the official blog of the Percussive Arts Society

HIT LIKE A GIRL
2022 Contest Encourages Girls and Women to “Choose Drums”
The 11th annual edition of the Hit Like a Girl international contest for female and gender non-conforming drummers and beatmakers opened for entries on March 1. The online event aims to celebrate, elevate, and cultivate female drummers and beatmakers by showcasing thousands of participating players of all ages and levels from all around the world.

“Over the past 10 years, as Hit Like a Girl was becoming a movement, the growth of female drummers has had a dramatic impact on the drumming community and beyond,” says HLAG Executive Director David Levine. “This year we will continue to accelerate the momentum by amplifying our message that girls can play drums and do whatever they choose.”

For the 2022 contest, HLAG has once again partnered with Beats by Girlz, SoundGirls, the Percussive Arts Society, and other leading music education organizations. HLAG’s Ambassador program has expanded into nearly 50 countries outside of North America, including Russia, China, Australia, Ukraine, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Mexico, France, the UK, India, Turkey, and Japan. In addition, this year’s judges represent a generation of elite players from around the world who didn’t exist a decade ago.

Other HLAG 2022 highlights include: 2022 spokesperson Hayley Brownell, drummer for pop music sensation Olivia Rodrigo; weekly contests presented by Hudson Music; mini contests sponsored by LP (accessory percussion), Millenium Drums (electronic percussion), and Melodics (sample flip); more than $50,000 in prizes and awards sponsored by the world’s top drum and technology manufacturers, distributors, educators, and media; and additional Hit Like a Girl programs that support girls and women, including Impact, Drum Summit, and StickTogether as well as Heroes 2: a team of exceptional young drummers and beatmakers who are online friends and role models to their peers.

For complete rules, schedule, judges, sponsors, prizes, and other information about Hit Like a Girl 2022, visit hitlikeagirlcontest.com.

Past Champions to Compete in “Challenge of Champions”
Hit Like a Girl has announced “Challenge of Champions,” an exclusive, new, online event that will pit the ten champions of past female drumming contests against one another. Under a specific set of rules, the players will all be required to use the same basic drumset configuration with no electronics or double pedals, and they will all be expected to produce a performance video using the same backing track.

“The ‘Challenge’ track was commissioned by Hit Like a Girl and Beats by Girlz and composed by leading finger-drummer and beatmaker Gnarly,” explains project manager Megan Spencer. “The track and the other restrictions are intended to make our ‘Challenge’ even more challenging for these 10 players, who are already recognized as being among the best drummers in the world.”

“Challenge of Champions” drummers include De’Arcus Curry (2012), Val Sepulveda (2013), Riesha Fayson (2014), Lindsay Artkop (2015), Helen de la Rosa (2016), Helly (2017), Calsey Tory (2018), Amanda Dal (2019), Liza Chepkovskaya (2020), and Wiktoria Bialic (2021).

Hit Like a Girl will post the participants’ videos for public viewing throughout the competition and plans to live stream the judging phase at the end of the contest in early May. Final details about “Challenge of Champions” judges, prizes, and dates are pending and will be released as they are confirmed.

For additional information about “Challenge of Champions” and other Hit Like a Girl activities, visit hitlikeagirlcontest.com. To learn more about Beats by Girlz, visit beatsbygirlz.org. 

PEARL
Summer Internship Program
Following a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, Pearl Corporation is pleased to announce the return of its Summer Internship Program.

This internship program provides a wide range of opportunities for students to gain real-world insights into the marketing and distribution of percussion instruments in the United States. Intern placement is within Pearl’s Marketing and Sales departments with emphasis placed on drum set, marching percussion, concert percussion, and hand percussion product lines. A limited number of places for internships are available.

This year's application deadline is Friday, April 1. To learn more and apply, visit pearldrum.com/about-pearl/internships.

PMC
Board of Directors Expanded
The Percussion Marketing Council (PMC/PlayDrums.com) announced the appointment of new members of the organization’s Board of Directors, effective February 2022.

Joining long-time board members Stacey Montgomery-Clark from Sabian and Jennifer Paisley from Alfred Music are David Cywinski, sales manager, drums and percussion, at Hal Leonard; Antonio Ferranti, president of Proel North America/Tamburo Drums; Dendy Jarrett, executive director of Gibson Gives Foundation; and Matt Rudin, marketing manager, drums, at Yamaha Corporation of America; along with artist representative David Stanoch (drum set artist and educator) and retailer representative Shane Kinney (owner Drum Center of Portsmouth).

Furthermore, PMC is pleased to welcome three first-time member companies: Aquarian Drumheads, Low Boy Custom Beaters, and Tamburo.

“We are excited to have several percussion manufacturers and new board leadership sign up to help PlayDrums.com gain momentum in 2022,” said Antoinette Follett, PMC Executive Director. “This is a great opportunity to include new leadership perspectives in our Board of Directors. The all-volunteer PMC Board governs the direction and impact of our many initiatives. I am excited to have these new individuals add their voices to the collective bench strength of the board, which is intent on growing the market for drums and percussion.”

Teaching Artist Funding 
As this year’s NAMM Foundation grant award returns the Percussion Marketing Council to pre-pandemic funding levels, the PMC/PlayDrums.com invites percussive arts leaders and organizations to apply for funding to bring interactive drumming events to more communities in 2022.

Individuals and organizations who offer drumming and percussion-related experiences are encouraged to apply to be accepted as a 2022 PlayDrums.com Experience Drumming facilitator and receive stipend funding for each educational event they lead at a local venue.

The PMC is very interested in recruiting a diverse new set of artists/educators to energize the public about the joy and benefits of drumming. Events can be co-sponsored with various venues, such as schools, afterschool programs, libraries, and senior centers.

While remaining cautious as public health issues continue, the early months of the year are the perfect time for interested parties to complete the Facilitator Form and become familiar with the process for co-sponsoring events in communities with the PMC. Details can be found at PlayDrums.com/request-for-proposals.