Yamaha Performing Artist, Rebecca Kite, is an author, educator, a patent holder of several innovative timpani designs, and an internationally recognized performer. She has participated in residencies, as well as presented concerts, master classes, and clinics throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Japan. She earned a Bachelor’s of Music Degree in Percussion Performance from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, a Master’s of Music Degree in Percussion Performance from Indiana University, and studied under such percussion luminaries as Keiko Abe, Cloyd Duff, and George Gaber.
Ms. Kite served on the Percussive Arts Society’s (PAS) Board of Directors from 1994 to 1997, and was a contributing editor of Percussive Notes from 1990 to 1996. From 1992 to 1999, she actively participated in the World Percussion Network Committee, as well as helped build and maintain the original PAS Bulletin Board System, as well as its original website. In 1997, Ms. Kite founded and chaired the Keyboard Committee, and she organized panel discussions featuring well-known marimbists for five Percussive Arts Society International Conferences.
Lauded by Fanfare Magazine as “a fine performer with an impressive technique,” Ms. Kite’s work as a marimba soloist can be heard on her solo CD recordings: Across Time, and Prism; as well as a percussionist on the Hello Dolly 1994 cast album. She served as Principal Timpanist with the National Symphony of Nicaragua, and the Owensboro Symphony. And has performed with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Columbus Pro Musica Orchestra, and in the pit of touring shows with the Paris Ballet, and the Houston Grand Opera. Furthermore, her books: Keiko Abe – A Virtuosic Life, Reading Mallet Percussion Music, and Anthology of Lute and Guitar Music for Marimba, are distributed worldwide by Alfred Music.
When did you begin studying music?
We had a lot of music in my home when I was growing up. My mother played the piano and encouraged me to explore its sound on my own. While I had some piano lessons with her, I did not start studying music seriously until I was nine – that’s when I started playing the violin. The next year, when I was in the fifth grade, I added playing percussion.
Why did you choose to study percussion?
My band director suggested it and I thought it would be fun. My first snare drum lessons came from my band director, who was a saxophonist. After that I did not take any more private lessons since I could already read music from my piano and violin experiences. However, I became very interested in playing the snare drum when I was in middle school, especially learning to bounce the sticks for double stroke rolls and playing rudiments. There is a great description in the Haskall Harr book about bouncing the sticks to play a double stroke roll. I followed the instructions and learned how to bounce the sticks. When I heard Frank Arsenault’s recording in school, demonstrating the rudiments open to closed to open, I wanted to play the rudiments the same way as he. I was in the band through high school, and started practicing very seriously after I got my first drum when I was 16: a 1967 Ludwig 5” Super Sensitive Snare Drum.
Who were your primary teachers?
I had one percussion teacher when I was in high school. It was with George Boberg, when I attended a six week summer music camp at Kansas University. My undergraduate professor was Charmaine Asher-Wiley at the UMKC Conservatory of Music in Kansas City. I went to graduate school at the Indiana University School of Music (now Jacobs School of Music) in Bloomington, where I studied with George Gaber. And I did advanced private study with Cloyd Duff, and Keiko Abe.
When did you decide to pursue a career in music?
I loved the experience I had at KU’s Midwestern Music and Art Camp after my junior year of high school – six weeks packed with theory class, private percussion lessons, percussion ensemble, and daily band and orchestra rehearsals with new music, and a concert every week. I decided after this camp that I wanted to pursue a career in percussion performance.
Did you have a specific goal: teach, compose, etc.?
I was open to teaching, both my parents were teachers (not music), but mostly interested in playing music. I enjoyed playing all different kinds of music. During college I started playing drums professionally, and played full time in an all women (five piece) jazz/rock band for several years. I gradually realized I was more interested in classical music and decided to go to graduate school to prepare for orchestra auditions. At this point in my life, I was focused on timpani performance.
Do you focus on a specific area of percussion, if so, did you always?
I have always played all the orchestral percussion instruments, drum set, and marimba – and still do. My primary focus was first the snare drum, then after graduating from the music conservatory, I became most interested in timpani. This led to positions with the National Symphony of Nicaragua, several small orchestras in Indiana, and free-lancing as a timpanist in Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota, and Northern Virginia. As part of my free-lance work, I added marimba solo performance in the early 1980’s, which has become my primary focus for the past twenty-five years.
Who impacted your musical growth the most?
I have to say that my mother, because she was always humming, singing, whistling, or playing the piano in our home, and without that background, I would probably never have been as interested in music as I am. I was lucky in college and graduate school choices because my two teachers were very inspirational in two very different ways. Charmaine Asher-Wiley, my undergrad teacher, had been a marimba soloist – she had two Master’s Degrees from Eastman, in percussion and in piano, and was very good at connecting with the audience through musical expression. In graduate school, I studied with George Gaber from the NYC orchestra and studio scenes, who was focused on playing the score precisely with great sounds and perfection. The combination of these two philosophies have guided me throughout my career.
What teaching positions have you held?
In addition to teaching in my private studio, I’ve held numerous adjunct positions (as I have moved several times). Memorable positions include the National Conservatory of Nicaragua, the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN), the University of Minnesota, and the University of Maryland – College Park.
What percussionists have inspired you the most and why?
Gary Burton, for his visionary four mallet technique and improvisational voice; and Keiko Abe for her incredible performance energy, and her compositions.
Is there a specific genre you enjoy performing the most?
I love classical music, from orchestral, to chamber, to solo works – including contemporary and new compositions.
What composers do you identify with and why?
J.S. Bach is my favorite composer – he wrote so much really great music, and I love the way he handled harmony and the listener’s expectations.
Do you get nervous before you play – if so, how do you deal with it?
I prepare for performing by arriving with plenty of time to get set up, and warm up. I always settle any small nervousness by doing some stretching and deep breathing in the last 10 minutes before going onstage. If I have enough time before performing, I’ll meditate, which I find very helpful.
Do you ever make a mistake while performing? If so, how do you go about resolving it?
Just like most performers I occasionally make mistakes. When one happens, I accept it, ignore it, and use mindfulness to stay focused on the music.
Has your practice regimen changed from when you were a student? And how do you keep your technique fresh on all primary percussion instruments?
As I went through undergrad and graduate programs, and gained professional performing experience at the same time, I began developing a moderately structured routine that always includes practicing technique, reading, as well as the music I was currently working on for school/professional performance.
I spent time on snare drum (fundamental techniques, speed, rolls, rudiments, etc.) and keyboard (both two and four two mallet scales, arpeggios, short chord progressions in all 12 keys using the circle of 4ths/5ths and chromatic movement). In addition, I would create new exercises all the time, and used books for practice ideas, like “Mental and Manual Calisthenics” by Buster Bailey.
As I became primarily a marimba soloist, my regular practice sessions consisted of: 12.5 % technique practice/warm-up (occasionally on SD but most often on marimba), 12.5% reading, 50% working on new pieces to expand my repertoire, and 25% reviewing existing repertoire pieces. In a two hour practice session this is 15 minutes warming up, 15 minutes reading, 60 minutes new pieces, and 30 minutes reviewing. To get ready for solo marimba performances, I change to 12.5% warm up while also working on any difficult technical spots in the program, and 87.5% practicing the repertoire in my program – for about a month before the performances. In a two hour practice session this is 15 minutes warming up, and 105 minutes of repertoire. Usually my practice sessions are three to four hours long.
In terms of staying fresh on all the instruments, especially earlier in my career, keyboard practice, snare drum practice, and drum set practice worked for staying in shape to play in the orchestras, chamber groups, theater productions, etc. that I was in.
How do you define a good musician and a good teacher? And has your definition of both changed from when you were a student to the present?
As a student, I did not think of these things – I was focused on my own learning, practicing, and growing. As I gained experience as a professional musician and teacher, I saw that my performance and my teaching was for others, not for myself. A good musician performs with integrity, playing the score, and interpreting the composer’s music in a humble, sincere, and honest way, focusing on the artistic connection with the audience.
I believe the teacher’s role is to help students achieve their musical goals. A good teacher is a guide: open, constantly learning, flexible, and focused on the experience the student is having, and what the student is learning, not their own ego.
Do you think that performing and teaching are intrinsically intertwined? If so, how and why?
While I think this depends on the individual teacher, for me they are intertwined. I feel that over the years I have become far more effective as a teacher as I have worked on developing my own artistry (both technical and interpretative) and career. In addition, professional performance experience – connecting with an audience of the general public through musical performance and interpretation – guides my teaching. If I did not have significant professional performance experience outside of the academic world, how could I guide and prepare a student seeking to enter this professional world?
Has teaching made you a better musician, if so how and why?
Teaching, especially as I have sought out teaching opportunities in a wide variety of settings (drumline, drum set for beginners, drum set for adults, in addition to classical percussion, working with all ages), has helped me understand a wide variety of musical levels and musical tastes. This has helped me tailor my programming of marimba literature in my own performances to connect with as many audience members as possible.
Knowing what you know today, would you change anything about how you prepared for your career? If so, what and why?
Who I am now as a musician is a result of all of my experiences and training, so no I wouldn’t change anything!
What words of wisdom would you share with a student who aspires to make a career as a performer and as an educator?
Don’t wait for things to come your way – go seek out knowledge, practice, learn, and create your own opportunities.
If you would like to learn more about Ms. Kite, please visit her website at: http://rebeccakite.com/
