About the Studio

 

Location: UNCP is located in Robeson county in Southeastern North Carolina. Just off of I-95, our location puts us within easy access of Myrtle Beach, Florence, Charlotte, Pinehurst, Raleigh and Wilmington. In addition, we are close enough for students to have performance opportunities with the Fayetteville, Carolina Philharmonic, Florence, and Lee County symphonies. The community is a small college town that helps foster the camaraderie valued in the percussion program. Our location has also allowed students from UNCP to take additional lessons with percussionists from many different areas near campus.

Degrees and Tracks: UNCP offers a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Bachelor of Arts In Music with Music Industry Electives. Students in all degrees can choose either classical percussion or drumset as their major emphasis. Regardless of which track a student has as their emphasis, they will take studies in the other area to help them become a more complete musician.

Lessons: All UNCP percussionists take lessons ranging from half an hour to one hour a week. These lessons focus on all aspects of performance―from orchestral, chamber and solo literature to drumset and various world music traditions. A student graduating with a percussion degree from UNCP will be comfortable performing a wide range of styles in any given setting. The size of the program is limited to assure that any student studying percussion at UNCP will study with Dr. Van Hassel, Ms. Nelson, or Mr. Proctor. Students will commonly take lessons with both teachers to become more complete percussionists.

Studio Class: In addition to the above, we hold a weekly studio class during which students perform for critique from their peers. In studio class, participants also discusses topics ranging from the percussion history to important works (new and old) in the percussion literature.

Guest Artists: Guest artists in various specialties, ranging from orchestral percussion to drumset artists, visit the percussion department at UNCP during the year. The guest artists typically perform a solo recital and teach lessons in addition to presenting a masterclass for the percussion studio.

Equipment: The UNCP Percussion Studio is housed in Moore Hall, Wellons Hall, and the Music Annex. These buildings contain our extensive collection of instruments, including: 8 marimbas (2 Deagans, 1 Musser, 1 4.6 octave Adams, 1 4.3 octave Ross, 1 4.5 octave Yamaha, 1 5 octave Marimba One and 1 5 octave Yamaha); 4 vibraphones; 3 xylophones; 4 sets of timpani; 6 drumsets; set of Hydrosteel Pans; 11 chinese toms; one octave of tuned gongs; a set of African percussion instruments; a set of Japanese Taiko drums; a full set of marching percussion instruments and much more!!!

 

UNCP Drumset/Percussion Studio 2020-2021

  • Devin Farmer - Senior
  • Chip Murdaugh - Senior
  • Joseph Newman - Senior
  • Dhyaneshwar Sudhakar - Senior 
  • Ben Wells - Senior
  • Brandon Womack - Senior
  • Phillip Brown - Junior
  • Marc Garcia - Junior
  • D'Nea Oliver - Junior
  • Michael Flowers - Sophomore 
  • Lucien Lopez - Sophomore
  • Noah Banks - Freshman
  • Ari Moore - Freshman
  • Devon Morris - Freshman
  • Silas Seigler - Freshman

UNCP Percussion Award Winners

Named Scholarships

Presser Foundation Scholarship (largest national scholarship given to top student in the music department)

  • 2015 Hunter Baxley
  • 2013 Zachery Wood
  • 2011 Tiffini Tate
  • 2010 Jason Thiele
  • 2008 Jonathon Moore

Andrew Barlow Excellence in Percussion Award

  • 2021 TBA

Special Award in Performance (the UNCP Performers Certificate presented in conjunction with a degree)

  • Brandon West
  • Jason Thiele
  • Will Bradle
  • Tiffini Tate
  • Jonathon Moore

John Cage Award (presented to outstanding member of the percussion program)

  • 2013 Zachery Wood
  • 2011 Will Bradle 
  • 2010 Tiffini Tate
  • 2009 Jason Thiele
  • 2007 Jonathon Moore
  • 2006 Toby Carter
  • 2005 James Keith Oxendine

Gordon Gibson Award 

  • 2018 Paul Seigler
  • 2013 Tajari Goins
  • 2012 Will Bradle

Margaret S. Jones Award

  • 2010 William Bradle
  • 2009 Jason Thiele

Bradley Alford Scholarship

  • 2011 Will Bradle 
  • 2010 Tiffini Tate

Richard Pisano Award

  • 2016 Brandon West
  • 2013 Hunter Baxley
  • 2009 Tiffini Tate
  • 2008 Jason Thiele
  • 2006 Jonathon Moore

 

Concerto Competition Winners

 

  • 2019 - Noah Anderson - Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsakov
  • 2016 - Hunter Baxley - Valse Brillante by George H. Green
  • 2014 - Zachery Wood - Concerto for Vibraphone by Nathan Daughtrey
  • 2011 - Jason Thiele - Rosauro Concerto for Marimba
  • 2010 Tiffini Tate - Prism Rhapsody
  • 2009 Jonathon Moore - Concerto for Marimba
  • 2008 - Mark Roddy - Concert for Timpani
  • 2007 - Mark Roddy - The Ragtime Drummer
  • 2006 Toby Carter - Chamber Music for Marimba and Winds