Shake Scrape and Strike

Phil-A-Rhythm demonstrates the basic and exotic qualities of instruments in the percussion family, along with their origins and unique sounds, while exploring a wide range of new rhythms and melodic forms. Geared to students of all ages, the program includes a demonstration of the difference between a tuned and un-tuned percussion instrument, the history of the steel drums, and a lesson on jazz and syncopation. Students are invited on stage to play the instruments and are encouraged to sing along to well-known songs such as Under the Sea and The Lion Sleeps Tonight. The program can be tailored to middle and high school audiences as well, with more of a focus on the marching drums and drum set.

Best for: ELC • PreK-12 • Special Needs • After-School/Community

Shake, Scrape and Strike Workshop

Phil-A-Rhythm engages students in this demonstration of the basic and exotic qualities of instruments in the percussion family. While exploring the instruments origins and unique sounds, students learn a wide range of new rhythms and melodic forms. Geared to students of all ages, the program guides participants through a demonstration of the difference between a tuned and un-tuned percussion instrument, the history of the steel drums, and a lesson on jazz and syncopation. Students are invited to play the instruments and are encouraged to sing along to well-known songs such as Under the Sea and The Lion Sleeps Tonight. The program can be tailored to middle and high school audiences as well, with a focus on the marching drums and drum set. (Max. ~25 students)

Best for: ELC • PreK-12 • Special Needs • After-School/Community

Shake, Scrape and Strike Residency

This Phil-A-Rhythm Residency kicks off with the quartet’s world renowned “Shake, Scrape, and Strike” assembly program, in which the members explore the unique sounds, origins, and incredible range of the instruments in the percussion family. An eight-part series of workshops led by the leader of the ensemble, Bill Kerrigan, is the main component of the program.

The residency is broken down into seven different sessions, in which students will be exposed to and develop skills in Latin percussion, the steel drum, tuned percussion, the traditional drum set and orchestral percussion. The ensemble will also conduct a lesson that focus on the different ways mood and imagination can be employed to compose and improvise percussive scores. The workshop portion of the residency concludes with a lesson on the reciprocity between music and society and a dress rehearsal prior to the final performance. The students will learn a small segment from each workshop and perform them in the final assembly with the Phil-A-Rhythm ensemble members.

The residency is intended to promote intellectual, physical, and creative growth among its participants.

The workshops will expand the creative abilities of the students and aims to help them better express personal, communal, cultural, and universal ideas. Students will learn the range of sounds and complexity of rhythm through the presentation of a variety of standard and exotic percussion instruments. They will discover the effects culture and environment have on the development of the instruments and of the music. They will also study history and geography as they trace the development of the instruments. Percussion music, as a means of self-expression helps to create self-motivated learners whose active participation becomes a lifelong enrichment and commitment.

What Students Will Gain from a Phil-A-Rhythm Residency:

· Refined listening skills

· Ability to identify different percussion instruments and their origins

· Cooperative skills through working in groups

· An improved ability to recognize emotions and themes in music

· Creative skills and imagination by responding to problems in music

· An improved knowledge on geography and world cultures

· A better understanding of math in relation to tempo

Best for: ELC • PreK-12 • Special Needs • After-School/Community

About the Artist

Featuring: Phil-A-Rhythm

Tom Blanchard (Ensemble Lead), Percussionist/Timpanist, was born in Fairfax, Virginia, and studied with members of the U.S. Army Band in Washington, D.C. He chose a career in music after being selected for the Young Apprentice Program of the National Symphony Orchestra in high school. Tom received music degrees from the University of Michigan and Temple University and has performed in 23 countries as well as multiple U.S. venues such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Walt Disney World, and the Pan-American Games.

Tom has recorded on numerous labels such as Deutsche Grammophon and EMI, and he has been heard on NPR, CBS, The Today Show, and the Disney Channel. Tom soloed with the Bogota (Colombia) Philharmonic, and appeared on QVC live television twice with pianist Giovanni.

Currently, Tom performs with the Delaware, Harrisburg (PA), Reading (PA), Kennett (PA), Annapolis (MD), Lancaster (PA), Pennsylvania Philharmonic, and Chautauqua (NY) Symphony Orchestras, as well as Opera Delaware, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia Ballet, and The Philly Pops. He has played with performing artists including Wynton Marsalis, Chris Botti, Joshua Bell, Renee Fleming, Paul Simon, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Bernadette Peters, among others. Tom regularly performs, records, and tours with the Philadelphia Orchestra, including a concert for Pope Francis in Philadelphia in September 2015.

William Kerrigan has a bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s degree in music from Temple University. Kerrigan has performed throughout the world with Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, Shirley Bassey, Al Green, The Moody Blues, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Ben Vereen, Yes, The Manhattan Transfer, Luciano Pavarotti, The Pittsburgh Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Naples Philharmonic, The American Ballet Theatre, The Houston Ballet, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Delaware, The Aspen Music Festival and many others. In addition to Phil-A-Rhythm, he is the Principal Percussionist/Assistant Timpanist of the Delaware Symphony, Principal Percussionist with the Philly Pops, Principal Percussionist with Orchestra 2001, and Timpanist at The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.

Stephen Tipping is a percussionist and educator in the Greater Philadelphia Region. He performs and teaches an extensive scope of musical genres, including the marching arts, classical percussion, jazz and pop drumset, and steel pan. Stephen has performed across the East Coast, Arizona, Europe, Israel, and Puerto Rico. He most recently performed with Philadelphia-based Philadelphia Pan Stars (Philly Pan Stars) at the 2016 Brooklyn Panorama, the second largest panorama competition in the world.

Stephen currently serves as Instructor of Percussion at Delaware State University (Dover, DE), Caption Head/Lead Percussion Arranger of perennial TOB Chapter 9 Champions Caesar Rodney High School Marching Band (Camden, DE), and is now Music Consultant with 2016 WGI Championship A-Class Finalist Aftermath Percussion (Lehigh Valley, PA) after two years serving as Bass Technician on their return to Finalist status. Stephen holds a Bachelors of Music in Music Education from the University of Delaware and a Masters of Music Performance from the University of Arizona.

Brenda Weckerly – Bio forthcoming

Joined Musicopia: 2001