In Memoriam

Rupert Kettle

Rupert Kettle died Wednesday, May 11, 2005 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Raised in Grand Rapids, his earliest percussion teachers were Walter Walski and Donald Patterson. Later, in New York City, Kettle studied with Henry Adler, Doug Allen (keyboard percussion) and Alfred Friese (timpani). His composition and/or arranging teachers included Henri Gibeau, Ted Maters, Teije Ito, John Cage and Richard Cone.

Kettle was the author of countless articles on percussion playing, which appeared in Down Beat, Modern Drummer, Percussive Notes, and various other magazines. His music, published by Studio 4 Music and HoneyRock Publishing Company, is performed worldwide. Since 1965, Kettle devoted himself primarily to being a professional private teacher, first in New York City, then in Grand Rapids. Kettle's commitment to education and his abilities as a teacher were acknowledged by Aquinas College in 2000, when the school bestowed upon him the honorary degree of doctor of fine arts. Kettle taught percussion, band methods and percussion group at Aquinas.