Percussion Ensemble News- -Blog written by Brent Holl after our percussion ensemble performance at the 2010 AOSA Spokane, WA conference. -2010 Percussion group ad on the front page of the Idaho Music Educators Journal about the AOSA conference.
The Teed Orff percussion ensemble was started in 2003 by Mrs. Edwards. In 2015 we celebrated the 12th year anniversary. Teed elementary is only one of three schools in the state of Idaho that offers audition percussion ensemble. Over the years the ensemble received a superior rating from the judges at the Western Idaho Elementary Music Festival in 2004, 2005, and 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012. They also performed at the State Capitol Building, Kuna Senior Center and the Idaho Music Educators Conference.
The ensemble became so large in 2010 we divided the group into two separate ensembles. Both groups use Caribbean steel drums,mallet instruments (3 sizes of wooden xylophones and metallophones), soprano and alto glockenspiels and an octave set of bass bars. Wealso use a variety of drums and small non pitched percussion instruments. In the 14th years Mrs. Edwards has taught in the KSD, ourinstruments were purchased though grants and money earned fromfundraising. All of the students at Teed Elementary have theopportunity to use all of the instruments. Also, we are the only one of two elementary schools in the state of Idaho that has Caribbean Steel Drums.
In the fall of 2010, the 6th grade ensemble applied, wasaccepted and performed at the A.O.S.A. (American Orff SchulwerkAssociation) national Orff music educators conference in Spokane, WA, Nov. 2010. They represented Teed, KSD, city of Kuna and the State of Idaho! They have been the only percussion ensemble in the state of Idaho to perform at a national Orff conference. On July 2nd, 2013 the 6th grade was selected and performed at the DCI (Drum Corps International) marching band show. In 2014, we went back to have a combined ensemble of 5th and 6th grade students. Many of the 6th grade percussion ensemble students participate in the percussion group, beginning band and orchestra. The 5th/6th grade percussion ensemble for 2016-2017 meets before school every Tuesday and Thursday.