Frank Arsenault

Frank Arsenault
Background information
Born	(1919-05-21)May 21, 1919 Chelsea, Massachusetts, United States
Died
Genres	drum and bugle corps, marching band
Occupation(s)	clinician, teacher, competitor
Instruments	percussion
Years active	1929 – 1974
Associated acts	The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, etc
Notable instruments
marching snare drum

Frank Arsenault (May 21, 1919 – December 26, 1974) was an internationally known American percussionist, teacher, and clinician in the areas of marching percussion, rudimental drumming, drum and bugle corps, and marching band. He was a full-time Staff Clinician and Educational Field Representative for the Ludwig Drum Company. He is also well known in his field for his signature playing style, for his many championship titles, and for his recording of The 26 Standard American Drum Rudiments and Selected Solos.

Career

A recap of Frank Arsenault's formative years describes a progressive sequence of superior achievements.

— William F. Ludwig

Frank Arsenault played rudimental snare drum in the field of competitive drum and bugle marching corps in the 1950s. He was associated with the Skokie Indians and the Chicago Cavaliers, being credited with both groups having risen to national prominence. He was a member of the Lancraft Fife and Drum Corps in North Haven, Connecticut.

Arsenault retired from competition in the 1950s. He then became a full-time Staff Clinician and Educational Field Representative for the Ludwig Drum Company, traveling extensively. He was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society's Hall of Fame in 1975.

The 26 Standard American Drum Rudiments and Selected Solos

The 26 Standard American Drum Rudiments and Selected Solos
Studio album by Frank Arsenault
Released	1950s
Recorded	1950s
Genre	instructional rudimental percussion
Language	English
Producer	Ludwig Drum Co.

See also: Drum rudiment for details on the 26 featured rudiments

List of selected solos:

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Originally produced in the 1950s on vinyl record, the recording was updated with a 1982 cassette format and a 2003 compact disc format, each featuring the same contents as on the original vinyl. These albums are distributed with their own printed copies of the respective rudiments and solos. Audio samples are available online from the Lancraft Fife & Drum Corps.

In 1960, there was an unrelated publication done by Arsenault's fellow contemporary master educator, John S. Pratt, consisting of the sheet music of just the standard 26 rudiments.

Critical reception

A 1962 Ludwig Drummer Magazine article hailed, "The Frank Arsenault recording of The 26 Standard American Drum Rudiments has become the basic guide for building percussionists in school music programs across the nation." In 1975, William F. Ludwig called it, "the acknowledged 'Bible' of rudimental drumming" and added, "A recap of Frank Arsenault's formative years describes a progressive sequence of superior achievements."

Now, what have we done with our American NARD rudiments? Well, for one, I am very proud of the fact that we have the best drummers in the world -- be it dance, concert or military. ... I could name many more of the famous percussionists who are rudimentally trained -- such as Bobby Christian, his son Norman Christian, Frank Arsenault, Mitch Markovich, etc., etc.

— William F. Ludwig, Sr., then President of the National Association of Rudimental Drummers, The Importance of Drum Rudiments

He was a perfectionist. Frank Arsenault had big arm motion but was very fast—a very open style with high attacks. He was a human machine.

— Ken Mazur, The Perfectionists: The History of Rudimental Snare Drumming From Military Code to Field Competition

Though never translating the rudimental range with original architecture like John S. Pratt or Mitch Markovich Arsenault nonetheless chronicled the accessible 26 Standard with sharp procedure adaptability, creating proficiency criteria—benchmarks—for generations of drummers.

— FutureRhythms.com

I was fortunate to be in the audience for this special night [in 1968] at the Civic Opera House. The Glenview (Chicago), IL-based Drum Corps Digest magazine presented this showcase featuring 10 outstanding drum and bugle corps, along with two featured soloists - Mitch Markovich and Frank Arsenault.

— Steve Vickers, publisher, Drum Corps World newspaper

Teaching

Notable students of Arsenault have included the following:

• Mitch Markovich: internationally famed author of traditional standard percussion classics "Tornado", "Stamina", "Four Horsemen", and more. He is the only person to ever become three-time consecutive undefeated National Champion, and to become five-time consecutive undefeated Illinois State snare champion. Markovich briefly took lessons from Arsenault. Reaching many achievements and accolades similar to Arsenault's, Markovich likewise served in The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps.

Family

Frank Arsenault's late brother, Eldrick J. Arsenault (1923—2004), was also a skilled and respected percussionist, as a fellow member of the Lancraft Fife and Drum Corps.

Death

Frank Arsenault died on December 26, 1974, due to a sudden heart attack. An obituary written by William F. Ludwig was sent to members of the National Association of Rudimental Drummers. Another obituary was written by the Percussive Arts Society.

External links

• A performance movie of Frank Arsenault on YouTube
• Official Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps website
• Drum Corps International
• "Who Took The Drum Out of Drum Corps?" by Mr. Ken Mazur
• Frank Arsenault Stories as told by Cavaliers
• 26 Standard American Drum Rudiments