London, Clark Terry, Joe Williams, and Phil Wilson. He has also played with many well-known regional players including: John Hunter, Erika Hunter, Charlie Jennison, Mike Markaverich, David Seiler, Paul Verrette, and the late Tommy Gallant. He taught drums and vibes for many years and was the owner of the Seacoast Percussion Studio in Durham, New Hampshire.

As a member of the Barbara London Quartet Paul played vibes on her Northern Portrait album. While at the University of New Hampshire he recorded an album with Clark Terry and the UNH Jazz Band playing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland; the album also included recordings with Joe Williams recorded at the university.

Paul's venues have included: Portsmouth Music Hall, Tamworth Inn, Mt. Washington Hotel, White Mountain Hotel, Red Jacket, Press Room, Oar House, Dolphin Striker, Johnson Theatre, SS Thomas Leighton, Horse Feathers, The Hurricane, The Stone Church, Wentworth by the Sea, Saunders, Acorns at the New England Center, Portsmouth Market Square Day, Concord First Night and Portsmouth's Prescott Park.

Matt Henry

University of Missouri - St. Louis

Matt Henry has a deep-rooted love all things percussive with a particular interest in the drumming of Africa and Latin America. During his years of performing throughout the United States, Mr. Henry has been influenced by many drumming masters; among them Max Roach, Jeff Hamilton, Madou Dembale, Mamady Keita, and the drummers of Les Ballet African. Eventually he plans to travel overseas to Cuba and West Africa in order to enhance his knowledge of the culture and music of the people who live there.

Since his arrival to St. Louis in 1996, Mr. Henry has conducted a number of clinics on African and Latin percussion concepts at area schools and Universities as well as presenting at the International Association of Jazz Educators Convention in New Orleans. Towards the latter part of his undergraduate career, he began a four year stint as African music coordinator and clinician for the Center of Human Origin and Cultural Diversity at the University of Missouri- St. Louis. In 1999, Mr. Henry attained a Bachelor degree in Music Performance from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. After teaching percussion, electronic music, guitar, music theory and serving as assistant director of bands at Clayton High School for three years, Mr. Henry completed work on a Masters Degree in Orchestral Performance.

As an educational endorser of Latin Percussion Incorporated and Smith Mallets, an artist with Young Audiences of St. Louis and being represented by Talent Plus Spotlight, he is in great demand as a teacher and clinician. Mr. Henry has held positions as Principal Percussion and Timpanist with the Webster University Orchestra and the Gateway Festival Orchestra. In 2006, Mr. Henry was host to the Missouri Percussive Arts Society’s annual Day of Percussion and helped to facilitate the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s Percussion Festival. In 2007 he presented a clinic entitled “Clave: The 2 and 4 of Latin Music” at the Missouri Music Educators Association conference. Mr. Henry performs regularly with the salsa orchestra Solucion Latina, the percussion duo HaZMaT, the Nuclear Percussion Ensemble, and leads the Latin Jazz group Musica SLESA; all whose members are constantly raising the bar as performers of contemporary percussion music.

Brian "Choppy" Massimo

Choppy's passion for the arts stems as far back as the age of 12, when he performed as a soloist with the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra. He then spent four years with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dudley Powers. He has studied with such greats as Web Dowed, Joseph Favaro, Karen Peterson, J.D. Salmon, Mike Balter, Bernard and Caryl Stiner, as well as sectional studies with Gordon Peters, a member of the Percussion Hall of Fame and former percussionist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Choppy has been a private percussion instructor in the Lake County area for over 30 years teaching everything from drum set to orchestral percussion. He has been on the staff of LEAP, Learning Everything about Percussion, the 2003 and 2004 World Champions of indoor drum line/ensemble competition of WGI (Winter Guard International) percussion independent class "A". Winning back-to-back gold medals is a first in the 25-year history of the WGI. Along with being a percussion instructor for the Zion Conservatory of Music, Choppy is principal percussionist for the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra and the newly formed Chicago Land / North Shore group, "Full Score Chamber Orchestra." Choppy has also held the principal percussionist positions with the Waukegan Municipal Band and the Zion Chamber Orchestra, 2000 Illinois's Chamber Orchestra of the Year.  Choppy can also be seen playing as a sub for the North Suburban Symphony Orchestra. Choppy continues to perform in several professional projects ranging from classical, contemporary Christian to heavy metal.

Ron Sikes

Freelance Percussionist

Director of Music, Jefferson R-VII, Missouri

Percussion & Jazz Band Instructor, Jefferson College

Ron Sikes began teaching in the Jefferson R-VII School District (Festus, Missouri) in 2000.  His responsibilities include Guitar Class, 5th Grade Band, 6th Grade General Music, 6th Grade Band, 7th/8th Grade Band, and 7th/8th Grade Jazz Band.  Sikes is also on faculty at Jefferson College where he teaches Jazz Combo, Jazz Band & Applied Percussion.  Sikes maintains a private studio of percussion students from the surrounding area.  The bands and students under his direction have consistently received distinguished ratings and accolades at various festivals and contests.  In 2005, 12 members of the Jefferson R-7 Jazz Band auditioned and were selected to be members in the first-ever “East Central Jr. High Jazz Band.  A total of 23 were selected.  In addition to his many teaching responsibilities, Sikes maintains a busy schedule as a composer, percussionist, drum set artist, and jazz vibraphonist.  Currently, Ron performs with the Funky Butt Brass Band & Gumbohead, a Zyde-Funk (zydeco and funk) group in St. Louis that pays homage to New Orleans’ rich musical heritage.  Along with writing music for Funky Butt Brass Band & Gumbohead, he also writes music for school bands, available through JPM Music Publications.

Mr. Sikes earned a Bachelor’s of Music Education degree in 1999 from University of MO-St. Louis.  While at UM-St. Louis, he participated in numerous ensembles, including the Wind Ensemble, the Jazz Ensemble, the Pep Band (also served as arranger), Percussion Ensemble and the AFRO-Cuban Ensemble.  Ron has been influenced by some of the finest educators, including Mark Trautwein, Brad Madson, Dr. Claude Baker, Dr. William Richardson, Marvin Sparks, Jeff Hamilton, and Dennis Reis.  In 2008, Ron Sikes completed is Masters in Educational Administration from Missouri Baptist University.

Sikes’ professional affiliations include the Missouri Bandmasters Association, Phi Beta Mu, Music Educators National Conference, Missouri Music Educators Association, Missouri State Teachers Association, and Percussive Art Society.  Sikes was given the “Blue Jay” award for his years of service and dedication to the Jefferson R-VII District.  Sikes remains active as performer, teacher, and clinician throughout the area.

Justin Sorensen

Where does music come from?  How do I create?  How do I challenge the listener as well as myself?  Is being a musician the same as an artist?  Am I content with writing music just to write or do I require a greater vision? 

All of these questions seem to have one theme, with that being, why do I create?  This I believe to be at the root of every artist no matter the medium one works with.  Through my years of studying music I have learned that vision leads to inspiration.  This being the element that is essential to creating truly original art. 

My background, which has taken me from the University of Washington in Seattle where I studied jazz with Marc Seales, Doug Miller, and Tom Collier to my current residence in Manhattan, NY, has been one of extreme ups and downs.  It has included a shifting paradigm in how I think and feel about music.  I have gone from intently studying scale patterns of jazz legends to finding greater interest in questions of why.  No one will argue that John Coltrane was a genius and freethinker when it came to his reinvention of the saxophone.  But what intrigue’s me is not the notes he played or how he played them, it is why did he play them?  Where did that come from?  Was it conscious, intentional, or was it an organic process of life that occurred somewhere within him?

In the present, I am an artist that uses the vibraphone to create soundscapes that suggest everyday occurrences in life.  Soundtracks to, where we are, where we go and what we do.  I am creating music that has relevance to all inhabitants of the world I live.  Most recently I have been involved with working on scoring music for dance and movies as well as my own performance pieces that deal mostly within the broad spectrum of ambient sound.

www.mysapce.com/dases3

www.myspace.com/dasvibenbass

www.dasvibenbass.com