the official blog of the Percussive Arts Society

Cancelled. This is a word that we’ve heard far too often about far too many things that are important to each of us. Graduations, concerts, summer camps, gigs, family gatherings, days of percussion, sporting events, and much more have each been removed from our calendars and replaced with a lot of waiting for when we might be able to get back to something more like normal. The first Monday of each month is typically reserved on this blog for upcoming events, but at this point, we unfortunately have nothing to share. Many in our profession are hurting financially. Some of us are enduring health issues, directly or indirectly related to the pandemic. All of us are suffering emotionally, at least to some extent. Despite all of this, there are still remarkable things happening within our percussion community!

 

Many of us are learning about and subscribing to each other’s YouTube channels and appreciating the excellence displayed. Lots of us are generating and distributing new digital content to share with colleagues and students. Recitals are being presented from living rooms and front porches, streamed for anyone to watch. Composers are sharing music to allow us to learn new pieces with whatever downtime and instruments we may have available.  Students are figuring out how to improve their four-mallet technique on the floor and how to practice timpani on a tenor pad, exploring or creating music for found sound instruments, and quickly becoming pros with audio and video software they’ve been waiting for an excuse (and a little time) to learn on their phone or laptop. Our drive to better ourselves and share with others has not been cancelled; rather, it has been amplified!

 

We are living through a once-in-a-lifetime event. The next weeks and months will still lack for some elements of normal. Through all of this, PAS remains committed to the same things that we see from many of you during this crisis: to further our art form by whatever means available for the benefit of our colleagues, our students, and our community.

 

Be safe, support one another, and Drum On!