It is never too early to talk to children about injustice. We believe black lives matter and we are heartbroken by the injustices and racism that continues to exist in the black community. Honoring the legacy of black music and what its depth has created in our culture and in American music will forever be a priority in our organization’s mission. We teach our kids about the essential contributions of black musicians and their culture. The Louisville Leopard Percussionists have always celebrated our diversity with kids from all different races and identities. In the fall of 2003, The Louisville Leopard Percussionists launched as a freestanding community 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, committed to providing the exciting and enriching Leopard Percussionist experience to all children in the Louisville community. After ten years as artistic director of The Fabulous Leopard Percussionists, Diane began to explore how she might make the Leopard Percussionist experience available to children throughout the Metro Louisville community. HistoryĪward-winning elementary school teacher Diane Downs started her first percussion ensemble, The Fabulous Leopard Percussionists, in 1993 after she found some old instruments in a storage closet in the school where she taught in Louisville. These skills build creativity and self-confidence and teach life-long values of personal discipline, cooperation, leadership, responsibility, and community. Our vision is for participants of diverse backgrounds to develop music appreciation, performance skills, proficiency on a variety of percussion instruments, and learn to improvise, compose, and teach music, and to care for their instruments. Our mission is to provide a comprehensive musical experience for children that enriches lives and builds community.
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In 2018, the ISU Percussion Ensemble placed fourth in PASIC’s International University Chamber Ensemble Competition.The Louisville Leopard Percussionists are a performing ensemble comprised of student musicians in grades 2-10, who reside in 33 different Louisville zip codes and attend 49 different schools in and around Louisville, Kentucky. The group regularly presents concert tours throughout Iowa and the Midwest, performs showcase concerts at the annual Iowa Percussive Arts Society Days of Percussion, and performs at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). The Iowa State University Percussion Ensemble maintains a very active performance schedule, presenting 4-6 performances each season on and off campus. Selections range from chamber works for three or four performers to works using large forces and many instruments. The ISU chamber percussion experience is essential to the percussionists’ training and allows students to experience repertoire from the contemporary genres to world music and improvisation. Jonathan Sharp, is an integral part of the curriculum. The Iowa State University Percussion Ensemble, directed by Dr.