Northwest Percussion Project

A brand new Newsletter

2010-01-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

I am happy to announce that the NWPP is now using a new email newsletter service. Hopefully everyone has received the first one. Also, for those of you on FaceBook, the Northwest Percussion Project has a page. Finally, if you haven't been to the website in a while, all of the photos are up in a new gallery format. All the best,

Quentin

Photos Updated

2009-10-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

After a bit of technical difficulty with the website, I finally have uploaded the photos from the last Northwest Percussion Project. Visit our site and click on "Photos" under the "Media" tab to check them out.

NWPP on Facebook

2009-07-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Northwest Percussion Project is now of Facebook. Visit our website at www.nwpercussionproject.com and click on the link to become a fan.

1st Annual Coeur d'Alene Percussion Day

2009-04-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

My popular demand, the Northwest Percussion Project is expanding to include the 1st Annual Coeur d'Alene Percussion Day. This event is geared towards high school percussionists and will take place April 25 at Coeur d'Alene High School. Visit www.nwpercussionproject.com/upcoming.html for more information.

2009 Wrap-up

2009-03-22T16:54:00.001-07:00

I have just about finished all of the post-event bookkeeping and wanted to share the attendance numbers.

	2006	2007	2008	2009
4th Grade	n/a	n/a	5	4
5th Grade	25	9	8	13
6th Grade	23	25	16	13
7th Grade	25	28	11	19
8th Grade	10	27	16	18
9th Grade	5	20	17	5
10th Grade	5	9	4	8
11th Grade	3	9	3	2
12th Grade	1	9	2	0
Teachers	7	6	2	4
Adults	2	4	4	15
TOTAL	106	146	88	101

Staff	22	40	44	43

This year's event was by far the smoothest logistically, and from the students and parents that I have talked with, the best overall experience to date.

I thank all of you and especially the staff for making this event such a great and fun event.

The photos and videos are almost done. Once those are posted I will let everyone know.

Sincerely,

Quentin DeWitt

Saturday's Schedule

2009-03-13T00:13:00.000-07:00

The 4th Annual Northwest Percussion Project happens this Saturday, March 14, at Pullman High School in Pullman, WA.

8:00 AM - Doors open
8:45 AM - NWPP Begins
8:55 AM - 11:35 AM Morning Sessions (Stick Technique, Recording, Drumline & Rhythm Skills)
11:35 AM Lunch
12:05 PM Faculty Recital
12:40 PM - 3:20 pm Afternoon Sessions (Drumset, World Percussion, Mallets & Concert Percussion)
3:20 PM Snack Break
3:35 PM Percussion Ensembles
4:30 PM Percussion Ensemble Performances (Audience is welcome!)
4:45 PM Door Prizes & Drumset Raffle Drawing
5:00 PM 4th Annual NWPP comes to a close

Keeney Bros. Music Center will be on hand with some great deals on percussion equipment and resources.

Other Footprints

2009-03-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

This doesn't have much to do with the NWPP per se, but I felt like I should share it.

By now we have heard endless factoids about "Carbon Footprints"created by individuals, companies, manufacturers and every human endeavor on the planet. Carbon Footprints tend to be framed negatively to encourage us to use less by considering our impact.

This got me thinking about other "footprints" that aren't publicized nearly as much. Here are a few that bear some consideration:

Community Footprint: How do your daily actions and involvements with others in your community, physical or electronic, affect the health of your community?

Humility Footprint: How does your willingness, or reluctance, to admit fault or appreciate the vast complexity (and sometimes simplicity) of the world affect others?

Artistic Footprint: How does your creative work, in any field, and the intention with which it is shared, affect others?

Professional Footprint: How do the expectations and ethics of your professional conduct affect others?

I'm sure I could go on finding endless footprints, but I think Carbon Footprints carry another lesson. While we all are small, our impacts can be wide-ranging, for better or worse. It is not only important what we do with our lives, but how we do it and for whom. Putting our own needs and wants second to others can make a great difference to everyone. This of course is not a new moral lesson, just another way to think about it.

What does this have to do with the NWPP? It is always fun for me to see students and teachers enjoying the opportunity to work together while learning from each other. It is a unique event and I hear all sorts of stories from attendees that really enjoyed their experience. The NWPP then seems like a worthy footprint to leave that I hope will endure while providing something positive.

With that, see you this Saturday!

NWPP takes place this weekend!

2009-03-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

The 4th Annual Northwest Percussion Project takes place this Saturday, March 14, at Pullman High School. Doors open at 8:00 am and the event runs from 8:45 am to 5:00 pm.

A few reminders:

If you missed the early deadline, you can still register at the door for $60.
There are still 4 McGregor scholarships available. Contact us if you would like to apply.
There will be a FREE parent workshop taught by Daniel Bukvich, U of I professor of percussion, from 8:45 am to 10:00 am during the Percussion Project. Please RSVP if you are interested.

See you this Saturday!

McGregor Company Donates Scholarships

2009-03-03T13:41:00.001-08:00

The McGregor Company has generously donated four need-based scholarships for this year's Northwest Percussion Project. If you or someone you know would like to attend and would like to apply please contact Quentin DeWitt at percussion@quentindewitt.com.

Early Registration Deadline Today!

2009-02-23T07:25:00.000-08:00

Today, February 23rd, is the post-marked deadline for early registrations to this year's NWPP. If you can't quite get it in the mail today, shoot me an email, let me know you will be attending and I will still count your registration on time.

NWPP Sessions Confirmed

2009-02-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

This year's workshop schedule has been finalized.

The morning sessions will include:

Parent Workshop - Free session for all parents. How to help your young musicians succeed.
Stick Technique - The basics of good technique, rudiments, drum rolls, endurance and speed exercises.
Recording Technology - How to use digital recording equipment for fun, for practice and creating your own music. Students will get to take part in the recording process while learning about all of the technology involved.
Rhythm Skills - The foundation of percussion is great rhythm. Learn some fun ways to become a more "solid" player.
Drumline - Warm-ups, techniques and cadences for the modern drumline.

The afternoon sessions will include:

Concert Percussion - learn all of the techniques involved in concert percussion.
Mallet Percussion - techniques for sight-reading, four mallet technique and jazz improvisation.
World Percussion - learn about the instruments and rhythms from around the world while grooving together in a drum circle.
Drumset - getting started, beats & styles, jazz combo playing and more.

The day will conclude with our usual Elementary, Middle School and High School percussion ensembles that will learn a new piece in the last hour of the day and then perform for parents at 4:30 pm.

This schedule is shaping up to be another great one and based on your feedback, we are going to do a better job of challenging students with materials that better fit their abilities.

Early Registration Deadline is February 23rd

2009-02-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

The early registration deadline for this year's Northwest Percussion Project is February 23rd. Registrations must be post-marked by this date to receive the $50 discounted rate. After that registration is available at the door for $60.

Pearl Drums Donates a Vision Drumset to be raffled off!

2009-02-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

Pearl Drums has generously donated a Vision series drumset to be raffled off in support of this year's Northwest Percussion Project. All funds raised in this raffle will go to cover event production costs, which in turn keeps registration low.

Tickets can be purchased at Keeney Bros. Music Centers in Moscow, ID and Clarkston, WA.

The drawing will be held on March 14th at the close of this year's event.

Tickets are 1 for $1, 6 for $5 and 13 for $10. Don't miss this opportunity to win a great prize and support the Northwest Percussion Project at the same time!

NWPP Early Registration

2009-02-02T19:59:00.000-08:00

Early registration for the 4th Annual Northwest Percussion Project is now open and will close February 23rd. Get your registration in the mail soon to reserve your price and the discounted registration rate of $50. This rate goes up to $60 for those who register the day of the event.

Remember that registration includes event access, an NWPP t-shirt, NWPP participant workbook, NWPP drumsticks, food and entry into our door prize raffle.

Finally, registration is limited to 150 participants so hurry to reserve your spot!

The 4th Annual Northwest Percussion Project

2009-02-02T19:32:00.001-08:00

The 4th Annual Northwest Percussion Project will take place March 14th, 2009 at Pullman High School in Pullman, WA.

This year's event features percussion workshops on stick technique, mallet percussion, world percussion, drum set, concert percussion and rhythm skills. Based on participant feedback we have re-designed these workshops to better meet the needs of students at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels.

Our new workshop this year is an introduction to recording technology. This workshop will give participants hands-on experience with microphone technique and multi-track recording equipment. Students will also be able to experience how recorded sounds can be changed through post-production effects.

Another great workshop we are bringing back is the "Parent Workshop" taught by Daniel Bukvich, Professor of Percussion from the University of Idaho. This session is for parents of registered participants and is packed full of information for parents to help their young musicians succeed.

This year's schedule of workshops will offer a great variety of quality instruction and continue to build on our tradition of quality percussion education in a fun and supportive environment.