Percussion Facilities
A spacious percussion building
The Percussion Annex (Fine Arts 100) is the 1,007 sq. ft. home of the A-State percussion studio. Inside the Percussion Annex are four dedicated individual practice rooms which have recently received updated acoustic treatments for improved hearing health: two 74 sq. ft rooms, each housing 5.0 octave rosewood marimbas and other instruments; an 84 sq. ft. practice room for multiple percussion setups and steel pans; and a 131 sq. ft. practice room for timpani and accessories which also houses the instrument repair & maintenance desk. Connecting all of the individual practice rooms is our large 644 sq. ft. main studio area which contains a piano, a 3.5 octave vibraphone, two 4.6 octave rosewood marimbas, our new storage shelving, and enough room left over for a medium-sized percussion ensemble rehearsal. The freestanding Percussion Annex is connected via covered walkway to the adjacent Minx Rehearsal Hall, making it a breeze to set up for band or percussion ensemble rehearsals in any weather, and all doors are large enough to easily accommodate a 5.0 octave marimba or 32-inch timpani.
Functionality everywhere you look
In addition to the Percussion Annex, there are a number of percussion spaces located on the second floor of the Fine Arts Center, starting with a roomy drum set practice room which boasts a Yamaha Custom Absolute drum set outfitted with a complete set of Evans dB One low-volume cymbals and heads, meaning you don't have to adjust your technique in order to accommodate those in the practice room next door. In the vicinity of the drum set room are the three percussion faculty offices for Dr. Graiser, Mr. Hammer, and Mr. Robinett. Downstairs, the Minx Rehearsal Hall (where all bands and percussion ensembles rehearse) houses a full complement of keyboards and large percussion instruments, as well as a number of large percussion storage cabinets. To the side of the Minx Rehearsal Hall is the drumline storage room, which houses the entirety of the A-State Drumline's instruments and hardware and can also double as an after-hours practice space.
Top-tier instruments and equipment
Here are just some of the instruments that A-State percussionists get to use on a daily basis; for a complete list, you'll have to come see us in person!
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5.0 rosewood marimbas by Adams and Marimba One
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Two DeMorrow 4.6 rosewood marimbas
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Kori 4.0 rosewood xylophone
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Yamaha 3.5 vibraphone
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Two Musser M55 3.0 vibraphones
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Extended-range DeMorrow and Fall Creek glockenspiels
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Vintage Deagan flat-top glockenspiel
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Full sets of timpani by Adams and Ludwig
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An assortment of snare drums by Black Swamp, Ludwig, Slingerland, and more
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Modern and vintage drum sets by Ludwig, Pearl, Slingerland, and Yamaha
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A full complement of world percussion instruments from Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, West African, and other traditions
View of the main studio area from the south wall
View of the south wall of the Annex main room with our new storage shelving built in 2024
The Percussion Annex (front), Minx Rehearsal Hall (back), and Fine Arts Center (right)
Contains a 5.0 Marimba One rosewood marimba, a 4.0 Kori rosewood xylophone, and a DeMorrow Instruments glockenspiel
Contains an Adams 5.0 rosewood marimba, a Musser 3.0 vibraphone, and flex space
This is an old picture! We are currently remodeling this room to be a fully-functional practice room
Contains a full set of Adams timpani with electronic monitoring system, as well as accessory instrument storage and our repair & maintenance desk
Contains a Yamaha Custom Absolute drum set with Evans DB1 heads and cymbals, plus a full electronic playback and recording suite
Some lessons take place in faculty offices, which contain their personal gear.
