Ben Mack to present junior percussion recital at Central Michigan University

A free student percussion recital at Staples Family Concert Hall gave Central Michigan University one more public checkpoint for the drum studio, and it was the kind of event that matters beyond one student’s grade sheet. Ben Mack’s junior recital ran about 45 to 60 minutes, was open to the public, and put a CMU percussionist in front of a live audience at no cost, which is exactly the sort of low-barrier performance opportunity that keeps a college percussion scene healthy.

That accessibility is the real story here. CMU’s School of Music positioned the recital as part of its hands-on, experiential approach, and the school says students can take part in hundreds of performances each year. For drummers, that kind of frequency is gold. It means more stage reps, more pressure management, more chances to hear a setup ring in a real hall, and more opportunities for local players to see what the next level looks like without buying a ticket. In a field where so much learning happens in the practice room, public recitals turn technique into something the campus and the Mount Pleasant music community can actually hear.

The event also reflected how much coordination sits behind a single student performance. CMU listed Marco Schirripa as the contact on the recital page, and Schirripa is the school’s Assistant Professor and Director of Percussion. His background runs deep: bachelor’s degrees in Percussion Performance and Music Theory from Ithaca College, master’s and doctor of music degrees in percussion from Indiana University, and Indiana University’s Performer's Certificate during his first year of doctoral study. That matters because a recital like Mack’s does not happen in a vacuum. It sits inside a studio built by a faculty player who knows the path from conservatory-level study to public performance.

Mack’s recital also landed in a packed spring stretch for CMU percussion. A CMU Percussion Ensemble concert took place April 26 under Schirripa’s direction, and the calendar also included senior recitals for Abigail Russelburg and Jacob Hart, plus an elective percussion recital with Braden Cook and Owen Meade. That cluster suggests a full end-of-semester performance cycle, not a one-off student appearance. CMU’s chamber ensembles page says the school is something its musicians do, not just study, and this run of recitals made that plain: the campus keeps generating places where percussionists can be heard, tested, and remembered.