OU drum ensembles set to perform June 15

By David Sanders, student writer

Two different Oakland University drum ensembles will combine culture and music in a performance at the Oakland Center Patio on Tuesday, June 15, from noon to 1 p.m.

Students from Akwaaba, OU's African Drum Ensemble and the Pan-Jumbies, OU's steel band group, will set the stage with Mark Stone, coordinator of World Music. The outdoor concert allows band members majoring in music education and other disciplinary fields to demonstrate what they have achieved throughout the semester.

“At the end of every semester it is typical for us to set out to do a performance, so our students get additional experience,” said Mark Stone director and coordinator of the world music bands. “This has been done annually for about ten years.”

Featuring a cast of eight OU students on the "embaire," the world's largest xylophone, the African Drum Ensemble group will play traditional xylophone African music, two songs from Uganda and another from Ghana. A set of four drummers will be performing as well along while singing African lyrics from Uganda. 

The steel drum band known will be delivering three Caribbean musical pieces, a jazz-funk composition, and a South African jazz tune. There will be 10 students playing steel drums, and one will play the drum set. 

For more information about this upcoming event please contact Stone at stone@oakland.edu.