Brooke Ann Coco '13, Talented Percussionist and Caring Volunteer

Brooke Ann Coco ‘13, a recipient of the Reid Lessig Scholarship for Bands, devotes a lot of time to music. Not just to studying it, but also to playing it. She has been involved with the University Orchestra, the Concert Band, the Marching Band, and she’s part of three different sections of the Percussion Ensemble, two of which explore percussion music and instruments from around the world. “Right now in the African drumming ensemble, we’re learning about the drumming styles of the Ewe people, who are located primarily in Ghana. Some of the patterns are really interesting,” Brooke says. “Adzrowo pattern, for example, involves one part of the ensemble playing in 12/8 time, and another part playing in 3/4 time, so depending on how you’re listening to it, you might hear it differently, which is pretty amazing.” Brooke says that one of the most remarkable features of this type of drumming is the use of traditional instruments. “We play with drums that were made in Ghana, and we don’t use drumsticks—it’s actually just whittled wood, so no two sticks are the same.” She smiles. “I really like the class. It’s a lot of fun.”

Besides exploring music from around the world in class, Brooke has also had an opportunity to travel to other countries as a member of the KU Percussion Ensemble. Professor Frank Kumor, who leads the ensemble, has traveled widely due to his solo performances, and has found many opportunities for Kutztown University students to play at music festivals abroad. In January 2010, the ensemble travelled to Bjelovar, Croatia to play in the International Percussion Ensemble Week festival. “We were the only university students playing there at the festival,” Brooke says. “Everyone else was professional.” Besides performing, the students had a chance to watch and take workshop classes from Taiko drumming groups Fujii Trio & Uruki, and from Paolo Cimmino, a celebrated hand drummer. “All the other performers were really nice, and were willing to talk to us,” Brooke says. “We had the chance to interact with them a lot since we were all staying in the same hotel.”

Brooke has learned a lot during her time in the percussion program, and she takes lessons from both Professor Will Rapp, the Chair of the Music Department, and from Professor Kumor. When asked about the lessons she receives, Brooke has many kind things to say about both teachers. “They’re both extremely flexible and very knowledgeable. I can pick my own pieces [to play] and as long as they think the piece is challenging, they’ll approve it for me. They both have given me great guidance.”

This year, Brooke has been an occasional substitute timpanist with the Reading Pops Orchestra and has worked with the Ringgold Band. On February 10, she played with the Philadelphia Virtuoso Chamber Orchestra during a concert at Bloomsburg University.

Brooke has also recently started taking lessons on the cimbalom, a traditional Hungarian instrument—similar to the hammered dulcimer—that is very rare in the United States. Steve Weiss Music, a percussion instrument retailer, had a cimbalom and the KU Music Department was able to obtain it. Since only a handful of people in the US know how to play the instrument, an outside instructor was brought in to give lessons to KU students. James Barnes, a professor at Moravian College, is an experienced cimbalom player and has been instructing Brooke on every nuance of the cimbalom. “I just learned how to restring it,” Brooke says. “It’s tough.” One of the advantages, Brooke says, to learning the cimbalom is that it will provide her with a chance to perform more widely in the future. “Since there are so few cimbalom players here [in the US], they’re highly sought out by orchestras when a piece of music involves the instrument,” Brooke says.

Like many KU students, Brooke also volunteers her time to help others. During the spring break period in March 2011, Brooke participated in a university-sponsored trip down to North Carolina to help out with a Habitat for Humanity project, which involved building a new home for a local family. Brooke travelled with eight other KU students, along with other students from area colleges, to Statesville, North Carolina. “When we got there, all that had been done was the cement foundation. So we worked mainly on the flooring and the framing. There was a lot of nailing and sawing,” Brooke says, “but we got a lot of work done when we were there.” The entire experience was so enjoyable, Brooke says, that she cannot wait to do another one. “It was tough, but it was a lot of fun. I would definitely do it again.”

When asked about the Reid Lessig scholarship, Brooke, who is a double major in music and anthropology, says that she was very surprised to receive it. “It was announced at the concert band performance last year. I wasn’t expecting it at all, and it has helped me out tremendously.”

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