PSC Percussion Day Scheduled for January 18

Educators, students and community members are invited to participate in Prairie State College (PSC) Music Department’s free Percussion Day event, “All About that Bass Drum,” from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, in the Conference Center on the college’s main campus, located at 202 S. Halsted St. in Chicago Heights.

Co-sponsored by the PSC Foundation, the daylong event features percussion workshops, clinics and performances, and brings together a number of accomplished musicians and educators who will share their years of experience to benefit participants.

The day will open at 7:30 a.m. with check-in and registration. Participants will have an opportunity to meet the clinicians, followed by a panel discussion and demonstration featuring Percussion Curriculum and Methods. Additional sessions will include “Stick Control: Hands-On Session,” “Drum Set Pedagogy” “Miking and Recording Drums,” “Afro-Cuban Drumming,” and “Show Style and Corps Style Drumlines.” The afternoon includes lunch, and will conclude with a concert featuring the Homewood-Flossmoor High School Percussion Ensemble, conducted by Tremaine Love, and the VanderCook College of Music Percussion Ensemble, conducted by James Yakas.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for local musicians to learn from the best in the business,” said PSC Professor of Music Valerie Nicholson. “We are grateful that these artists take time out of their busy schedules to come to the PSC campus and share their knowledge and skills with our community.”

About the Clinicians:

PSC Professor Jonathan Pierre is a composer of commercial, film, electronic dance music (EDM) and game music, as well as studio production. Formerly at SAE Institute in Chicago, he is an associate professor and coordinator of the Music Production and Technology program at PSC.

Phillip Crews is a nationally respected band director, jazz drummer and percussionist, and has served as a conductor for several ensembles. He teaches at Rich Central High School and Birch Creek Music Summer Academy and conducts the PSC Wind Ensemble.

Y.L. Douglas currently is touring with recording artist and composer Barry Manilow. Under Douglas’ former leadership as director of bands at Thornridge High School, the Thornridge bands won several competitive events.

Jim Yakas is director of Percussion Studies at VanderCook College of Music. Yakas has worked extensively with the Drum and Bugle Corps, performed at festivals in Trinidad/Tobago and Seoul, South Korea, and has done fieldwork research in Ghana, concentrating on the Ewe culture.

Rubén Alvarez has performed with numerous artists, including Junior Wells, Dave Mason, Patricia Barber, Slide Hampton, Arturo Sandoval, Chuchito Valdes, Ramsey Lewis and Sones de Mexico. He has studied both folkloric and popular Cuban musical styles, earning a performer’s certificate from the Escuela Nacional de Los Artes in Havana, Cuba. He has been a featured presenter at both national and international conferences.

Greg Bimm has served as director of bands at Marian Catholic High School since 1977. Under his guidance, the band has developed into one of the premier programs in the country, earning hundreds of awards. He has been active with Bands of America for decades, is an in-demand clinician and has received many prestigious honors.

Angelo Makrapoulos assists Bimm as percussion instructor at Marian. He is an alumnus of the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps.

About PSC’s Music Department:

Whether you want to earn a degree or certificate in music production, an associate degree in Music Education or Performance, are taking classes for a general education requirement, or interested in one of our performance ensembles, the PSC Music Department has something for everyone. For more information about the music programs offered at PSC, visit prairiestate.edu/music.

To register online for the January 18 event, visit prairiestate.edu/percussionday, or contact Nicholson at vnicholson@prairiestate.edu or Kevin McNulty at kmcnulty546@prairiestate.edu.