Percussion Ensembles

The Beginning, Intermediate & Advanced Percussion classes at Village Christian School provide a foundation in the art of drums and percussion, building on those skills to learn drum cadences and custom song arrangements for performances. Fairly unique to Village, this is a complete program dedicated to percussion rather than just a club or after-school event. In Beginning Percussion, students with no experience learn the fundamentals of percussion and rudiments, how to read sheet music, and are introduced to a wide range of instruments from marching percussion (drumline) to mallet percussion (xylophone, marimba, etc.) and beyond (timpani, cymbals, auxiliary percussion, etc.) These skills are expanded on in Intermediate Drumline and then culminates In Advanced Percussion, performing alongside the other music performance groups and as a spirit group for a host of school functions, drumming up enthusiasm wherever we go!

Meet the Instructor: Tyler Smith

Tyler Smith, Percussion Director, is a freelance musician, educator and composer living in the Los Angeles area. He has also had the privilege of teaching percussion at Oaks Christian School, Calabasas High School, Sierra Canyon, Moorpark High School, and Lawrence Middle School. He has also started drumline programs at both Sierra Canyon and Oaks Christian School.

As a percussionist, highlights include over 70 musical theater productions in the greater Los Angeles Area, performing the “Raise the Roof” timpani concerto with The Master’s College and Azusa Pacific University, and recording under Gordon Goodwin for Disneyland Paris. In addition to writing percussion literature, he is also involved in music technology, composing, arranging, recording, editing and engraving. He holds a Bachelors of Music degree from Azusa Pacific University, and a Masters of Music degree from California State University, Northridge. He has studied under Bill Schlitt, Mark Converse, John Magnussen and the previous principal percussionist of the LA Philharmonic, Raynor Carroll. He is delighted to use his talents and abilities to serve the Lord and his students at Village Christian.