One of the best performances of the year just so happened to take place in a small performance hall tucked into the side of University of Missouri at St. Louis. UMSL hosted a week long Drum Lab and Percussion camp lead by Matthew Henry. This camp featured guests artists: Tony Barbata, Kaleb Kirby, Emanuel Harrold, Terreon Gully,Kyle Sharamitaro, Brian Ferguson, Andrew Bethany, Michael Taylor, Dave Clark, and Josh Daly. Many of the artists listed are award winning performers, some with roots to the St. Louis area. Michael Taylor, Dave Clark, and Josh Daly helped to provide daily instruction to the students of the Drum Lab. Other guests provided valuable knowledge to students along with some pretty cool freebies.
This was no ordinary band camp, it pushed the students to better. It was challenging from day one. The instructors let the students know that the camp will push them out of their comfort zone, allow them to play some instruments they may not have access to, and give them a world class instruction in a weeks time. This is a tall feat to accomplish in such a short time. They learned the origins of various forms of music and how they all played a part in shaping some of the music you hear today. From frame drums to batas, the students played the simplest of drums up to complex rhythms on djembe (Gem-Bay).
All of their hard work was worth it as they put on a stellar percussion concert for the parents and family members. This performance took us on a short journey through the commonality and evolution of music through the progression of rhythm. Matthew lead the group in the opening set as he explained some of the instruments being used. Michael lead the group in a traditional Denadon rhythm as they chanted and played. Dave saved the best for last with a very fun and grooving call and response allowing the group as a collective to answer back. You would have had no choice but to dance and march if you heard them playing outside. It was a nice way to end their performance on a high note. It would be great to see this camp continue and to be able to expand. This camp provided experiences to play with and to learn from some of great artists while having fun.
