If you ask teachers of music education what types of technology they rely on, they'll usually cite music-theory software, notation software, instrumental-instruction programs, sequencers, intelligent-accompaniment programs, and keyboard labs. A few teachers might mention the gear in their on-campus recording studios. And almost all teachers who have Internet access can cite favorite music-education Web sites. These are core products for music educators, and you read about several of them in every issue of MET.

Venturing beyond core products, readers of MET's “Teacher's Toolbox” column have discovered amazing tools such as electronic tablets that display digitized scores, databases for tracking supplies and grades, instructional software documenting the sounds and uses of orchestral instruments, and innovative music-education software for children of all ages.

There's much more to music technology, however, than the above products. For example, did you know that you don't need a keyboard to trigger synth sounds? Are you aware of MIDI violins, violas, and cellos? You can also find electronic wind instruments, MIDI guitars and basses, and much more.

MET will eventually cover all of these things, but in this issue we'll discuss an electronic instrument that you have probably heard of but may not have considered using in your program: electronic percussion. Electronic drums have been around for many years but, until recently, few educators took advantage of their potential. That's an unfortunate oversight we hope to correct, because these instruments have tremendous educational potential.

This issue's “Spotlight” feature (see p. 12) explores how Center Grove High School's champion Indoor Percussion Ensemble makes excellent use of electronic percussion for drumline and marching band. The Greenwood, Indiana, ensemble's primary use of electronic percussion is to play traditional percussion sounds, but that is merely a starting place: one can use electronic percussion controllers to trigger any sound or audio loop that you can trigger from a keyboard. As you will learn from the story, the Center Grove troupe even triggers typewriter sounds in their new show.

The Center Grove Indoor Percussion Ensemble is necessarily limited by the rules of the Winter Guard International (WGI) competitions in which they perform. Furthermore, their mobile shows require that they play single drum pads mounted on marching harnesses. But you can also use electronic hand percussion and even entire electronic trap sets from companies such as Roland, Yamaha, and Alesis to trigger complex audio loops, MIDI sequences, and any type of synth sound, and not just traditional percussion sounds.

So as you read this issue's cover story, think about ways to take this technology even further in your program. If you use your creativity to give your students a fresh way to think about percussion, their imaginations will surely take them to musical spaces you never anticipated.