Faculty Advisor

Juan Carlos Espinosa

Location

GC Ballrooms

Start Date

30-3-2016 9:00 AM

End Date

30-3-2016 10:00 AM

Session

Session 1

Session Topic

Poster

Abstract

Just as the human heart was essential to the survival of man and is involved in every biological system within our body, Percussion was essential to the growth of culture and traces of its reach can be found in almost everything we do today. Communication, expression, religion, and entertainment, the use of percussion is often overlooked and labeled simply as instruments struck to make music. My project is an original musical piece for Snare Drum and electronic tape. Through the piece I plan on highlighting the percussive instrument’s growth alongside humans and the ways in which it has been modified to fill specific niches in modern cultures. Composition of the piece was driven by the early history and use of percussive instruments. By investigating what lead me to be a percussionist and why I continue to dedicate countless hours a week to practicing and perfecting what many argue will mean nothing to me in a few years, I was driven to understand why the first percussionists began experimenting with sound in the first place and what the instruments meant to them. Through the project I aim to approach percussion as if it were another physical living system within our bodies, necessary to our existence as a species and a culture. Ideally after the completion of the project, individuals will have a greater understanding of the link between humans and percussive instruments, and will approach percussion in a way that will allow them to appreciate the history that this class of instruments represents.

File Type

Poster

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Mar 30th, 9:00 AM Mar 30th, 10:00 AM

Beating Life (Percussion Performance Piece)

GC Ballrooms

Just as the human heart was essential to the survival of man and is involved in every biological system within our body, Percussion was essential to the growth of culture and traces of its reach can be found in almost everything we do today. Communication, expression, religion, and entertainment, the use of percussion is often overlooked and labeled simply as instruments struck to make music. My project is an original musical piece for Snare Drum and electronic tape. Through the piece I plan on highlighting the percussive instrument’s growth alongside humans and the ways in which it has been modified to fill specific niches in modern cultures. Composition of the piece was driven by the early history and use of percussive instruments. By investigating what lead me to be a percussionist and why I continue to dedicate countless hours a week to practicing and perfecting what many argue will mean nothing to me in a few years, I was driven to understand why the first percussionists began experimenting with sound in the first place and what the instruments meant to them. Through the project I aim to approach percussion as if it were another physical living system within our bodies, necessary to our existence as a species and a culture. Ideally after the completion of the project, individuals will have a greater understanding of the link between humans and percussive instruments, and will approach percussion in a way that will allow them to appreciate the history that this class of instruments represents.

Rights Statement

Rights Statement

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