Northwood’s percussion ensemble performed for the first time in almost a decade at Jazz at The Oak on May 16.

Led by percussion coach Aron Murillo, the group performed “Big Country” by Bela Fleck and the Fleck Tones, which included challenges for the percussion instrumentalists because the song was different from what they usually play in jazz and concert band.  

“The parts here are especially made for each instrument and they’re made by people who actually play the instruments,” marimbist junior Yun Wen said. “ A lot of the time in the regular band, the percussion parts are very minimal, but because it’s percussion ensemble, the parts are more intricate.”

The percussion ensemble rehearsed for two and a half hours every Wednesday for three weeks to learn their parts. Student interest in showcasing unique percussion instruments sparked the revival of the percussion ensemble’s role at Jazz at the Oak. Students like drummer junior Shada Sirat appreciated the effort Murillo went to to allow their instruments to be featured.

“A lot of the time percussion is focused on supporting the rest of the ensemble, like the wind ensemble or the strings or for example the drumset with the jazz band,” Murillo said. 

Although no official plans have been announced, the percussion ensemble hopes to continue to play featured songs like in the future.

“There’s not a lot of room for inaccuracy rhythmically, so when we play it’s not as forgiving as maybe a wind instrument or a string instrument,” Murillo said. “In that aspect, they have to play more together, more tightly.”