The Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s “DrumShtick” Percussion Trio will visit the Northfield Elementary School on March 17 at 1:30 p.m. Support for the day has been provided by the Turrell Fund.

The VSO’s traveling ensembles visit all corners of the state as part of an outreach program known as “Musicians in-the-Schools.” These lively performances are met with overwhelming enthusiasm, as the musical ambassadors spread the word that classical music can be fun!

“DrumShtick” is always a big hit in schools. Brian Johnson, Robert Levis, and Jeremy Levine are all excellent performers with years of experience turning kids on to classical music. Their show is called

Percussion Means the World to Us,” and it explores a culturally diverse repertoire and includes demonstrations of non-Western instruments. Through their sometimes zany humor they introduce children both to general musical concepts and to the family of percussion instruments.

These performances are part of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s statewide SymphonyKids education program, which reached over 23,000 schoolchildren last year at 159 schools in 128 different communities.