The percussion studio held the Lower-Division Recital in Kirmser Hall Tuesday night. The show featured 16 students from the percussion studio showcasing talent on instruments like the marimba, snare and more. Once the lights near the back of the hall dimmed, silence fell and the recital commenced.
“The recital is for the percussion studio to have a chance to perform in a live setting, in a more formal setting in front of their peers,” Brian Anderson, graduate student in music, said.
Kirsten Votaw, junior in music education, performed a piece titled “Etude VII” by Michael Udow and Chris Watts. Votaw said she chose this piece from her music book and enjoys it because it has no set tempo or set notes.
“It’s spatial,” Votaw said. “However close the notes are together is how fast you play it.”
She said the piece took two weeks to prepare both in and outside of lessons. After her performance, Votaw said she believed she did well.
“I tried to really articulate the slurs in the music considering there is no tempo change or dynamic markings, so I had to throw in my own musicality to it,” Votaw said.
Ryan Strunk, sophomore in music performance, said he had memorized his piece, “A Cricket Sang and Set the Sun” by Blake Tyson, played on the marimba. He said he chose it because he thought it was a beautiful piece.
“(I) just loved it the first time I ever heard it,” Strunk said.
According to Strunk, the piece took him a few weeks to prepare, practicing for two or three days per week for a few hours during each practice.
“You can always do better,” Strunk said after his performance. “There’s no such thing as a good performance.”
Skyler Roth, sophomore in chemical engineering; Courtney Turner, sophomore in music education; and Jeremy Reynolds, sophomore in music education, performed “Dream Sequence #1” by Tracy Thomas on the marimba as well.
While the majority of students performed pieces on the marimba, Madison Howbert, freshman in music education, and Matt Tidwell, sophomore in applied music, performed pieces on a snare drum.
Christine Vavra, sophomore in applied music, said she enjoyed the sounds of music as an audience member and that she thought the performers did well.
“They knew their music,” Vavra said. “They definitely portrayed that.”
Overall, Votaw said she thought the recital went well too.
“I think it went really well,” Votaw said. “It’s a really great experience for all the new people coming in, especially with the lower division.”
