the official blog of the Percussive Arts Society

Rhythm! Scene, the official blog of the Percussive Arts Society, just turned one-year old, and what an interesting year it was! Thanks to the efforts of many PAS staff members, most notably Marianella Moreno and Hillary Henry, we were able to frontload the blog with over 100 posts from the past six years of R!S in its digital magazine format. Since January 1 of last year, we have added well over 100 new posts, ranging from HotLicks to R!Solos, from product showcases to industry news, and from educational articles to interviews and profiles, all free and fully available to anyone with an internet connection and an interest in the percussive arts!

One of the things I was most excited about as the year began was the flexibility for the R!S blog to keep our community up to date on upcoming events, concerts, workshops, and seminars. Instead, in what continues to be a trying year for our performing arts and educational community, the flexibility allowed us to post information about cancellations, rescheduling, moves to online formats, and a disappointingly high number of In Memoriums.

Despite that, I believe the R!S blog allowed us to connect with each other and share what we could to continue moving forward, despite the difficulties and frustrations. Practice-at-home tips and stories about COVID adaptations were highlighted in our summer content. The last few months have included reports of several successful online workshops and the promotion of an upcoming one, along with a feature on a virtual recording project centered on significant works in our historical rudimental drumming canon. We profiled 42 university percussion professors from around the country and hope to do the same with as many as 50 freelance percussionists in 2021. With any luck, by the time summer rolls around, we’ll be able to resume our plans to keep you posted on workshops and events that allow us to gather together and learn about and celebrate percussion!

So, subscribe, check-in regularly, tell others about this resource, and if you are so inclined, contribute with articles, interviews, or news of your own. In order for this resource to be most impactful, news and content should be generated from and by you, our percussion community, so if you have an idea for an article, email me anytime at jgottry@pas.org. PAS is your society, and the Rhythm! Scene blog is your publication. I look forward to curating this resource for the coming year on your behalf!