Rider Conservatory Drumline shares its knowledge

Posted: August 21, 2014 3:20 p.m.

A new summer camp led by members of the Rider Conservatory Drumline -  which play at all home games of the Saskatchewan Roughriders -  recently gave young people in the community an opportunity to learn basic percussion and marching techniques.

While pep bands have played at Rider games for years this is only the second season for the Drumline which specializes in percussion instruments including cymbals, base drums, snare drums and tenor drums.

The 20 members meet and practice at the University of Regina Conservatory of Performing Arts.  Then on Game Day they go to Mosaic Stadium to perform before the opening kickoff, and then play on the sidelines. Members, who audition for a spot on the line hail from various communities throughout Saskatchewan.

 “What we do at the Conservatory is reach out to a variety of groups in our community – and one of those groups is the Saskatchewan Roughriders,” says Christa Eidsness, Program Co-ordinator at the Conservatory of Performing Arts.

The summer camp was created to give young people a chance to learn more about percussion and an opportunity to play in a drumline.

“Often the perception is that we at the Conservatory only teach classical music – but we actually do a lot more than just teach classical music. We offer a broad range of classes,” said Eidsness.