I've been a percussionist for 17 years. It never ceases to amaze me how other percussionists at all levels do idiotic things that make either them or their ensemble look and/or perform badly. While playing a gig this afternoon, I felt compelled to write up a few tips to help large-ensemble (e.g. wind ensembles, orchestras) percussionists succeed in the non-technical aspects of their craft:

• Use flat surfaces (e.g. a horizontal music stand) with towels or other soft surfaces to put instruments, sticks, mallets, and other equipment on. You can never have enough.
• Do not put sticks, mallets, or instruments on anything other than a soft, flat surface. Putting these items anywhere else will either result in a) noise or b) something falling.
• Be conscious of your movement when picking up instruments, mallets or sticks. Do NOT be the guy who knocks something over during a gig. Be mindful of what you're doing at all times.
• Do not hang mallets between the bars of mallet instruments (e.g. vibes, marimba, etc). They're noisy too. Use a flat surface instead (see a theme here?).
• Be organized. Percussion parts often require more logistical planning than technical proficiency. Before a performance, make sure your stuff is set up for the first piece. Make sure you have a plan for how things will be set up for each piece during the performance.
• Despite the fact that most triangle clamps are in fact "clamps", do not use them as clamps. Hold the clamp in your hand when you play the triangle, and set the whole assembly down on a flat surface when you're done playing.
• Dynamics are relative. Composers aren't always that smart when it comes to writing percussion parts. So when you see a fortissimo (e.g. ff) dynamic marking for your bass drum part, don't take a baseball swing. Pay attention and be realistic about how loud or soft to play.
• Comform to the ensemble's tempo. Percussionists are bred to be precision timekeepers. Unfortunately most other instrumentalists are not, and you will lose if you try to fight them. If you are playing together with 50 other instruments and they're dragging down the tempo a little, go with the flow and fit in. If you're like me, it'll be like nails on a chalkboard, but if you don't conform it'll sound like crap.
• Listen to the ensemble. Percussionists are rarely taught to listen to the other instruments they are playing with. Make sure what you are playing fits in with the rest of the ensemble. Know what to listen for to make sure you're in time.
• Suspended cymbals don't need to be that loud. Some guys like to bash the hell out of suspended cymbals when they see a fortissimo dynamic marking (see relative dynamics above). Cymbals already cut through the sound of the rest of the ensemble without much effort, so you really don't need to crash them hard. If you really need a lot of cymbal volume, use two cymbals instead. A single cymbal hit too hard just annoys people (great for rock music, but not wind ensembles or orchestras).
• Get set up. Adjust the position of an instrument before you play it (e.g. a snare drum). Don't leave an instrument at a position that isn't comfortable for you just because someone else played it before you.
• Breathe while playing. Percussionists don't have to breathe to play their instrument, but you need to breathe because the rest of the ensemble breathes. Taking a breath before playing your first note allows you to breathe and play with the rest of the ensemble at the same time. Percussionists have a reputation for coming in early on an entrance because they don't breathe.
• Know how to fix broken/loose music stands. Those black Manhasset music stands are notorious for coming loose at the base. Just turn the nut on the underside of the base clockwise to turn it. Use a rag in your hand to help prevent getting grease on your hand. Loose music stands make very, very, very bad flat surfaces for holding stuff.
• Know how to fix and maintain percussion equipment. Unfortunately, a lot of percussion students aren't taught this stuff. For example, know how to adjust and replace the snares on a snare drum.

I'm a music nerd, so I get interested in these details. Percussionists often get a bad reputation for being stupid, and a lot of times they deserve it because they aren't following these tips. If you're reading this and you're a percussionist, I hope you agree with a lot of the points above.