About Texas Drums

Texas Drums is the University of Texas at Austin drumline that performs with the Longhorn Band, composed of 10 snares, 6 tenors, 5 basses, and 12 cymbals. Texas Drums can commonly be seen at the LBJ parking lot, the Bubble, Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium during game days, and Double Dave's on Tuesdays.

Frequently Asked Questions

Auditions
What if I don't make Texas Drums?
If you do not make Texas Drums, your band week is not necessarily over. There are additional ways to be involved in the Longhorn Band that include the Big Bertha Crew and the Big Flags Brigade.
What are my chances of making the (insert section here) line if I do (insert practice routine here)?
Everyone has an equal opportunity to try out for Texas Drums. Both prospective and veteran members must try out for a spot on the line. Unfortunately, we are unable to tell you how good your chances are, regardless of what section you try out on. Just come with the music in your hands and the desire to be on the line!
How many people try out on average?
The numbers vary from year to year, but you can probably expect 20-25 people trying out per section. Recall that veterans also must try out, and thus are included in this number.
When will next year's audition material be posted?
Most of our warm-ups and exercises tend to stay the same, so what you see from last year will probably stay the same, with slight modifications. We may change up some tags for certain warm-ups. The main piece of music that changes every year is the audition etude, and these will show up around mid-July (or as soon as they're finalized).

Clinics
I'm currently in high school/not going to college next year. Can I still go to the clinics?
Yes. We only ask that you send an email to Alexander Casimiro prior to attending any of the clinics. Remember that these clinics are geared towards prospective percussionists who plan to attend UT, so please come prepared!
When will next year's clinic dates be posted?
They will be posted around the end of the spring semester.
Do we need to bring sticks? And if so, what type of sticks do we need to bring?
We recommend that you do bring your sticks. While we do have sticks for each drum, that won't be enough to cater to everyone. You can bring whatever type of sticks you want! We use Ralph Hardimons for snares and MT1A/MT1A-S mallets for tenors.

General Info
How does early move-in work?
First, you must submit an email to the band office stating that you are auditioning for the drumline, and you live in a dormitory on campus. This will waive the fee for early move-in for you. Early move-in typically happens during the days of auditions. Since auditions are segmented by sections, you may do early move-in after your part of the audition is complete. It is strongly recommended that you do your activities after your part of the audition is complete. This way, you won't have to feel rushed with moving your stuff in.
When are rehearsals?
Texas Drums rehearses on Mondays at 5:30-8:30, Tuesdays at 6:20-8:30, and Thursdays at 5:30-8:30.

Miscellaneous
I have a problem with the website.
With the launch of any updated website, there are always bound to be broken links, bugs, and potentially incorrect information. If you think you have a found a problem, please contact the webmaster and leave any comments relevant to the page error.
Where can I buy a Texas Drums shirt?
While we don't sell our merchandise to the public (yet), if you know someone who is on the line, they can buy you a shirt for a given price.

Section Leaders & Staff

	Tyler "Rusty" Townsend (Snare)
	Major: Music Education
	email
Hey Texas Drums! I'm Tyler Townsend and I am the snare drum section leader. This will be my fifth year of school as a music education major. I've spent the summer teaching high school drumline and taking summer classes. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to drum together, have questions about LHB, or just want to chill.

Megan "ShamWow" Shammo (Bass)
Major: Architectural Engineering
email
I'm a fourth year architectural engineering major from Houston. I am the vertically challenged bass drum player that is most likely dancing, smiling, or laughing (or all three) at any given point in time. College football season is one of my favorite times of the year. I also enjoy watching and attending all kinds of other sporting events, especially University of Texas ones. Hook 'em!

	Gabe "Pancake" Durand-Hollis (Tenors)
	Major: Psychology Pre-Med
	email
I love drumming and Robert Downey Jr.

Catherine "Zeta" Whited (Cymbals)
Major: Classical Archaeology
email
Oh hi there! My name is Catherine Whited and I am one of the two cymbal section leaders for the 2012 marching season. I'm going into my third year as a Classical Archaeology major (think Indiana Jones, but less Nazis and more digging). This is only my third year as a cymbal player; my lowly origins lie in playing the oboe (so if you've never marched or played cymbals before, no worries!). Houston is where my home is, and this summer I'll be staying there working as a Chick-fil-A cow and playing Super Mario 64. I'm super excited about getting to meet all of you! Feel free to shoot me an email or friend me on Facebook if you have any questions!

	Eric Lovay (Cymbals)
	Major: Physics
	email
Hey, I am Eric Lovay and I am one of the cymbal section leaders for Texas Drums. I am a fifth year physics major from New Braunfels and this will be my fifth year in band and second year as a section leader. I enjoy a good laugh, playing video games, and am known for being quite the automotive enthusiast including a fair bit of track experience here and there around Texas. So far I've had a great experience here at UT and I am really looking forward to the upcoming year. If you have any questions or believe you have a funny joke, feel free to contact me.

Corey "Miyagi" Roberts (Webmaster)
Major: Computer Science
email
I graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in computer science this past semester, and I'm from Bastrop, Texas. I was a member of the Texas Drums snareline from 2008 to 2011. I'm Asian, and so naturally, I know how to make a fine batch of rice. I'm also the head webmaster of this site! I enjoy playing videogames, programming, and attending UT football games. Some of my favorite moments in football while being with the band have been this, this, this, and this.

	William "Slick" Vickery (Webmaster)
	Major: Computer Science
	email
Well hello there ... I am a junior Computer Science Major and have been a member of the bassline (3) for the past two years. Playing with Texas Drums and being apart of the band have been amazing experiences here at UT. I love every moment of it, but I wont blabber on. If it has to do with video games, programming, or percussion (I also love to write music), or England then talk to me about it. If you have any questions about the site then please feel free to email me or anyone on this page.Hook'em, God Save the Queen, OU sucks, and hit me up on XBOX Live!!!

Alexander Casimiro (Instructor)
Major: Doctor of Musical Arts: Performance
email
Alexander Casimiro is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a Masters degree in Music Performance from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he also minored in Information Technologies. In Omaha, Alex adjudicated frequently in both the outdoor and indoor marching circuits. Also during this time, he served as the percussion teacher at Creighton University and performed with the Omaha Symphony. At UMass, Alex performed in the Minuteman Marching Band for four years, under the direction of George Parks and Thom Hannum. Alex served as the section leader of the UMass drum line from his sophomore through senior years, and then continued to teach the line in 2009. During this time, Alex also studied marching percussion arranging both privately and in a classroom setting with Thom Hannum. Alex is the writer and instructor for the Trash Tones percussion group at Six Flags New England, while also being an original member and performer of the group. Alex has been a member of numerous competitive marching ensembles, including the Silver Knights, the Targets, the Spartans, the Boston University Winter Percussion Ensemble, the Madison Scouts, and the Cadets. He has had the pleasure of teaching a variety of marching ensembles including Jersey Surf, the Blue Stars, Dojo Winter Percussion, Shepherd Hill Regional High School, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and Omaha Central High School. Alex has had the honor of performing at special events such as the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Barack Obama's Inaugural Parade, George W. Bush's second Inaugural Parade, the 2005 New England Patriots Super Bowl Ring Ceremony, Craig Mello's Nobel Prize Banquet, a concert with the band KANSAS and the Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra, and a performance with the Boston Pops and the UMass Marching Band. In recent years, Alex attended the Leigh Howard Stevens Summer Marimba Seminar, the Zeltsman Marimba Festival, and the Chosen Vale International Percussion Seminar. Alex currently studies with Dr. Tom Burritt. In the past, he has studied with Dr. Tomm Roland, Ayano Kataoka, Thomas P. Hannum, and Ken Yoshida. In drum corps, Alex was also fortunate enough to march under the direction of Colin Mcnutt, Tom Aungst, Lee Beddis, Jeff Queen, and Chris Dufault. Alex is an active member of the Percussive Arts Society, the Vic Firth Education Team, and the American Federation of Musicians.

Questions, comments, and feedback can be sent to the webmaster