{"id":354,"date":"2024-10-11T19:50:28","date_gmt":"2024-10-11T19:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bennett-travel.com\/blog\/?p=354"},"modified":"2024-10-11T19:50:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T19:50:28","slug":"student-percussion-group-encourages-teamwork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bennett-travel.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/student-percussion-group-encourages-teamwork\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Percussion Group Encourages Teamwork"},"content":{"rendered":"

What do you do when you find some instruments in a storage closet at a local elementary school? If you\u2019re Diane Downs, you create The Louisville Leopard Percussionists.<\/p>\n

The Louisville Leopard Percussionists<\/a> is a nonprofit organization offering comprehensive music education to students in grades K-12 from schools around Louisville, Kentucky. Using percussion instruments, the faculty strives to inspire creativity, discipline and teamwork in young musicians.<\/p>\n

The Leopards began as The Fabulous Leopard Percussionists in 1993 after some instruments were found in a storage closet at ML King Elementary School. In the fall of 2003, The Louisville Leopard Percussionists launched as a freestanding community non-profit organization, committed to providing the exciting and enriching Leopard Percussionist experience to all children in the Louisville community.<\/p>\n

The organization was started by accident by Diane Downs, Director, Artistic and Executive Director. \u201cI was teaching 2nd\/3rd grade at ML King Elementary School in Louisville and was searching for some bulletin board paper. I opened a closet and found a stack of small mallet percussion instruments packed in the corner,\u201d said Downs. She pulled out the instruments and put them into her classroom. Later, she asked the kids if they wanted to play a concert. She said, \u201cOur first gig was at a PTA meeting. Then we played for someone\u2019s grandma at the nursing home, then the mall, then it pretty much exploded from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using the tagline, \u201cOrdinary kids transformed by an extraordinary musical experience since 1993,\u201d the group looks for everyday, ordinary children from every race, class and color. Children without special advantages or prior musical experience are welcomed. \u201dWe are looking for kids who want to learn,\u201d Downs said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome kids come to us with prior musical experience and ability. Some kids come with no prior experience, and no knowledge of their abilities, but they have the desire to learn. They may be talented, but they just haven’t had the opportunity to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

-Diane Downs, Director, Artistic and Executive Director<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The group encourages children to join who possess a good attitude, good temperament and a level of resilience and maturity that will allow them to bounce back if they don’t get the technique right away. They search for students who fly under the radar and may not have outwardly special skills. \u201cAfter joining The Leopards, they will be transformed into something different. Their confidence and self-esteem grow as their experience in The Leopards grows,\u201d Downs said.<\/p>\n

The group was created to enrich the lives of the members. Promoting the kids is the main focus, as every child is a learner, teacher, teammate and coach. The staff actively engages members in helping, teaching and learning from one another. Downs said, \u201cIt’s not about the adults \u2013 it’s about the kids. The adults are present to cultivate, coach, inspire, and empower the kids and help guide them to the highest potential. We want the kids to be the face of the group.”<\/p>\n

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The staff promotes an environment characterized by safety, trust, high expectations and positive peer pressure. No one in the group is a star. Kids rotate around so that they experience different parts and different instruments. Sometimes the top learners must take a backseat while weaker players learn to be stronger.<\/p>\n

An important aspect of the operation is student-driven. \u201cWe try to give the kids ownership in their group,\u201d said Downs. \u201cAnything that can be done by the kids, should be done by the kids. From picking songs, writing their own solos, writing their own drum parts, ideas about the structure of the songs, kids should have an opportunity to have input on all of these areas,\u201d she said. The students pick T-shirt colors, design the back of their shirts, teach summer camp and have a hand in picking the next generation of Leopards. Peer mentoring and support are emphasized as older students teach the younger and advanced performers and help those who have not yet mastered their parts. \u201cWe promote peer teachers which allows the weaker player to accomplish a goal and a stronger player to contribute to someone else’s success,\u201d Downs said.<\/p>\n

Students come from 53 different Louisville zip codes and 145 different schools in and around the metro area. They accept students into our programs beginning in 2nd grade and the students can stay through high school.<\/p>\n

An organization of this magnitude doesn\u2019t happen without a large staff.
\nDiane Downs is the Founder, Artistic and Executive Director. Ensemble directors include Luke Anderson, Wes Greer, Jackie Royce, Max Neblett, Dani Markham, Pete Jones and Demond Smith. Elijah Smith is the Drum Set Specialist. Zoey Mullins and Allison Cross fill the role of Assistant Ensemble Directors. Additional staff include Caroline Taylor, Operations Director David Williams, Dan Dorff, Mason Allen, Kelsey Lee and all summer camp staff members.<\/p>\n

The goal of the group isn\u2019t to produce high-quality musicians, although they do, but to produce high-quality individuals. \u201cThrough music, we try to teach the kids life skills they can apply to other areas,\u201d Downs said. The faculty encourages the process of working through a problem through rehearsal, fine-tuning the problem with more rehearsal, editing the challenge with even more rehearsal, presentation during performances and gigs and finally rewards of acknowledgment and other cool opportunities. They focus on all the attributes they need to navigate as adults: teamwork, perseverance, creativity, discipline, community building, confidence, cultural awareness and inclusivity.<\/p>\n

The organization has many performances throughout the season, including outdoor festivals, private events, concerts and presentations at music conventions. They typically perform 15-20 shows per year. They have different performing groups. The main group is Advanced & Beginners (A&B) in 2nd-6th grade. Our Steel Drum is made up of students in 7th-11th grades, often accompanied by the A&B students on gigs. A smaller group, Scene 7, is made up of seven middle school students who choose and arrange their own tunes and gig often.<\/p>\n

The biggest show of the year is their annual BiG GiG at the historic Brown Theatre in Louisville. Over 170 students are on stage, not a recital, but more of a concert and party. The 2026 BIG GIG is slated for Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m.The group has a list of accomplishments a mile long, including:<\/p>\n