Coed seeks percussion perfection
Photo by Ron Bishop
Sally Swetnam, KU's girl percussionist
Sally Swetnam, Prairie Village freshman, spends more time on her hobby and first love at KU than she does on her major—occupational therapy. She doesn't mind rehearsing 13 hours a week on the tympani, the trap and snare drums, chimes, xylophone and cymbals because music has become an area that she can't resist—whether it fits in her schedule or not.
and the xylophone in "Oliver." She was selected for the Shawnee Mission District Orchestra and the Kansas City Youth Symphony also during her high school years.
Sally said it doesn't pay to be clumsy in the percussion section. Dropping a cymbal in the still of a pianissimo section of a symphony could wreck the mood of the passage.
She says a drummer needs a musical ear, and perfect pitch is a useful asset.
"What's more, you have to be able to isolate the sound of your tympani's slight hum while the rest of the orchestra might be raging in a triumphant finale part. This is to change pitch during the middle of a selection" she added.
Hectic schedule
Her rehearsal schedule is rigorous and leaves little time for leisure.
"A lot of people get the idea that I take music for recreation or relaxation from my other courses. But some Sundays I rehearse from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 5 p.m., and then again from 9:30 to 11 p.m." she said.
"I can't sluff off toward the end of the semester to catch up on other neglected courses,
either" she continued, "because the music concert schedule is especially hectic at the end of the semester, due to final concerts, and this year the Symposium for American Contemporary Music takes a lot of extra time."
For example, Sally plays four concerts this week on four consecutive nights.
Glory only reward
Money is no object with this occupation. She doesn't expect any or get any. This year the only paid performance will be for the commencement ceremony where she will receive $25.
She was willing to perform at the Starlight Theater in Kansas City for Tab Hunter's production of "Here's Love" regardless of any monetary reward. Marching for the Kansas City Chief's football opener appealed to her also.
By LINDA BROWNING Kansan Staff Writer
Since she's been at KU, Sally has toured Kansas during semester break with the Wind Ensemble, the Brass Choir and the Percussion Ensemble. The band and orchestra spent three days in Kansas City right after spring vacation, and she participated in the Brass Choir's presentations in Parsons for the KU Alumni Association.
Sally Swetnam, Prairie Village freshman and occupational Therapy major doesn't carry around three pairs of tympani sticks, a pair of snare drum drum sticks and xylophone mallets to beat her patients over the head when they don't progress.
She simply loves music and can't resist the KU music organizations-she belongs to every one possible. She spends thirteen hours a week in rehearsal for orchestra, symphonic band, Brass Choir, percussion ensemble and the wind ensemble.
There is no doubt that Sally can wield the tympani sticks to a mean forte section of an overture; otherwise she would have been replaced by a hefty male long ago.
Ever since Sally knew what drums were, she wanted to play them. Her first endeavors with music and rhythm were in the fifth grade when she took tap dancing.
She quit her dancing to concentrate on the drums and percussion of all types. She was proficient enough in the sixth grade to warrant private instruction.
By high school Sally knew when and where in lengthy scores to play the chimes, cymbals, tambourine, tympani, snare drums or xylophone.
Won gold medals
Sally won several gold medals with her percussion trio in high school. She also played in three high school musicals—drum set in "Camelot" and "Funny Girl"
2 KANSAN May 12
1969
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