Clemson’s Percussion Ensemble and Steel Band will collaborate with South Carolina middle and high schools for a joint concert on April 18 at 7:30 pm at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts.

The collaboration began when DuBose Steel Band director Mike Greer suggested the idea to Clemson Professor of Music and Director of Percussion, Paul Buyer. The pair quickly looped in John Willmarth, Director of Steel Bands at Summerville, as DuBose students feed into Summervile for high school.

“I have known Mike Greer and John Willmarth for several years through the South Carolina Percussive Arts Society and have been in awe of their programs for a long time,” Buyer said. “Not only do they teach eight and six steel bands respectively at their schools, but their students are excellent musicians and exceptionally well-trained.”

The first half of the concert will feature the Clemson Percussion Ensemble and the second half will feature the Clemson, Summerville and DuBose Steel Bands. Each band will perform on its own, with Clemson joining Summerville and DuBose for a piece each.

On Saturday morning, Summerville and DuBose students will attend a campus tour with Clemson Tiger Band member and drum major Dylan Whitman, and enjoy a lunch in downtown Clemson.

For all three directors, this experience is more than just a combined concert.

“I hope we provide the Summerville and DuBose students with a memorable experience, the opportunity to spend time on campus, and show them what the Clemson Percussion culture is all about,” Buyer said.

Willmarth notes how he’s looking forward to connecting with Summerville HS alumni.

“We currently have five alumni in the Clemson Steel Band and we are incredibly proud of their accomplishments. We are excited to support and re-connect with them,” he said. “I am hopeful that my current students will continue to participate in their art form at the university level and am certain that this experience with be inspirational for them. I hope that they will see the power that music has to bring people together and foster lasting connections.”

Greer sees this concert as an extension of the goals he’s set for his students.

“There are two things I try to accomplish each year with my students: share the world’s music with my students and share my students’ music with the world. This experience helps accomplish both of those goals! My students often have a chance to play alongside the high school that they feed into (Summerville), but this will be the first time they will experience sharing the stage with a college steel band. I love that the CU Steel Band includes former DMS students and SHS students, and this will help them see that steel band isn’t just a 6th-12th grade experience but something they can continue in college.”

For Buyer, collaboration is at the heart of this event. From giving middle and high school students the chance to experience a college campus, to learning from each other as musicians, Clemson, Summerville and DuBose will “come together as one” through music.

The Clemson Percussion Ensemble is an auditioned ensemble that rehearses twice a week and performs one concert per semester. The Clemson Steel Band is an auditioned ensemble that rehearses once a week and performs one concert per semester. Paul Buyer directs both groups, as well as the Clemson “Gigging” Steel Band, a professional quintet that is available for hire and has recorded four albums.

Buyer started the Percussion Ensemble when he was hired in 1998. He also started the Steel Band in 2002. This is his 27^th year as the Director of Percussion.