Have you heard any drumbeats coming from the Fine Arts building? You just might be hearing the Percussion Ensemble practicing.

From June 5-16 this summer the UTM Percussion Ensemble will be touring Brazil and playing an array of different cultures’ music.

Julie Hill, the new assistant professor of Percussion, is highly regarded as a performer specializing in contemporary and world percussion. Hill stated, “We try to choose a variety of age groups, our mission being to educate young people by teaching peace, knowledge, and tolerance of world cultures through percussion music.”

When the percussion ensemble tours they do a presentation entitled Musical Celebrations of Africa. Hill believes that, “By focusing on the cultures of Cuba, Trinidad, and Brazil, and demonstrating how these cultures have been affected by the blending of African music with the indigenous music and European music of the colonized countries, students learn to observe how differing societies are formed and interact through the evolution of music.”

Adrian Baker, a senior Music Education major, said, “The UTM Steel Band West Tennessee tour was a great experience for everyone.”

According to Baker, touring is not just a performance. “It was very much an educational presentation. We discussed and demonstrated how different rhythms were brought through slave trade to many areas and mixed with other rhythms, creating new and exciting sounds.” The ensemble believes each presentation is, “Much more than an exciting concert, this complete program allows students to gather information through listening, participating, observing, and visualizing,” Baker says.

Hill, with the help of Stan Sieber is organizing the trip to Brazil for the percussion ensemble. “I want to take the students there to study percussion, but also to observe the culture first hand, seeing how music can change lives and bring people together when it is used to its potential. I am sure it will be the experience of a lifetime and I am grateful to have this quality time to spend with them.”

Percussion is still evolving and creating new instruments every day according to Hill. “When I got the job at UTM last spring… I told my percussion professor and dear friend at the University of Kentucky, James Campbell, that I really wanted to start a world music program to add to the fantastic traditional percussion program that was already thriving.” Hill asked if the UTM music department might borrow UK’s old set until UTM was able to purchase their own and Campbell agreed to the arrangement.

Hill went searching further trying to find a way to have the full steel drum band. “I went to David Belote and Teresa Woody to see if they could help us get started. Through their generosity, we were able to purchase two additional lead pans thus giving us a full steel drum band.”

The UTM Percussion Ensemble has an upcoming concert where you will get the opportunity to see and hear an assortment of many different instruments including the steel drums before they go off to Brazil in June.