The Fall Percussion Ensemble Concert brought the sounds of the changing seasons to the Southeast community on Oct. 22.

The concert featured both the university’s percussion ensemble and steel drum band. Songs such as “White Pines from Home Trilogy,” “I Can See Clearly Now” and “KoSA Soca” were performed for the socially-distanced audience in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall on Southeast’s River Campus.

The second piece, “Floor Play,” included an upbeat performance from four musicians utilizing the stage floor and their bodies as instruments. As they clapped and stomped to the beat, they invited audience members to share in the music.

Shane Mizicko directed the annual fall ensemble. It’s his sixteenth year of hosting several annual percussion performances. While it’s something he’s directed for many years, he said each performance is different.

He said he chooses musical pieces based on the group of students each year; he wants the music to be a good fit for the musicians.

“I do one each semester that is considered more serious music,” he said. “This is obviously the fall concert, a serious literature concert, but we play some fun stuff.”

Mizicko said the nature of the instruments themselves created an easily socially-distanced performance. As some of the xylophones occupied up to eight feet of space, performers were already adequately spaced.

In contrast to a choir concert, they also did not need to worry about excess air droplets from singing at loud volumes, Mizicko said.

Students, faculty, staff and community members watched the ensemble in the 950-seat performance hall, in which seating was adjusted to fit social-distance standards.

Samantha Meyer and Rachel Hart attended the event to watch Meyer’s daughter, freshman Angel Evans, perform on flute.

“This is the first time we’ve seen her perform with SEMO,” Meyer said. “We’re excited. We love River Campus.”

Mizicko will also direct a holiday concert in November and an annual spring concert next semester.

This concert was just one of many events hosted by the Department of Music this semester. For more information on upcoming events, please visit https://calendar.semo.edu/events/.