EKU Percussion and Steel Band

The Eastern Kentucky University Percussion Studio offers one of the most comprehensive percussion educations in the region. Instruction is offered in performance techniques on marching percussion, marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, concert snare drum, timpani, and the various accessory instruments. In addition, non-western percussion instruction in Afro-Cuban, African, Brazilian, Indian, and Caribbean drumming styles are also part of the curriculum. Our EKU marching band drum line, EKU percussion ensemble, and EKU steel band provide many opportunities to apply these techniques in a performance setting. The studio is typically comprised of two or more graduate students/teaching assistants, and 15 – 25 undergraduate percussionists.

Aside from being a popular on-campus performance ensemble, the steel band is also an important outreach vehicle for the EKU Department of Music and is committed to educating students in Kentucky through many off-campus concert and lecture performance presentations each semester.

Although the EKU steel band is open to anyone through audition, it is comprised primarily of music education, music performance, and music industry majors. Goals of the ensemble include performing a wide range of steel band compositions and developing individual and ensemble performance experience. Due to the ensemble serving more of a supplemental role in the overall percussion education at EKU, the focus and intensity of the ensemble programming varies and is dependent on the specific percussion studio focus of a given semester.