Percussion Camp
With our professional instructors, Thomas Roblee and Joan Wenzel, students will experience and explore classical and world percussion through group lessons, ensemble rehearsals, and a culminating performance. They will develop greater skills on percussion instruments in three primary categories:
- Standard Percussion: Students will learn and play pieces on snare drum, mallet instruments, and timpani. The techniques we discuss will elevate each student’s overall percussion knowledge and performance ability.
- Percussion Ensemble: Students will learn and explore percussion instruments through exciting music of the percussion world. As a group, we will learn percussion ensemble repertoire to perform on the final concert, including the premiere of a new piece.
- World Music: Students will play drums from Africa, steel pans from Trinidad, and other instruments from countries across the world. We will play traditional music on these instruments during the final concert.
Thomas is an Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Walsh University.
Before his current position, he was a music educator in Alliance City Schools for 3 years and The College of Wooster for 8 years.
Thomas is timpanist with the Tuscarawas Philharmonic Orchestra and percussionist with the Ohio Light Opera Orchestra.
Thomas has performed concerts with orchestras on marimba, timpani, steel pans, and world percussion.
He was solo xylophonist during two tours of the Eastern United States with the Scot Symphonic Band and
continues performing percussion events regularly. Thomas works actively with Educational Service Centers of Ohio and local schools,
presenting demonstrations of traditional African percussion music and creating cultural exchange opportunities with Ghanaian dance troupe Saakumu.