Friday afternoon, members of the Crusader Band were given a special treat. The University of Southern Mississippi Steel Pan Orchestra (SOMISPO) stopped by campus for a special concert. Under the direction of Jon Wooten, SOMISPO percussionists played songs of the islands and told stories about the history of steel pan drums. Also, Mark Elsenson ’13, a recent Brother Martin grad, was featured on bongos during one of the pieces.
Dr. John Wooton is the director of percussion studies at The University of Southern Mississippi. As an instructor and performer, Dr. Wooton has been associated with five P.A.S.I.C. Marching Percussion Forum champions. He marched snare drum for four years with the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps of Rockford, Ill. (1981-84), where he become lifelong friends with Mr. Marty Hurley. During those years, Dr. Wooton held the Drum Corps Midwest Individual Snare Drum title, the Percussive Arts Society Snare Drum Individual title. From 1987 to 1989, he served as the percussion caption head for the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps.
