Percussion major wins national drum competition (video)

Watch Video of Eric Carr

He may have started playing drums in 4^th Grade “because my friends were,” but Rowan University senior Eric Carr has continued to pursue his musical ambitions - with different motivations. In November, he earned first place in the Individual College Tenors division of the Marching Festival at the 2010 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis. After placing third in 2009, he knew he wanted to come back and go for the top spot.

Carr won performing his original composition – “Street Cred” – on multi-tenors, a six-drum unit one might normally see being worn with a harness for a marching band. He had one shot too, since the competition consists of just one performance in front of the judges.

“It was great,” he said of his victory. “I spent a lot of time working on my solo; writing it, practicing it, coming up with new ideas.”

Carr began writing “Street Cred” at the beginning of the fall semester specifically for this competition. He also works at his performance too. Though there was no marching to worry about for this event, showmanship is still part of the mix including some flashy work with the “sticks” as he plays.

This recognition joins a list of accolades going back to his selections to the South Jersey Honor Band, All-State and All-East bands as a student at Washington Township High School. He was also part of the select Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps in South Carolina over the summer and he performs regularly with the United Indoor Percussion Ensemble from Camden County.

The Washington Township resident finishes up his degree in Music Education in May and is still deciding what’s next. Teaching? Graduate School?

“I definitely want to keep performing, though,” Carr states emphatically.