Drummers take center stage for Jackson's "A Night of Percussion"

Finally, the drummers get their due.

The Jackson High School Percussion Ensemble was the star of the show this week, performing center stage at the seventh annual "A Night of Percussion."

Nearly 50 percussionists in seventh through 12th grades performed a mix of melodies and rhythms, from Caribbean beats to Japan's thunderous Taiko drumming. The evening's crescendo was "1.21 Gigawatts," a term fittingly lifted from the 1980s sci-fi classic film "Back to the Future" (Doc Brown's DeLorean time machine required 1.21 gigawatts of power -- generated by pilfered plutonium or a timely lightning strike -- pumped through the vehicle's "flux capacitor").

Tori Hosler, a Jackson junior, got with the beat in her early band days at the end of sixth grade, and she's been pounding ever since.

"It seemed like fun. You don't stick to, like, one thing," she said. "And I really love learning new parts."

The 17-year-old said percussion offers variety, but she's partial to the mallet instruments -- the marimba and the tympani, for instance.

For Fiona Thompson, a Jackson sophomore, percussion is a family affair. Her dad played drums in high school and has helped her keep the beat, especially on the snare drum.

"That was always really cool to me that, like, my dad was a drummer," Thompson said.

"A Night of Percussion" is an opportunity for the rhythm section to show its stuff, and this ensemble wasn't shy.

"Most of the time they're in the back of the band, playing an accompaniment part," said Chris Crawford, assistant band director for the Jackson School District. "The percussion ensemble was created to give students the opportunity to make more music, to be a featured instrument."

For people who march to the beat of their own drum, the showcase performance is pure joy.

"It's our thing," Hosler said. "It's what we do, and it's a lot of fun."

mkittle@semissourian.com

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