RMPA Newsletter #4

Welcome to the fourth RMPA Newsletter of the 2026 season! With our first contest just two weeks away, this edition is packed with resources designed to help your ensemble hit the floor with confidence. We are incredibly grateful to the contributors who provided their time and insights for these articles.

We are looking forward to connecting with many of you this Sunday at Monarch High School for the Judge Training session!

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

• Submit any Hall of Fame submissions here.
• Nominations are due by March 1.
• Final schedule for RMPA Show #1 at Monarch High School will be posted on rmpa.org by tomorrow, January 31.

• Sunday, February 1: 2026 RMPA Judge Training @ Monarch HS

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

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.

Ward Durrett is a Ft. Collins Colorado based percussionist and educator. As a performer his musical

contributions can be found in the swing and jazz genres, where his educational contributions can be

found almost entirely in the outdoor and indoor competitive drumline activities.

Colin Spear is a music educator, composer, and adjudicator specializing in percussion. He holds degrees from the University of Colorado Boulder (B.M. in Percussion Performance) and CU Denver (M.Ed.). In 2025, he was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Percussion Association Hall of Fame.

Colin currently teaches general music at Flatirons Elementary in Boulder while remaining active as a composer, clinician, and adjudicator. From 2006–2025, he directed the Monarch High School percussion program, leading the percussion ensemble to 10 RMPA State Championships and two WGI PSO Finals appearances, as well as being an integral member of the design and education team that earned the Coyote Marching Band back-to-back runner-up finishes at the 4A CBA State Championships. He also designed, composed and taught with the Blue Knights Percussion Ensemble from 2013–2024. Colin proudly endorses Vic Firth sticks and mallets.

Mike Nevin has compiled a couple of great resources for this edition of the RMPA newsletter. There is some really helpful advice on physical health and well-being for percussionists, as well as a collection of video links for Auxiliary Percussion Technique.

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.