Percussion - University of Houston
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Moores School of Music

Percussion Division

Leadership

Blake Wilkins
Professor of Percussion
Division Head of Percussion
phone: 713 - 743 - 3192
email: bwilkins@uh.edu
office: MSM 186

Welcome to the Moores School of Music percussion division! We provide an intensive and comprehensive program of study built on a total percussion perspective. We boast one of the finest and most extensive collections of percussion instruments in the country, and the award-winning Moores School Percussion Ensemble is at the forefront of performing, commissioning and recording. Our music education graduates enjoy a 100% placement rate in teaching positions, and our performance majors capture prestigious awards in major competitions, cultivate professional careers in higher education and win positions with the nation’s finest orchestras. If you have specific questions about our program or would like to be connected to current students to ask questions, don’t hesitate to e-mail or call! #GoCoogs  

 

 

 

Academic Programs

The percussion division consistently maintains a studio of 24 students at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. This target number of students is optimum for fostering a healthy atmosphere of competition and ensuring quality performance in ensembles, while at the same time affording each student a high level of personal attention. 

  • Bachelor of Music

    Undergraduate degree plans in percussion focus on performance, education, marketing or non-profit arts leadership. In addition to presenting two full-length degree recitals and the opportunity to perform with the renowned Moores School Percussion Ensemble, all undergraduate performance majors are thoroughly prepared for the next step in their careers.  Our music education majors enjoy a 100% job placement. Students may also consider a Bachelor of Arts in music, a comprehensive liberal arts degree with an intense concentration in music and an emphasis on academic coursework. Please refer to UHin4 for academic maps. 

  • Master of Music

    The Master of Music in performance provides advanced training and performance experience for students pursuing a professional career, applying for young artists programs across the country, as well as continuing study through a doctoral program. 

  • Doctor of Musical Arts

    Applicants to our doctoral program are required to hold a master’s degree, preferably in applied music, and follow the percussion performance degree plan, which includes minor fields in various disciplines. Our graduates seeking teaching positions in colleges and universities have been immensely successful in job placement. 

  • Certificate in Performance

    The Certificate in Music Performance is an exclusive, non-degree program providing an intensive, two-year period of concentrated study in music performance at the graduate level. It is intended for exceptionally accomplished students who show the potential and the motivation to achieve a successful performing career, but who do not wish to engage in the complete curriculum required in standard master’s or doctoral programs. 

Scholarships

Students will receive official written notification of their admission and scholarship status and more information can be found on the scholarship page

Instruments

The Moores School of Music boasts one of the finest and most extensive collections of percussion instruments in the country. The impressive inventory, systematically built since 1997, was substantially enhanced in 2014 with the award of a $310,000 Core Facilities Grant. Ample rehearsal and practice spaces guarantee each percussion major nearly unlimited access to this enviable collection of percussion instruments. The Moores School of Music percussion division is a university endorser of Zildjian Cymbals and Innovative Percussion. 

Faculty Recordings

Percussion Ensemble

Percussion Ensembles

The Moores School of Music percussion ensembles, directed by Blake Wilkins and Alec Warren, serve as the cornerstone of the percussion division at the University of Houston. The flagship Moores School Percussion Ensemble, established by Dr. Wilkins in 1997, is a three-time Percussive Arts Society Percussion Ensemble Competition winner, has commissioned and premiered over a dozen new works for large percussion ensemble and has recorded three critically acclaimed commercial CDs. The percussion ensemble program also encompasses the Moores School Steel Band (the PANtagonists), which has become one of the most popular and highly sought-after organizations in the school. These primary percussion experiences are complemented by performance opportunities in the school’s outstanding large performing organizations, which include the Moores School Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Winds, Symphonic Band, Jazz Orchestra, the Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band and the AURA Contemporary Ensemble. 

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