IN THE NEWS AND OTHER PRESS CLIPPINGS
The Ontario College of Percussion and Music has been featured in local newspapers and international magazines. The articles posted here span decades, a testiment to the staying power of this institution and relevence of it's programs.
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Percussion college drums home it's lessons of skill and taste.
What Paul Robson has is the perfect lease-breaking operation. He runs a drum school.
He has 251 drummers enrolled, and when they get into their drumming thing, the din is enough to soften any landlords resistance.
Paul Robson's school has something else besides noise. It has prestige. Its full title is the Ontario College of Percussion, and everything about it, from its reputation to its curriculum to its management, is very major league.
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Have a drumstick? (Beat it, don't eat it)
Say "Ontario College of Percussion", and people either smile thinly... or look numb.
It's such an unusual thing. They ask first if it's for real.
Yes.
Then... who goes? What kind of people? Why? And who dreamed up the idea in the first place?
Find the founder first, then you learn all. It's Paul Robson, who's been a drummer with all manner of big names in the States and Canada... Peggy Lee, Frank Gorshin, Ella Fitzgerald, Gordon Lightfoot, the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Robson gave roots in 1963 to the very first percussion school... here or anywhere else, so far as anybody can determine.
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Go North Young Man
May become the call as more and more young aspiring professionals get word of Toronto's unique and exciting Ontario College of Percussion
If you're a drummer looking for a top-notch program of instruction to develop your skills, you may be surprised to learn that one of the best places for this is in the city of Toronto, Canada. Here one will find possibly the largest, finest-equipped percussion in North America. It's called the Ontario College of Percussion, and if you've never heard of it before, you'll be hearing alot about it in the future.
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Beating good drummers (gently) into shape: How one school does it.
Every school - whether university, secondary, or The One of Hard Knocks - loves to flaunt its scholars, so here are some who've studied at Toronts's Ontario College of Percussion: Neil Peart of Rush. Martin Deller of FM. Andy Cree, of Anne Murray's band. Burton Cumming's drummer. Moe Koffman's drummer. Gary Hall of Lee Merryweather.
Enough of name dropping. How about distance dropping? Students of drumming have flown in weekly to Paul Robson's classes from New York, even Osh Kosh, Wisconsin. And monthly from Texas. And at various other times from the Yukon, Germany, Israel, even Australia, which is about as far away as you can get, without falling off the planet.
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A Different Drummer
Paul Robson claims he founded the Ontario College of Percussion, back in 1965 for the good of mankind. "In all honesty, it was my contribution to society. Teaching just wasn't available when I was a kid. Even now there's not another school of percussion in North America."
In his missionary zeal, Robson has created a school designed to instruct every level of drummer from the novice to the experienced performer. The school offers both full-time and part-time courses. There are playing forums, classrooms, workshops plus a fully equipped recording studio, At any given time there are some 600 students enrolled.
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How to drum up a new life at 65
At 65, Fred Brunke is becoming an accomplished drummer, able to sit in with the best of bands.
At a time when many his age are content to spend their time listening to the stereo, this retired custom woodworker is energetically beating his drums and cymbals to a rock beat or a waltz or swinging with some blues or dixieland.
He says it's relaxing.
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Instruction
Students of the Ontario College of Percussion were recently presented with diplomas and awards at the graduation ceremonies of the College's Playing Forums program. In keeping with the philosophy of teaching students music form as well as percussion techniques, the program gives students a cance to play in a live situation, and is broken down into four sections, with increasing levels of difficulty.
On April 20th, students graduated from Phase one of the program, in which they were exposed to basic music forms, and the 12-bar blues, accompanied by in-class playing experience. The other three sections to follow will present more complex techniques, and will allow students to perform with a preofessional rhythm section, and finally a full 8-piece band. The graduation ceremonies themselves featured performances by prize-winning students.
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East York percussion school moves with the times
Wellspring is a program at the Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Science Centre. ITs wellspring.ca web site says research indicates drumming can help reduce stress as well as promote wellbeing.
Although it recently moved to an address on Laird Drive, the Ontario College of Percussion and Music has existed since 1965. Founder Paul Robson won Best Music Teacher in a 2001 NOW magazine Best of Toronto reader's poll. Manager Jay Burak says learning to drum can assist geaometrical and mathematical thinking, as well as organizational skills.
"Drumming involves an independence," he said. "And the training of unused portions of the brain."
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