Why join the Rex Putnam Indoor Percussion program drumline?

If you want to get the best instruction from world class staff, learn teamwork, and develop a high level of musicianship in percussion and melodic instruments, this is an amazing opportunity. Musicianship, leadership, social skills, and lifelong friendships are formed here. 

Established in 2009, this award winning group has won gold/silver for the last eight years. Students take their training back to their choir, band, orchestra programs and level up the entire group with skills they learned in our program.

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

Rehearsals:  M & W 5:30pm-9:30pm. Once a month Saturday 10am-7pm block. Some block rehearsals on planned no school/Federal holidays. 

Competitions: Most Saturdays in February through early April. (Excluding spring break.)

Other gigs: We are the ONLY real competitive and high level percussion ensemble/marching percussion in the area. We tend to play more often. Battery plays more often than front ensemble at extra field trips to schools and events.

Winter Guard International (WGI) Sport of the Arts World Championships:

During travel years, we go to WGI in Dayton, Ohio for nationals to compete on a world stage. We do not travel every year. Watch our documentary for more details on WGI to learn more about our 2024 trip, our drumline, and how established this artform is across the country.

Parent Involvement:  We have a savvy, strong, and amazing drumline parent group that makes running a robust program like ours possible. Parents develop friendships, too, and contribute heavily with competition support, fundraising, logistics, and more. Every parent is not required for every event, but participation is encouraged and much appreciated.

Cost: *$900/year 2025/2026 (non-travel year). Next year’s cost TBD. We have successful fundraisers that students can use to pay for some or even all of the dues. Required items purchased by the student include shoes, black athletic pants/shirt, compression underwear, and (battery) knee pads. Hoodies or jackets are optional purchases. We provide everything else!

Our Staff: Rex Putnam Indoor Percussion’s staff is among the best in the world! We have staff who marched in top groups (Blue Devils, Blue Stars, Broken City, Blue Knights, Pulse Percussion, and Impact Percussion), University of Oregon marching band, and other groups. Staff has decades of professional teaching and percussion specialist master classes. For more information and bios, see the staff page on our website.

Drumline Retreat: August 21-24, 2026 for new and returning members at Twin Rocks (Rockaway Beach). Cost: $150

Summer Lessons: Available with some staff, please inquire with the director. This is not required, but can help prepare new members for auditions in August. 

Winter Break Mandatory Camp: During winter break there is a mandatory 3-day camp at Rex Putnam (not overnight) at which we learn as much of our competitive show as possible during longer blocks of time in the large gym rehearsal space. Dates TBD (usually just after Christmas).

Drumline Positions:

• BATTERY: snare, tenor, bass drums, cymbals

• FRONT ENSEMBLE: marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, piano/synth (one position), drum set, multi-percussion rack (an entry level position), synth/electronic/sampler position

• VISUAL ENSEMBLE: part theatre/dance, these positions are trainable (experience with dance or confident body movement is helpful but not required). Visual ensemble dues are lower due to less rehearsal time.

NEXT STEPS:

• Call the director, René Ormae-Jarmer, at (503) 704-1934, email: reneormaejarmer@gmail.com, or fill out our website contact form to connect or if you have questions

• Check your schedule to make sure you can attend rehearsals and competitions. (Full schedule for next season currently in development)

• Join our BAND app in July (our main communication tool for the team)

• Prepare for retreat at the beach and/or auditions

We are so excited for you to be a part of Rex Putnam Indoor Percussion! Our members love the community, friendships, and home they’ve found here. From the members, staff, and parents, we welcome you!

Sincerely,

René Ormae-Jarmer

Director & Caption Head