UCA Percussion Festival

Join us on March 1st for the 2025 UCA Percussion Festival!! We'll be celebrating 24 years of the festival with some great clinicians and exciting performances. If you have a high school or middle school ensemble that would like to perform at the festival, we still have some space available. For more information, contact Blake Tyson, UCA's professor of percussion, at [email protected]

The festival will take place between 12:00 and 6:30 on Saturday, March 1 in the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts. Admission is FREE and all are welcome!

More info on guest artists coming soon!

The UCA Percussion Festival is this Saturday!! Come be inspired by our great guest clinicians. Come be amazed by the percussion ensemble performances! Everyone is welcome, and admission is free!
It will all take place in the new Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts at UCA. The Festival begins at 1:00 and will end at 6:30.

This Year’s UCA Percussion Festival will take place on April 13th in the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts. We are so excited to have two great Arkansas natives, Brandon Alanis and Justin Alexander, joining us this year. They both came up through the Cabot High School band program and then studied percussion at UCA.

After his senior year at UCA, Brandon Alanis won the spot as drum tech for the band Puddle of Mudd. He later became the tech with P.O.D. and then spent many years on the road working with the band Shinedown. A talented singer/songwriter himself, Brandon was actually the opening act for Shinedown’s “Anything and Everything” tour! Brandon will share his incredible musicianship, along with his deep knowledge of drum history and drum tuning, with this year’s attendees.

Justin Alexander stayed at UCA after his undergraduate days to complete his master’s degree in music performance. He then went on to earn a doctorate from Florida State University. He is currently the Professor of Percussion at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Justin is a highly skilled marimbist, orchestral percussionist, and drum set artist, but he has also devoted many years to the study of the techniques and rhythms of drumming from India. He’ll share how he uses all of his skills and musical influences in his performances, his practicing, and his teaching.

The festival will also include a clinic and performance by UCA Professor of Percussion Blake Tyson, performances by the UCA Percussion Ensemble, and performances by a number of Arkansas high school percussion ensembles. Admission is free! Please join us for an inspirational day of clinics and performances at the new Windgate Center at UCA.

If you have an ensemble that is interested in playing, there are a couple of spots remaining.

Contact Blake Tyson at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) for more information.

UCA Percussion Festival

12:30 pm to 6:30 pm

April 13. 2024

Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts

University of Central Arkansas

Admission Free

Since the first UCA Percussion Festival in 2002, amazing guest artists have visited the campus to share their knowledge and experience with UCA percussionists as well as high school and middle school students from around the state. High school ensembles perform the opening concert each year, and the UCA Percussion Ensemble has the chance to perform for those visiting students on the grand finale concert. It is an inspirational event for the students and guest artists alike.

This year's festival featured clinics and performances by Mark Boseman, Bailey Seabury (a UCA Percussion alum), and UCA Professor of Percussion Blake Tyson. The Greenbrier High School Percussion Ensemble (led by UCA alum Scott Strickland) and the Conway High School Percussion Ensemble (led by UCA alum Matt Hines) performed on the opening concert.

Thanks to Malletech for donating these awesome door prizes for today’s festival. Two sets of Blake Tyson mallets and a set of Chamber Series mallets will be given away to lucky attendees!!

Here’s a one sheet of today’s schedule. Join us!!

Here's a look at the schedule for the UCA Percussion Festival. Everyone is welcome, even if you can only join us for an hour or two.

12:30 - Opening performance featuring the Lakewood High School Percussion Ensemble and the UCA Percussion Ensemble.

1:00 - Josh Knight Snare Drum Clinic

2:15 - Justin Alexander Karnatic Rhythms Clinic

3:30 - Midday performance with the UCA Percussion Ensemble

4:00 - Brandon Alanis Drum Set Clinic

5:00 - Grand Finale concert featuring the UCA Percussion Ensemble with Justin Alexander, drum set soloist

UCA Percussion Festival 2002-2022
We are celebrating this anniversary of the UCA Percussion Festival by bringing back some of our amazing UCA alums as guest artists. Joshua Knight will be joining us to present a snare drum clinic called "The Rudiment Code." Josh is a graduate of Van Buren High School and was an undergraduate at the very first UCA Percussion Festival in 2002. After completing his MM at UCA, he went on to earn his DMA at the University of Oklahoma, became professor of percussion at McMurray University, and then went on to become professor of percussion at Missouri Western University.

Josh is an engaging performer who has the ability to move seamlessly through many musical styles as a percussionist. His ability as a rudimental player is impressive, as is his work as an orchestral musician. He is a talented classical marimbist and was a semi-finalist in the Southern California International Marimba Competition. He is also a gifted drum set artist, playing jazz, rock, pop, country, and funk with great fluency. Additionally, he serves on the Education Committee for the Percussive Arts Society.

Josh is an insightful educator and has done extensive research on snare drum literature and pedagogy. You could say that Josh wrote the book on snare drum method books. In fact, Josh wrote “Trends and Developments Through Thirty Prominent Snare Drum Method Books” cover story for the March 2015 edition of Percussive Notes. He is in demand as a clinician and performer

Join us at UCA in the Snow Fine Arts Center on April 9th. The Festival begins at 12:30 and will end at 6:00. Admission to the entire day of guest artist clinics and performances by the UCA Percussion Ensemble is FREE!

UCA Percussion Festival 2002-2022

We are celebrating this anniversary of the UCA Percussion Festival by bringing back some of our amazing UCA alums as guest artists. The extraordinary musician and technician, Brandon "Bear" Alanis will join us for a drum set clinic. He is one of two guest artists this year who came to UCA from Cabot High School, and he was a freshman at the second UCA Percussion Festival in 2003. While at UCA, he played in marching band, jazz band, percussion ensemble, and orchestra. He also gave some amazing recitals.

Shortly after playing the last note on his Senior Recital, Bear hit the road as a drum tech for the band Puddle of Mudd. Later he was a tech for P.O.D. and spent many years on the road with Shinedown, both as a tech and as the percussionist for the band's "Anything and Everything" tour.

Bear knows how to make every drum sound incredible. And if that's not enough, he's a brilliant singer and songwriter. He's going to share his musical and technical insight with us in a clinic that will cover tuning, setup, groove, and, most importantly, TASTE!

Join us at UCA in the Snow Fine Arts Center on April 9th. The Festival begins at 12:30 and will end at 6:00. Admission to the entire day of guest artist clinics and performances by the UCA Percussion Ensemble is FREE!

UCA PERCUSSION FESTIVAL 2002-2022
We are celebrating this anniversary of the UCA Percussion Festival by bringing back some of our amazing UCA alums as guest artists. First up, Justin Alexander will join the UCA Percussion Ensemble to perform the world premiere of "Fade" by Clif Walker. This new work for solo drum set with percussion ensemble is a brilliant piece and Justin Alexander's playing is sure to inspire you.

A graduate of Cabot High School, Justin was an undergraduate at the very first UCA Percussion Festival back in 2002. Now he is the Professor of Percussion at Virginia Commonwealth University and has performed all over the world. Justin has also spent years studying the percussion techniques and traditions of Carnatic and Hindustani music and will present a clinic on that for all festival attendees.

Join us at UCA in the Snow Fine Arts Center on April 9th. The Festival begins at 12:30 and will end at 6:00. Admission to the entire day of guest artist clinics and performances by the UCA Percussion Ensemble is FREE!

We are excited to announce that the UCA Percussion Festival WILL RETURN this year for a big celebration. Join us!
More information about guest artists coming very soon!