Thomas Aungst is the percussion arranger and caption head for the eight-time DCI World Champion Cadets of Bergen County. He started his percussion career in 1979, where he marched as a snare drummer for the Reading Buccaneers Senior Drum and Bugle Corps. He marched with that group for two years, during which they won the DCA World Championships.
In 1981 he began marching with the Garfield Cadets, who later became known as the Cadets of Bergen County. In 1985 he became the snare tech, and four years later took over the program from Thom Hannum, becoming the caption head and arranger for the their percussion section. During his time with the corps, they have been DCI World Champions eight times. In addition, the percussion section has won High Drums eight times with Aungsts’ participation. In 1996, the Cadets played under Aungsts’ direction in the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympics held in Atlanta Georgia.
Besides Aungsts’ responsibilities with the Cadets, he is the director of percussion for Dartmouth High School in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where he has been for the past nine years. Included among the awards for the Dartmouth High School percussion ensemble are their WGI World Scholastic Championship trophies from 1998 and 1999.
Aungst is the author of the instructional video entitled Rehearsing the Contemporary Percussion Ensemble, which is published and distributed by the Cadets of Bergen County. He is also an active clinician and endorser of Yamaha percussion, Vic Firth sticks, Zildjian cymbals and Remo drumheads.
