Ithaca College Percussion

Our final IC percussion graduate is Anna Young. Anna Young (she/her), aka the studio mom and the A in A7, is graduating with a B.M. in Music Education.
My favorite piece that I've performed at IC is Steve Reich's Mallet Quartet. This was a piece that my percussion Quartet, A7, and I performed and worked very hard on. It was the first piece we ever learned together, for our Freshman Studio Recital. I think that the memories associated with learning, rehearsing, and performing this piece make it my favorite piece that I have played at IC. I also loved playing Ivan Trevino's "SEESAW". It was such a cool piece in terms of content and just the way it was played, with chopsticks on a guitar! I also loved the children's concert with all of the Moana arrangements! (Which she arranged for the group).
There are so many great IC percussion memories that it's so hard to choose. I think my favorite memories are any of the ones hanging out downstairs in Percussion Alley. We had so much fun there. From playing basketball, to fighting with swords, to singing loudly - we pretty much did everything down there. It was really amazing to have a place like that in the school, especially during my first year here. The IC Percussion Studio is a family. The Alley was always a place where someone from your family was.
As for future plans, I'm currently applying to jobs! My plans are to teach music and hopefully inspire the next generation of musicians to follow their passions! I'm also planning on continuing my performing career!
To be honest, I don't think I would change anything about my college career. I think that all the experiences I had were beneficial to me in some way. I learned something from every experience. College is about learning. In one of my first Percussion Ensemble rehearsals, I made a mistake in one of the pieces and Conrad said to me: "You are here to learn. If you could do this perfectly you wouldn't be here". That stuck with me. I think in my college career I did almost everything I wanted to. I'm lucky and extremely grateful for that.
Advice I would give to current and incoming students is No is a one word sentence. It took a lot for me to learn that and it is still something I struggle with. We are often advised to take every opportunity we are offered. College is the place to do that and those opportunities may not come again. While this is true, you should take any opportunity you can, remember that it is okay to not be able to do them. Check in with yourself and make sure that you, as a person - not a professional or a musician -, are doing ok. Know your limits and remember that no is all you need to say.
Thank you IC Percussion Studio for everything over the past four years! This studio is truly amazing and has changed my life. I love you all!!
Congratulations Anna and all of our graduates! We are so proud of where you've come from and excited to see where you'll go. Congratulations class of 2022!

Ethan Cowburn (he/him) is graduating with a B.A. in Percussion Performance.
My favorite performing experience was playing Music For Prague by Karl Husa. I was able to play it on the 50th anniversary of its premiere and also had the opportunity to play it with the IC wind ensemble at Lincoln Center.
It’s tough to narrow down a favorite IC percussion memory, but I had some of the most fun attending PASIC with the studio.
My future plans are that I will be attending Northern Illinois University in the fall to pursue a masters in music performance!
If I had the chance to go back and change one thing in my college career, I wouldn’t need it. I wouldn’t change a thing.
My advice to current and incoming students is to turn in your work on time and never be late to rehearsal!

Colin Kelley (he/him) is graduating with a B.M. in Percussion Performance.
If I had to choose a favorite piece I’ve performed at IC I would say, Clay Singing by Stuart Saunders Smith, but I've loved almost every piece I've performed here.
My favorite IC percussion memory was any of the PASICs, especially the car rides where we all goofed off the whole time.
My future plans are finding a job in arts administration.
If I could go back and change one thing, I wouldn’t. I have no regrets! Everything I did led me to where I am today, so I wouldn't want to change any of it.
My advice to current and incoming students is to find classes you enjoy outside of the music school! Don't just take something that you heard is easy, find something you are actually interested in or curious about!

Last week we also had two show-stopping percussion ensemble concerts! Congratulations to all involved, and especially to our graduating seniors on their final percussion ensemble concert!