Ron Abate performed for a number of drum and bugle corps, including Steel City Ambassadors and Rochester Crusaders, beginning in 1974, but his most important contributions have been off the field. A highly regarded trumpet performer, he is a member of the International Trumpet Guild and the American Federation of Musicians. He has been a clinician with the Crane School of Music, specializing in pageantry arts seminars. He also conducts visual design and performance clinics. He has been a judge for a number of organizations, including Drum Corps Associates (DCA), Drum Corps International (DCI), Ontario Drum Corps Association (ODCA), Missouri and Texas state judging associations. He has served as designer, program co-ordinator, visual technician and consultant with both Rochester Crusaders and Empire Statesmen. He has also been designer for more than two dozen color guards and high school marching bands from coast to coast.