From orchestras, choirs, and bands to ensembles of all sizes, Concordia College boasts a wide variety of performing musicians, and this school year, a new one has joined the roster — a drumline.
“That’s what got me into music. I was a drumline kid,” said Sam Deneen ’25, who is leading the group this year.
Though he’d planned to major in music education, he has since shifted his major to instrumental music, with percussion as his focal point. Deneen has played in orchestras, bands, jazz bands, and percussion ensembles and, as much as he loves the playing aspect, he also still enjoys teaching percussion.
That’s why the drumline is open to anyone who wants to give it a try, including those without drumline experience — and even those without any drum experience. New drummers can learn the beats by rote, as it’s all in the way it’s taught, Deneen said.
“For drumline, we want it to be this place where anybody can come in, have fun, and play the music,” he added. “There’s a place for anybody.”
Given how new the ensemble is, it practiced along with Concordia’s pep band during the fall semester, with about 10 percussionists showing up early to run through their music before the rest of the band arrived. The lineup varied a bit, but usually, three played snare drums, with four on bass drums, one tenor drum player, and another person wielding crash cymbals.
Only two of them were music majors, though most did have drum, drumline, or other instrumental music experience.
“I wrote a couple cadences and a couple stadium tunes,” Deneen said, and the group learned them, marching in the Homecoming parade.
Deneen hopes to showcase the group in an indoor performance in the future, but their work with the pep band has also been successful, providing a boost to school spirit and bringing students together as a community, he said. He also hopes the group will grow in the future, both in participants and in supporters.
“It’s very much about the people. That’s the heart of any good drumline,” Deneen said.
Dr. Nat Dickey, music department chair and professor of low brass, also emphasized the inclusiveness and range of abilities drumlines allow.
“When it comes to playing cymbals or bass drum, a person can start out almost as a beginner,” he said, explaining that more experienced players can jump in to play the snare or tenor drums.
At this point, the group is primarily student-led, though its members use college-owned instruments and college spaces to practice and perform.
Dr. Peter Haberman, director of bands at the college, noted the drumline would offer students a chance to have fun playing music as a group with less of a time commitment, as the participants practice once a week rather than two to three times, like most of the larger school ensembles.
“We’re just trying to expand our offerings in the music department to be more inclusive to different types of musicians who like different types of experiences,” Haberman said.
Eventually, Deneen hopes the drumline will be able to provide more support for other student activities, perhaps playing at hockey games or volleyball matches.
“Be loud, be confident, and play the music,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s about the people.”
Deneen encouraged interested students to contact him about the drumline, which will start again soon, either via email at sdeneen@cord.edu or by calling or texting 763.772.8049.