It’s that time of the semester again when we’ve just finished midterms and finals are just around the corner. Many students may be feeling a little stressed out, but don’t worry – there’s a cure for that. It’s called Fridays Rock and it takes place at the C Building Auditorium for a couple of Fridays starting around the middle of the semester. And yes, it’s completely free.Fridays Rock was started by Robbie Heighway, one of MATC’s Music Department teachers. It turns out that Fridays Rock has been going on for a number of years. The faculty tries to schedule the performances on a day that will attract a lot of students, as well as friends and family members. “We meet as a staff, and then we decide what weeks work out. We try to spread them out toward the middle and end of the semester after students have enough time to try and organize music for the performances,” says Ben Hans, one of the teachers at MATC’s Music Department.
Fridays Rock also turns out to not only be a concert that is pleasing to those who attend it, but also “a platform for students to get experience performing in front of audiences,” explains Ben Hans. Before the performance takes place, students involved in various music classes work on pieces that may be performed for the concert. Some pieces get performed, while others don’t. The faculty at MATC’s Music Department then picks days when they want to hold Fridays Rock, and they try to schedule a diversity of music for each performance – that way you don’t hear the same kind of music performed at every Fridays Rock.
Making their debut at this semester’s Fridays Rock is the MATC Percussion Ensemble. This is a class that has been in the works for over four years and has finally become a reality. It was an idea created by Ben Hans, who is the instructor for this course. “I’ve been here 10 years and it was needed; it was time for it. Many universities have a percussion ensemble; there’s never been one here at MATC. This is the first time.”
When asked about what exactly Percussion Ensemble is, Mr. Hans replied, “It’s an extension of the ensemble courses, but only percussion instruments are used in the course. It’s anything that you can strike or hit or get a sound out of, and it’s open to all different things.” He also said, “It’s sort of a diversity class, but really for percussion students. This is an opportunity for percussion students to expand and play all the different instruments.” Currently, the Percussion Ensemble class will be offered every spring at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus.
If you missed the Percussion Ensemble’s last performance at Fridays Rock, you can catch them again on May 1. Remember, there are only a few performances left: April 24, May 1 and May 8. Fridays Rock will be held on these days at the C Building auditorium at noon. See you there!
