Moving percussionists from the back of the
orchestra to the forefront of modern music.
Serious fun
The Percussion On the Sound (POTS!) 2024 Summer Seminar
will take place July 28th - August 4th at Five Towns College,
a beautiful campus just outside of New York City.
The POTS! Summer Seminar (presented by Five Towns College) is an exceptional, pre-collegiate program for young musicians seeking a unique performing experience. Participants will be immersed in percussion classes on marimba, snare drum, timpani, complimentary percussion, hand drumming, drum set, and multiple percussion, and will present full percussion ensemble concerts in front of live audiences. It’s serious fun!
In addition to learning instrumental skills, students will gain important insight into audition preparation for music festivals and college auditions, careers in music, practice and organizational skills, mental preparation for peak performance, and developing important team-building skills.
POTS! faculty are some of New York City’s finest percussionists who bring their professional experience into the classroom from institutions such as New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The Juilliard School, Hofstra University, and Five Towns College. Instructors regularly interact with participants in rehearsals, group master classes, and one-on-one coaching sessions. Discussions about percussive arts, the music profession, and citizenship in the arts are part of the daily dialogue.
The Five Towns College campus offers a safe and productive environment. The Public Safety Office provides 24/7/365 security and campus surveillance. The dormitory rooms are air-conditioned, with bathrooms and showers in each room and easy access to the rehearsal and practice facilities. There are communal areas with sofas, group television gathering spaces, and quiet areas for studying. Next door, The Upbeat Cafe caters to three meals per day.
Whether practicing for our concert or tossing the frisbee in one of the large grassy areas on campus, the Percussion On The Sound Summer Seminar is always about serious fun. Summer is a time to make new friends, learn unique things, and enjoy the weather. POTS! and Five Towns College offers the complete package.
Learn the rules like a pro
“
so you can break them like an artist
”
-Pablo Picasso
Faculty
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A native of Uruguay, Pablo Rieppi lives and works in New York, where he is a member of The New York City Ballet Orchestra, Percussion Department Coordinator and Instructor at The Juilliard School, Pre-College Division, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Percussion at Hofstra University.
The Houston Chronicle wrote, “Pablo Rieppi sparked a lot of buzz at intermission with his ability…he was rock solid no matter what position he had to contort into to play.”
In the last three decades, Mr. Rieppi has performed a wide range of music with some of the world’s leading artists and ensembles, including regular engagements with New York Philharmonic and numerous performances with The Metropolitan Opera, Mostly Mozart Festival, American Symphony Orchestra, The New York Pops, American Composers Orchestra, Speculum Musicae, New York New Music Ensemble, DaCapo Chamber Players, The New York City Opera, Manhattan Sinfonietta, New York Percussion Quartet, Perspectives Ensemble, American Symphony Orchestra, and numerous others. He has performed under the world’s finest conductors, as well as with world, jazz, classical, rock and R&B luminaries Joe Zawinul, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Joshua Bell, and The Who, among others.
Mr. Rieppi was a member of numerous Broadway orchestras, including The King and I, Legally Blonde, and West Side Story. He has recorded many feature film scores, including Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, Salem’s Lot, Gemini Man, Zoolander 2, television shows (recently The Marvelous Mrs. Maizel), and new compositions with several ensembles.
He is equally dedicated to music education, particularly the development of the creative learning process. Currently, he is teaching at The Juilliard School and Hofstra University. Past appointments include SUNY Purchase College-Conservatory of Music and Columbia University. He has been a teaching artist with the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar, Carnegie Hall, New York Philharmonic, and The American Composers Orchestra, and has given numerous percussion master classes in the United States and abroad. Most recently, Mr. Rieppi created Percussion On The Sound (POTS!), a year-round, pre-collegiate group of solo and ensemble musicians in residency at Hofstra University, and joined the faculty of Percussion Conservatory, an international, online percussion school.
In 2004 he composed music for the soundtrack of Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story, which won numerous prizes at several film festivals. His percussion and electronics piece “Rage and Peace” was performed by the New York University Percussion Ensemble and at The Aspen Music Festival in 2007. His first method book, Snare Drum Technique: Essential Basics for Daily Practice, was cited in the March 2015 issue of Percussive Notes as one of the 30 most utilized snare drum method books. His composition Rhythmic Roots, for snare drum, bass drum, and hi-hat, is available through Amazon and is a popular audition and recital selection. His melodic and harmonic accompaniments for the 12 Etudes for Snare Drum by Jacques Delecluse, titled Accompaniment Music for Solo Snare Drum, Vol. 1, is available through Bandcamp.com. Videos of various solos and short clinics are available on YouTube and at PRieppiMusic.com.
Mr. Rieppi has a master's degree and Professional Studies Certificate from The Juilliard School and a bachelor's degree from George Mason University. Pablo Rieppi proudly endorses Innovative, Yamaha, and Zildjian music instruments.
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Do-it-all percussionist Sean Ritenauer can be heard anywhere music is found, whether on Broadway (Something Rotten!, Pippin), television and film (The Marvelous Ms. Maisel, Moonrise Kingdom, A Dog’s Purpose), or as an orchestral musician. Equally conversant in classical, contemporary, Latin, and popular music styles, the Ohio native’s multi-genre fluency has led to a highly varied career. Particular highlights include Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 in Alan Gilbert’s final performance with the New York Philharmonic, Steve Reich’s 80th Birthday concert with contemporary music ensemble Alarm Will Sound, and perhaps most fondly, playing congas alongside Aretha Franklin.
As an orchestral musician, Ritenauer regularly performs within the New York Philharmonic, including on tours of Europe and Asia, and also has joined the Malaysia Philharmonic and National Symphony Orchestra (D.C.). As Principal Percussion of the Huntsville Symphony (AL), he has performed as concerto soloist three times, including the second-ever performance of Andy Akiho’s Percussion Concerto in January 2020. The Huntsville Times praised Ritenauer for “mesmerizing dexterity”, and recounted “an immediate standing ovation” from the audience.
Sean also places a premium on excellence as an educator. As a private teacher, his Manhattan-based studio features alumni admitted to the country’s top music programs, including Juilliard, Eastman, and the New England Conservatory. He is currently serving as a percussion instructor at Hofstra University where he directs the Hofstra Percussion Ensemble.
He makes his home in New York City with his girlfriend, the oboist Hsuan-Fong Chen. They share a home with their cockapoo, Hiro.
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James Dragovich served as a band director for the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Schools for thirty-three years, twenty-nine as Director of Bands at George W. Hewlett High School. During his tenure, the Hewlett High School Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Bands performed in Montreal, Boston, Washington DC, Virginia, Disney World, Puerto Rico, and numerous appearances at Carnegie Hall. The Hewlett Jazz Orchestra performed at many jazz festivals and was a featured ensemble at the 2014 NYSSMA Winter Conference in Rochester, NY. The Hewlett Marching band performed the halftime show at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville Fl and marched many times in the NYC Columbus Day Parade, including a first place finish in 1991. During his time in Hewlett, Mr. Dragovich served as a cooperating teacher to over forty college students, all of which are now enjoying their own careers in music education, and was nominated to “Who’s Who Among American Teachers” numerous times by his students.
Mr. Dragovich presently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Music Education for Five Towns College. Before this appointment, he served on the Music Education Faculties for LIU Post and Hofstra University, teaching method classes in percussion and brass studies. As a conductor, he has commissioned works for both symphonic bands and jazz ensembles by such composers as Robert Sheldon, Errol Weis Schlabach, Mike Carubia, and Carl Strommen. Guest soloists with Mr. Dragovich’s ensembles include Joseph Alessi, Dave Pietro, Stanley Drucker, Cecil Bridgewater, Eric Ralski, Jack Schatz, Pete McGuinness, Mike Carubia, and John Riley.
Mr. Dragovich directs the Nassau Suffolk Jazz Band, is a clinician for Music in The Parks, Festivals of Music, and Educational Tours Inc., and is on the teaching staff for POTS! (Percussion on The Sound). He serves on the board of directors for Best Bands International and The American Chamber Ensemble while keeping an active performance schedule, including his own seventeen-piece jazz orchestra. Mr. Dragovich continues teaching percussion and low brass in his private teaching studio in Amity Harbor, NY, enjoying life with his wife Mindy.
Guest Clinicians
To be announced
Dormitory and full meal plan included
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Until June 1, 2024 - Full refund
After June 1, 2024 - No refundOnce the session begins for the enrolled student, no refunds will be made for any reason, including illness.
As we cannot provide refunds, we encourage you to consider purchasing third-party insurance prior to May 1st. Third-party camp insurance may be available through companies like aplusplans.com*.