Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University will host a Tiger Steel drum concert in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s McBeth Recital Hall on Dec. 9. The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Under the leadership of Dr. Ryan Lewis, assistant professor of music, this band has grown to 25 student musicians since its inception in 2013 “and it shows no sign of slowing down,” Lewis noted. The group includes students from a variety of academic disciplines.

“Dr. Lewis and all the members were patient with me,” said Tiger Steel member Troy Daniel, a junior biology major from Benton, Ark. “I had absolutely no experience with steel drum music before Ouachita.”

“We have such a diverse group in the band,” Lewis said. “Some have experience, while most don’t. It’s fun to walk with the students while they learn the instrument and learn from each other.”

Dr. Lewis “always pushes you out of your comfort zone to try something different or to push you a little harder to take a solo,” Daniel noted. “He believes in every single one of his students and just wants them to reach their full potential.”

The songs that will be performed include: Jennifer Duerden’s arrangement of “Jump in the Line” by Harry Belafonte, David Billman’s arrangement of “Soul Sauce” by Cal Tjader, “Kiss the Girl” by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, Jit Samaroo’s arrangement of “Pan in A Minor” by Lord Kitchener, Tony McCutcheon’s arrangement of “Mary-Ann” by Harry Belafonte, Steve Sweip’s arrangement of “Cantina Band” by John Williams and Phillip Sparks’ arrangement of “Mary’s Boy Child” by Jester Hairston.

Members of Ouachita’s Jazz Band will join Tiger Steel for “Soul Sauce” and “Pan in A Minor” “to get in some extra preparation for a trip to Disney in the spring,” Lewis noted.

For more information, contact Dr. Ryan Lewis at [email protected] or (870) 245-5421.

 

By Emily Grigsby // Photo by Clair Childers