On March 26, the Steely Pan Steel Band of Appalachian State University’s Hayes School of Music will perform in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts on campus. Eliza Dutcher (left) of Zebulon and Miranda Stone of Garner are among the group’s members. Photo by Marie Freeman
On March 26, the Steely Pan Steel Band of Appalachian State University’s Hayes School of Music will perform in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts on campus. Brian McKenzie of Greensboro is among the group’s members. Photo by David Prewitt of The News-Topic of Lenoir
BOONE, N.C.—Under Byron Hedgepeth’s direction, the Steely Pan Steel Band of Appalachian State University’s Hayes School of Music will perform at 3 p.m. March 26 in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts on campus. Admission is free.
The program will boast a wide range of styles, from rock to opera. It will consist of music originally written or arranged for steel band. Hedgepeth is an adjunct instructor of percussion at Appalachian.
The Steely Pan Steel Band consists of 22 Appalachian students performing 41 steel drums and other percussion instruments. It performs often, not only at Appalachian but also at schools and arts festival around the state.
Among the selections will be Len “Boogsie” Sharpe’s “Birthday Party”; Roy Holman’s “My Band”; “Reptilia” by Julian Casablancas/The Strokes; and “Under the Sea,” which was composed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.
Hedgepeth also has programmed Phil Hawkins’ “Cha Cha Sandwich,” which will feature a solo by vibraphonist Miranda Stone of Garner. Other pieces to be played include Aldwyn Roberts’ “Pan in A Minor”; Ellie Mannette’s “My Paradise”; and “Tamboo Bamboo to Steel,” a traditional steel band number.
The program will conclude with Alphonsus Cassell’s “Hot Hot Hot.”
About the Hayes School of Music
The Hayes School of Music prepares young musicians for professional lives as performers, composers, music educators, music therapists, conductors and music industry professionals, ensuring the next generation of musical leadership for the state, region and nation. Noted for quality instruction by national and internationally recognized faculty musicians, the school offers four undergraduate degree programs and three graduate-level programs.
About Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian enrolls about 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
