Tapspace Up Front by Jim Casella & James Ancona
How many books exist about drumline technique, method, and instruction? There are tons of texts that cover this topic. The front ensemble however, has little material discussing marching front ensemble specific techniques and aspects of performance.
That's where Up Front by Jim Casella and Jim Ancona comes in, to fill this void with an all inclusive book on everything pit related. Up Front explores the numerous details that go into successful front ensemble performance, including equipment needed, instrument ranges, instrument care, transporting equipment, playing technique, exercises, how to teach front ensembles, how to arrange, and much much more.
This text has more than enough information to help any player or teacher of any level, drawing from the vast experience of Casella and Ancona, who have helped the development of the front ensemble into the integral part of marching performances that it is today. This is a must have for educators who want to maximize their groups potential and ability, helping to cast light onto one of the areas that people tend to over look.