Percussion

University of Jamestown offers a breadth of experiences for the college percussionist. Traditional and world percussion ensembles along with private lessons are central to the program. Large ensembles include the University of Jamestown Wind Ensemble, The Pride of the Big Orange drumline, Jazz Ensemble, and the Big Orange Pep Band.

Percussion Camp

Every summer University of Jamestown runs a percussion camp for high school students. We would love to have you involved!

Drumline

The drumline perform at all home football games and various other games on campus. It is open to any student currently enrolled at the University. There is no audition, students only need to have a high school level of proficiency on their instrument.

Ensemble Room

For smaller percussion ensembles the University of Jamestown is fortunate enough to have the Nierling Ensemble Room designated for percussion ensembles. This space provides an intimate setting in which to make music.

Practice Spaces

There are currently two practice rooms dedicated to percussion instruments. One has a drum set and a concert snare drum, while the other has a set of timpani and a vibraphone for student use. The Nierling Ensemble room is also available for use by percussionists for practice when not in use by the percussion ensemble. This room is home to a vibraphone and two marimbas. The main rehearsal space for the concert band is available as a practice space, as are the other practice rooms in Reiland Fine Arts Center.

Percussion Ensemble

Percussion ensemble is the primary chamber experience for percussionists. Experiences will vary from duos and trios to larger ensembles. Percussion ensemble also includes world percussion. This encompasses music of Cuba, Brazil, Africa and India.

Percussion Lessons

All percussion majors are given a weekly private lesson with Dr. Kihle. Lessons are designed to provide a foundation for success in a student’s chosen profession upon graduation.

Private lessons are also open to non-majors who wish to study percussion. Lessons can include drum set, keyboard percussion, timpani and snare drum. See Dr. Kihle for more information.

World Percussion

World Percussion opportunities at the University of Jamestown include traditional Cuban folkloric music, Brazilian music, Ghana ensemble and Indian tabla.

Dr. Kihle has had a wide variety of world percussion opportunities in his career. During his time at the University of Northern Colorado he studied and performed Cuban music with Michael Spiro on various occasions. At Kingsville, he traveled to Austin, TX to study steel pan with CJ Menge. Dr. Kihle also studied Tabla at Texas A&M University-Kingsville with Dishant Thakkar, a native of Ahmedabad, India. He founded the world percussion program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, overseeing the purchase of steel drums and starting Cuban and Brazilian groups.

OURPeople

Jason Kihle, D. A.

Assistant Professor of Percussion and Assistant Director of Bands

701-252-3467 ext. 5455

Jason.Kihle@uj.edu

Committed to helping you succeed — both in and out of the classroom.