Photo courtesy of Spencer Erickson
Who doesn’t like the sound of drums? Snow College prides itself in its music programs, and the percussion ensemble is busy preparing for their concert in November.
The upcoming performance will be on November 6th at 7:30 pm in the performance hall of the Eccles Building. One concert is planned for the fall and another will follow in the spring.
The school’s percussion instructor Jay Lawrence was asked which piece from the upcoming concert excited him the most. He expressed, “I like them all. I’m trying to give the students an exposure to the various fields of percussion- Marching, Chamber, Body, Ethnic, Jazz… This concert will be a success because Snow College students are working hard and other students will support them. The Fine Arts program has advanced in every way- a new state of the art building, expanded faculty, a 4 year degree, and a partnership with Juiliard.”
One of these mentioned students is Jake Naugle, who explains that “the main reason to come to the percussion concert is to grasp different styles of music. I know from my experience as a musician that as you experience other styles of music your musicianship will progress dramatically. For those that aren’t musicians, this is the most interesting and exciting school concert of the year.”
The concert will feature a variety of pieces. A song called “Me, Tarzan” features the human body as the only instrument. “Minuano (Six Eight)” is a song based in Latin rhythms and “Blue Rondo a la Turk” is a tune by a late jazz-pianist re-arranged for percussionists.
The upcoming concert will feature many instruments, as these SNOW College percussionists are challenged to learn to play different pitches and rhythms in different styles of music.
There is only one chance this fall to see what the drummers are preparing. Come see the concert, and you are sure to tap your foot as you listen.
Spencer Erickson
Spencer Ericksen is sophomore here at Snow College, and is a first year writer for the Snow Drift. He is from Payson Utah, and is hoping to major in Journalism once he finishes here. Spencer has a music scholarship in the music program as a percussionist, and has been playing since he was thirteen. He plays in the pep band, symphony orchestra, wind ensemble, and the percussion ensemble. He hopes to graduate this spring, and transfer to the University of Utah next fall. Spencer lived near Ansbach, Germany, with his family for five years between the ages of eight and thirteen. He served a full time mission for the LDS church in Lima Peru, and returned in June of this year. Being the well rounded person that he is, he also has experience in working construction.