Jersey Surf’s Mobile Music Lab Brings “Drum Jawn Percussion Carnival” to the TIA Atlantic Coast Championships in Wildwood

WILDWOOD, N.J. — April 22, 2026 — The Mobile Music Lab, a community music program of Jersey Surf, Inc., today announced the inaugural "Drum Jawn at the TIA Atlantic Coast Championships" -- a free, participatory percussion carnival taking place on Sunday, May 3, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Wildwoods Convention Center in Wildwood, New Jersey. The event is presented in partnership with the Tournament Indoor Association (TIA), with production assistance provided by Marimbapad.com.

Drum Jawn is a percussion festival unlike anything typically offered at a competitive marching arts event. Rather than a clinic, master class, or seated demonstration, Drum Jawn is designed as a drop-in percussion carnival -- a circuit of hands-on discovery zones where participants of all experience levels pick up instruments they have likely never played before, guided by specialist facilitators in a welcoming, informal environment.

"Drum Jawn is built around one idea: put an instrument in someone's hands and let the music take over. The TIA Atlantic Coast Championships gives us a ready-made audience of students who already love percussion – and we get to show them a world they may have never explored."  —Rich Klimowicz, Director of Operations, Jersey Surf, Inc.

Four Discovery Zones. One Percussion Carnival.

Discovery zones will run simultaneously throughout the four-hour event, with participants free to move between stations at their own pace. No registration is required. There is no schedule to follow. Planned zones include:

• Community Drum Circle -- A facilitated, drop-in drum circle anchoring the event, led by a Remo-trained Mobile Music Lab specialist. Open to all levels. Facilitated by Mike Merk and the Mobile Music “Lab Rats” facilitation team.
• Scottish Pipe Band Drumming -- An introduction to the distinctive rhythmic traditions of the pipe band, featuring hands-on time with authentic pipe band snares and tenor drums. Presented by the Bell School of Piping and Drumming, hosted by pipe band drumming competitive champion and adjudicator Gordon Bell.
• Steel Pan -- A hands-on exploration of the Caribbean steel pan tradition, guided by a specialist and open to participants with no prior experience. Presented by J.K. Percussion & Arts. Session hosted by Kristian Paradis, Music Director of the Resolution Steel Orchestra.
• World Percussion -- A hands-on exploration of global drumming traditions -- djembe, talking drum, frame drum, and beyond -- guided by a specialist and open to participants of every background and experience level. Hosted by world percussion specialist and Jersey Surf alum Carl Barone who brings more than 30 years of professional experience inspired by the global sounds of Brazilian, Haitian, Cuban and West African rhythms.

Each zone is facilitated by a percussion specialist in that tradition. The event is designed to be immersive and participatory -- not a passive viewing experience. Every person who walks through a zone is encouraged to play.

About the Event

What: Drum Jawn at the TIA Atlantic Coast Championships -- a free percussion carnival featuring four simultaneous hands-on discovery zones.

When: Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10:00 AM -- 2:00 PM

Where: Wildwoods Convention Center, Wildwood, New Jersey

Admission: Free and open to all TIA Atlantic Coast Championships attendees.

Music Lab General information: mobilemusiclab.com

Drum Jawn is part of a growing series of community percussion events being developed by the Mobile Music Lab under the Rhythm Hang brand -- a scalable, participatory percussion festival format designed for Mid-Atlantic markets. The Wildwood activation represents the first major public debut of the Drum Jawn concept in a competitive marching arts setting.

"We are excited to welcome the Mobile Music Lab and the Drum Jawn experience to the Atlantic Coast Championships. This is exactly the kind of activity that makes a championship weekend memorable for students and families beyond the competition floor."  —Timothy Bean, Tournament of Bands / Tournament Indoor Association

About the Mobile Music Lab

The Mobile Music Lab is a community music program of Jersey Surf, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New Jersey. Operating a purpose-built mobile classroom and event production platform, the Mobile Music Lab delivers hands-on music experiences to schools, community organizations, and public events across the Mid-Atlantic region. Programs include participatory school assemblies serving up to 200 students simultaneously, community drum circles, music production and DAW education, and the Drum Jawn / Rhythm Hang percussion festival series.

The program is generously supported by partners including MarimbaPad™, Majestic Percussion, Mapex Drums, Jupiter Musical Instruments, Remo, Zildjian, Vic Firth, Stadium Creations, Yorkville Sound, On the Field Audio, On2 Percussion, Ultimate Drill Book, Treeworks Chimes and The Presser Foundation.

About Jersey Surf, Inc.

Jersey Surf, Inc. is a New Jersey-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with more than 35 years of history in music education and the performing arts. Originally founded as a competitive drum and bugle corps, Jersey Surf has evolved into a broad-based community music education organization, delivering programming through the Mobile Music Lab across schools, community centers, health and wellness events, and public activations throughout the region.