Ensemble to perform using
unusual style
By Anna Herkamp
Staff
Writer
Music does not require expensive instruments and
large amounts of government funding to sound good. The Purdue Percussion
Ensemble is determined to demonstrate just how versatile music can be
using unconventional methods.
This year, members of the Ensemble will display
their talent using objects many people would never have thought they
would see at a band performance.
One example is "Balloonology," a piece
from this year's concert, "In Pulse," which features performers using
balloons to create music.
It will be a primary example of how everyday items
can be used to make enjoyable sounds. Percussionists will use some techniques
that are rather unorthodox to the musical world, such as rubbing the
balloons against their teeth and body, said Kathy Matter, public relations
director of Purdue Bands.
Pieces such as these help challenge the attitudes
that people have about what can be done with percussion, said Matter.
Most people don’t get much exposure to Purdue Bands outside sporting
events, but this concert allows people to see instruments that are only
used in a concert setting, she said.
Every year the Ensemble tries to create a new crowd-pleasing
piece that incorporates a variety of different sounds, said Matter.
According to a press release from Purdue Bands, the performers will
be blowing up and letting the air out of the balloons to play songs.
One song everyone will recognize will be "Jingle Bells," said
Matter.
"Stick Shtick," a piece that features
wooden poles as instruments, is another piece that is sure to grab everyone’s
attention, she said.
One of the major highlights of the evening will
be Michael Bottorff’s performance of a portion his marimba concerto
that won the Purdue University Concerto Competition this past February.
Bottorff, a senior in the School of Liberal Arts, also played bass drum
for Purdue’s All-American Marching Band.
In addition, Bottorff, who also teaches percussion,
will be showing off his students from Tri-County High School, whom he
has been working with for about a year and a half.
The Ensemble has been practicing the pieces since
the beginning of the semester. Although the entire group only meets
once a week, several hours practicing are spent individually.
Jack Moreland, Purdue percussionist and sophomore
in the School of Technology, said that he is looking forward to playing
pieces that show that music, especially percussion, can really be played
anywhere.
Monica Boothe, a sophomore in the School of Liberal
Arts and also a member of the Ensemble, has been playing percussion
since high school. She said she has continued to play for as long as
she has because she enjoys performing as well as learning the vast variety
of music written for percussion and the different instruments that are
involved.
n "In Pulse" will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday
at the Elliott Hall of Music. Admission is free.
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