JAMIE ECKERT

Class of 2014

CADET / INSTRUCTOR / MENTOR

Cadet Years: Percussion/Front Ensemble/Pit (Late 1980’s)

Percussion Staff (1991-2005)

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HIS CADET STORY:

Many people are aware that Mr. Jamie Eckert marched in the Cadets’ front ensemble in the late 1980’s and served as an outstanding member of the percussion staff from 1991-2005.  It may come as a surprise to some that while his official instructional duties dealt primarily with the performance of the front ensemble, Jamie also served an essential, but far lesser known role with the corps: Unofficial-Official Drum Major Tech.

Jamie’s wealth of experience and knowledge, combined with his sense of humor and passion for excellence proved to be an indispensable resource for the drum majors that crossed paths with him.  Many drum majors learned the Cadets’ method of ensemble timing from Jamie. Although it may look from the outside as though the drum major is standing on the podium flapping his or her arms arbitrarily, there is far more that goes into the timing calculus than that.  No one person was more understanding of the learning curve and supportive of our efforts to understand the equation than Jamie.  He was always there to answer questions, give pointers, and just generally be a fantastic resource at every moment.

Jamie is a world-class educator, having served as the Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he has overseen and facilitated the education of countless young percussionists.  His work in the field of percussion instruction and performance continues to be a great credit to the corps and its history.