RMPA Newsletter #5

Welcome to the fifth RMPA Newsletter of the 2026 season! It's the week of the first competition of the season, and in less than two months the RMPA season will all be over. This time of the year the weeks fly by, hopefully you can find time to enjoy the journey and celebrate the small victories along the way.

In this edition, find a presale link to tickets for the Monarch show this weekend (of course tickets are still available at the door as always). Also in this edition is a great article on setting up for your concert ensemble, a recap of our recent judge training, advice on implementing feedback from critique, and a collection of links to battery warmups and non-competitive percussion ensembles.

Best of luck to all the performers and staff as you take the floor for the first time this season,

Colin Spear

President, RMPA Board of Directors

• Check and DOUBLE CHECK your Competition Suite information!
• Submit any Hall of Fame submissions here.
• Nominations are due by March 1.
• You can find the final schedule for the Show #1 at Monarch High School HERE
• If you would like to purchase tickets for the Monarch Show, please click HERE

• Saturday, February 14th: RMPA Regular Season Show #1 @ Monarch HS
• Saturday, February 21st: RMPA Regular Season Show #2 @ Frederick HS
• Saturday, February 28th: RMPA Regular Season Show #3 @ Lakewood HS

On Sunday, February 1, all of the local RMPA judges as well as over 20 instructors and other members of the RMPA community gathered to hear from long-time WGI adjudicators Jim Dwyer and Rich Hammond. Check out the links below for a recap of the event and an abridged transcript.

RMPA Hall of Famer Kathy Marvin took the time to write an article about how she goes about setting up her Concert Class ensembles. For a full bio on Kathy, click here!

Shilo Stroman is a Senior Instructor of Percussion and Jazz at Colorado State University. He recently served as the Artistic Director and Front Ensemble Arranger for the Battalion Drum and Bugle Corps in Salt Lake City, UT and arranges marching band and WGI shows for high schools across the country. A versatile performer, Mr. Stroman’s credits range from playing triangle in symphony orchestras, electric bass in salsa bands, drums in funk bands and flower pots in chamber groups. He presents clinics and adjudicates festivals and competitions throughout the country. He is a Yamaha Performing Artist and proud endorser for Sabian, Vic Firth and Evans.

Mike Nevin has compiled a couple of great resources for this edition of the RMPA newsletter. There are some great examples of Battery Warmups as well as a few great examples of non-competitive high school percussion ensembles.

Mike has been a driving force for the indoor percussion activity in Colorado since it's inception, and continues to play an active role in supporting the growth of RMPA and percussion in general. For a full bio on Mike, click here.