The Percussion Area at Illinois State University is comprised of undergraduate and graduated students majoring in performance, music education, music business, arts technology, music therapy, and liberal arts.
Weekly one-on-one meetings between student and professor. Lessons focus on analysis and performance of exercises, etudes, and solos designed to grow the student’s technical abilities and musical expression. Areas of focus include concert snare drum, keyboard percussion, timpani, and multiple percussion, and may also include drum set and world percussion depending on the student’s need and/or interest. Private lessons culminate in an end-of-semester juried performance for a panel of School of Music faculty. Meeting times for private lessons are arranged by the professor and student at the beginning of each semester.
Masterclass is a group meeting for all students enrolled in Applied Percussion, and is scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-3:50 p.m. Classes occur in a variety of formats, including:
The Illinois State University Percussion Ensemble has been entertaining audiences with new works and classics from the percussion repertoire for years. Under the direction of David L. Collier and Ben Stiers, this ensemble performs everything from standard percussion literature to avant-garde to pop.
Percussion Ensemble is open to both majors and non-majors for credit. A solid background in all of the standard percussion instruments is required for participation in the group. This ensemble is dedicated to the development of the performer within a total percussion environment through the performance of medium to large ensemble works of every genre.
The facilities for the Percussion Area at Illinois State include the Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal Room, the Percussion Studio and six dedicated percussion practice rooms. In addition, each of the four large ensemble rehearsal rooms are fully-equipped with their own set of percussion equipment.