EAGLE, Idaho — A local percussion expert and a few BSU students are holding a drum major summer camp, starting in June.
- The camp is from June 18th to June 21st.
- The goal of the camp is to focus on abilities and leadership skills.
- For more information on how to get involved click here.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
I'm your Eagle neighborhood reporter Alexander Huddleston and I met up with one local percussion director to talk about how he and a few BSU students are building up a new music culture here in the state of Idaho through a summer drum major camp.
"I've been doing music since I was in high school... Everything who I am as a person basically came from me joining band when I was in 10th grade," said Rob Sullens.
Sullens is the drum line specialist at BSU but is a familiar face in Eagle as he helped bring the Eagle High School percussion ensemble its first world championship win. Now Sullens' mission continues to bring musical excellence to the state of Idaho.
Sullens explained, "Upon moving out here, I realized there were some opportunities that were not available in the Treasure Valley."
Sullens explained to me that many of Idaho’s music learners have to spend a lot of money or travel far for an enriching experience at a band camp. So in 2021, he created Bandology.
"The camp is four days. It goes from June 18th to June 21st and we go from nine to five o’clock," said Sullens. "It just seemed like it was something that was needed at a local level that I could provide," he continued.
The camp is focused on maximizing the abilities of future drum majors and capitalizing on leadership skills.
"I bring in people from out of state and locally to help teach the camp," said Sullens.
One instructor, Alan Salvador is a postgraduate student at BSU. I hopped on a Zoom call with Salvador, as he currently is back home in Hawaii.
Salvador said, "Being an instructor, I get to deal with a lot of different playing levels. From students who don't know the basics, to students who have been playing for four-plus years who maybe have had lessons."
But being from Hawaii, Salvador explained that it offers his students a different diverse learning experience.
"As musicians, we learn the same thing, it's just that we learn it differently and in a different context. so bringing a different context will broaden their horizons, and broaden their approach to certain techniques that we teach them," said Salvador.
Like I said before, Sullens wants to grow this camp into one of the big ones that people travel out of state for.
