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News Release

Last modified: Thursday, November 10, 2011

IU Jacobs School of Music faculty and ensembles featured at Percussive Arts Society convention

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 10, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music is being featured prominently at the Percussive Arts Society's 50th Annual International Convention (PASIC) in Indianapolis Nov. 9-12.

Faculty members Kevin Bobo, Michael Spiro and John Tafoya are spotlighted in performances and/or clinics throughout the convention.

Professor Steve Houghton recently served as the Percussive Arts Society's president and now serves as its past-president as well as a member of its Executive Committee. Houghton was an instrumental force behind the recent creation of Rhythm! Discovery Center -- a percussion museum located in downtown Indianapolis which is an integral extension of the society.

Jacobs School percussion majors will also be featured during the convention. The IU Afro-Cuban Folkloric Ensemble, under the direction of Spiro, will perform a special full-length concert. The ensemble was invited as part of an international competition.

"The competition at these events is very fierce," said Tafoya, chair of the Jacobs Percussion Department. "Everyone wants to receive an invitation to perform at PASIC, so this is a great honor for our Afro-Cuban ensemble."

The IU Marching Hundred Drumline, under the direction of Jacobs alumnus Joel Brainard, will also be featured in a special performance during the convention.

The Percussive Arts Society is the world's largest percussion organization and is considered the central source for information and networking for percussionists and drummers of all ages. Established in 1961 as a non-profit, music service organization, its mission is to promote percussion education, research, performance and appreciation throughout the world. Today, the society is over 8,500-members strong with 50 chapters located across the United States and an additional 28 chapters outside the United States.

For 50 years, the society has been serving all levels of percussion performers as well as the percussion industry. Each year, the organization hosts the largest percussion convention in the world, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), featuring the top names in drumming and percussion.

To learn more about the IU Jacobs School of Music, visit https://music.indiana.edu.

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