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 Chris Lizak 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 Townsend (Snare)
	Hey Texas Drums! I'm Tyler Townsend and I am the snare section leader this year. This will be my fourth year of school as a music education major. I've spent the summer teaching high school drumline and studying many types of music in Philadelphia. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to drum together, have questions about LHB, or just want to chill.
	email

Megan Shammo (Bass)
I'm a third 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!
email

	Gabe Durand-Hollis (Tenors)
	Hello, my name is Gabriel Durand-Hollis. I am going to be a second year pre-med double major studying psychology and biochemistry. I've been drumming on a drumline since my junior year in high school. I love to write music; the structure and patterns of music have always fascinated me, like how time gets stretched with many notes, and shortened with fewer. I'm kind of a quiet guy sometimes, but I'm always thinking about either the meaning of life, or I have some drum fill stuck in my head. Either way, I'm happy to be alive and be a Texas Longhorn!
	email

Storey Zimmerman (Cymbals)
Hellooooo! My name is Storey Zimmerman and I am a section leader for the cymbal section of Texas Drums. I am a second year section leader and a third year cymbal player, and I also dabbled in Big Flags my freshman year. I am a senior Public Health major, and if you ask me about parasites and poop, I can probably tell you all about them. I hail from the large metropolis of Uvalde, Texas (if you don't know where that is, get out from under your rock). This summer, I'm living in Austin, nannying and also working at the Department of State Health Services Refugee Health Program, and coming up with silly questions for the Longhorn Band Prospectives Facebook page. I'll be living with some of my best friends, a couple of cute kitties, and Zac Efron. I look forward to meeting all of you in August!
email

	Eric Lovay (Cymbals)
	Hey, my name is Awesome, but my friends call me Eric Lovay for short. I am a fourth year physics major from New Braunfels and this will be my fourth year in band and my third year as part of the drumline playing cymbals. I have played cymbals for most of my life, I was even a tech for a few years, but despite my cymbal history, I actually play bassoon with an even longer history in that. If you ever have any questions, just ask or say hi because I am a pretty cool person.
	email

Chris Lizak (Instructor)
Christopher Lizak is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance at The University of Texas at Austin, where he serves as the Longhorn Band Drumline Instructor. He earned his Master of Music degree from Northwestern University, where he also served as Drumline Instructor for the Wildcat Marching Band, and received his Bachelor of Music degree from The Ohio State University. Throughout his school career, Mr. Lizak has been fortunate enough to study with several noted percussionists, including Dr. Susan Powell, Joseph Krygier, Michael Burritt, James Ross, She-e Wu, Tony Edwards, and Dr. Thomas Burritt. Over the years, Mr. Lizak has had the opportunity to attend and perform in numerous master classes and seminars, and has performed at several conventions, including the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Midwest Clinic, and the Ohio Music Educators Association Clinic. Recently, he was a semifinalist at the 2011 Southern California Marimba Competition in Long Beach, CA.
email

	Corey Roberts (Webmaster)
	I'm a fourth year computer science major from Bastrop, and this will be my fourth year playing snare on the drumline. 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.
	email

William Vickery (Webmaster)
Well hello there ... I am William Vickery and I am a sophomore Computer Science Major. If it has to do with video games, comp sci, percussion, or England then I love it. Band is one of my top favorite things at UT and I love every moment of it. Hook'em, God Save the Queen, OU sucks, and hit me up on XBOX Live!!
email