The concept of a percussion closet is not understood by my university.

topgun2021

topgun2021

Gold Member
First, let me explain how we store equipment. Two full drum sets, timpani, bass drum, concert snare, and mallet instruments are kept in the main room. Everything else is stored in a closet type space. A door with a key lock protects it.

This is how we have to access the room:
Step 1: Card access to an organ practice room is needed.

Step 2: A key is needed to open a lock box that contains other keys for rooms in the band room (and possibly other room in the music building).

Step 3: Open the percussion closet with the key from the lock box


The major downfall of this method is that ANYONE WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE LOCK BOX HAS ACCESS TO THE PERCUSSION CLOSET. Even if they are not percussionists.

So far this semester a floor tom was missing for a month, a bunch of mallets and stick got disorganized, the sound equipment closet is missing cords, people borrow percussion without asking, and right now the bongos are missing and I need them for a song.

I liked our old system better where only percussionists were issued keys to our closet.
 
I'll make some phone calls.

Lol JK I have no clout lol.

I think you should present yourself and your concern to the powers that be.
 
larryace said:
I'll make some phone calls.

Lol JK I have no clout lol.

I think you should present yourself and your concern to the powers that be.
Click to expand...

We have.

Our security department is obsessed with key control since a roommate I had went around campus cussing out loud and going into classrooms to verbally cuss out professors (Yes, that actually happened). After that they changed out the locks on everything.

Even this year, it took them a month to give me card access to the band room. After the head of music and myself emailed them > 5 times.

I think it is time we put our own locks on the door.
 
Giving other percussionists keys will not help the missing stuff. When I was in college, I was a percussion major for a couple of years. We each had a key to the room where all the percussion was stored. Kind of like your closet. One percussion major a year younger than me had a drug problem and one day we go into the room to pull out all the stuff we needed for rehearsal and the room had been cleared out. All the cymbals, stands, and concert snare drums were gone. The drum set cymbals, marching and suspended cymbals, MY cymbals, all of them. He took my double pedal as well. They never could prove it was him. He bragged about it at parties though. A few months later he set his dorm room on fire, stole a car out of the dorm parking lot and got into a high speed chase with the state troopers down the interstate.
 
DrumDoug said:
Giving other percussionists keys will not help the missing stuff. When I was in college, I was a percussion major for a couple of years. We each had a key to the room where all the percussion was stored. Kind of like your closet. One percussion major a year younger than me had a drug problem and one day we go into the room to pull out all the stuff we needed for rehearsal and the room had been cleared out. All the cymbals, stands, and concert snare drums were gone. The drum set cymbals, marching and suspended cymbals, MY cymbals, all of them. He took my double pedal as well. They never could prove it was him. He bragged about it at parties though. A few months later he set his dorm room on fire, stole a car out of the dorm parking lot and got into a high speed chase with the state troopers down the interstate.
Click to expand...


I probably should have included that I go to a christian university, so that issue is extremely unlikely to happen. There are also individual lockers available for personal equipment. Also, there are a grand total of ~>10 people who need keys.
 
Apparently it was time to come out of the closet. ;)
 
At Portland State, we had the standard pratice room key that everyone had, as well as a key to the one practice room with a marimba in it, a key for the percussion studio, a key for the percussion closet, and a key to the wind symphony room (where the nice timpani are stored. Yes...FIVE keys!

Maybe you can ask the percussion professor to spring for a new lock for the percussion closet, and make some keys to pass out to the percussion students so only you guys have access to it. A new, solid lock: $30. Copies of the key: $2 a piece. Pretty low cost for instrument insurance. If you could prevent even ONE item from being stolen, you've made your money back...
 
Pocket-full-of-gold said:
Yet you have missing gear, no?

Obviously all christians are above board.........Must be those thieving pagans. ;-)
Click to expand...

Well, no one is going to sell all our cymbals for drug money.

Te culprits are usually choir conductors. This time no one knows.

Good news is that the adjunct jazz prof has his own set we may need to borrow.

caddywumpus said:
At Portland State, we had the standard pratice room key that everyone had, as well as a key to the one practice room with a marimba in it, a key for the percussion studio, a key for the percussion closet, and a key to the wind symphony room (where the nice timpani are stored. Yes...FIVE keys!

Maybe you can ask the percussion professor to spring for a new lock for the percussion closet, and make some keys to pass out to the percussion students so only you guys have access to it. A new, solid lock: $30. Copies of the key: $2 a piece. Pretty low cost for instrument insurance. If you could prevent even ONE item from being stolen, you've made your money back...
Click to expand...

Then security will flip out. Not fun t deal with. They usually not rational people.
 
topgun2021 said:
Then security will flip out. Not fun t deal with. They usually not rational people.
Click to expand...

It's not security's percussion items. Your percussion professor should have an instrument budget for the year, for repairs, new heads, triangles, etc. This is a very worthwhile expense. Let your professor talk some sense into the security guards. If no sense can be talked into them, screw 'em and do it anyways. Seriously!
 
topgun2021 said:
First, let me explain how we store equipment. Two full drum sets, timpani, bass drum, concert snare, and mallet instruments are kept in the main room. Everything else is stored in a closet type space. A door with a key lock protects it.

This is how we have to access the room:
Step 1: Card access to an organ practice room is needed.

Step 2: A key is needed to open a lock box that contains other keys for rooms in the band room (and possibly other room in the music building).

Step 3: Open the percussion closet with the key from the lock box


The major downfall of this method is that ANYONE WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE LOCK BOX HAS ACCESS TO THE PERCUSSION CLOSET. Even if they are not percussionists.

So far this semester a floor tom was missing for a month, a bunch of mallets and stick got disorganized, the sound equipment closet is missing cords, people borrow percussion without asking, and right now the bongos are missing and I need them for a song.

I liked our old system better where only percussionists were issued keys to our closet.
Click to expand...

Topgun- have you considered coming out of the closet- LOL!
 
Pocket-full-of-gold said:
Yet you have missing gear, no?

Obviously all christians are above board.........Must be those thieving pagans. ;-)
Click to expand...

Leave me alone, I wasn't there I swear xD (Yeah I'm Pagan and what ;) )

But be glad you have three locks on it essentially.

We didn't have anything at mine.

A cupboard next to a class room that was used for chimes, timps, samba and every other instrument save the three kits we had.
So much stuff got moved around and nicked by other students.

The drum kits were behind two locked doors but once the class room was open, the two back rooms were also then opened. If the teacher went out only the first door (to the classroom) was locked so anyone could go in really if they had a key or knew someone who did.

The cupboard was never locked.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top