The percussion studio at The University of Alabama prepares its members for a wide range of creative and career opportunities. Its students grow to be mature professionals, possessing both versatile craft and the creative spirit necessary to succeed in a 21st-Century environment. Its faculty maintains active national and international careers as performers and scholars, and its graduates begin careers as performers, educators, music therapists, audio engineers, and administrators within the music industry. The percussion program consists of a total percussion approach, where students gain experience in all styles of music and learn all the major percussion instruments. The snare drum (concert and rudimental), mallet keyboard percussion, timpani, drum set, hand drums and accessories are all emphasized equally.

The UA Percussion Ensemble, winner of the 2020 Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition, takes a balanced approach to repertoire selection. Works performed by the UA Percussion Ensemble range from the earliest period of literature to modern day compositions/commissions. Students will experience performing in chamber ensembles (2-7 performers) as well as the larger works of the Percussion Orchestra (10+, conducted). The UA Percussion Ensemble is very active in the commissioning of new works by the leading composers of today. Through these commissions students will experience the collaborative process of workshopping a new piece with its composer.  Percussion students also perform with the School of Music’s Huxford Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensembles, and Contemporary Ensemble.

The percussion program offers the Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance, Music Education (percussion principal), Jazz Studies, Music Therapy (percussion principal), and the Bachelor of Science degree in Musical Audio Engineering (percussion principal) and Music Administration (percussion principal). At the graduate level, the program offers both a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance.

UA Percussion Ensemble Named the 2020 Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition Winner!

We are so excited to announce that the UA Percussion Ensemble was named a winner of the 2020 PAS International Percussion Ensemble Competition! This is one of the pinnacle achievements of a percussion studio, and we have been invited to perform a Showcase Concert at PASIC in November of 2021. Roll Tide!