Percussive Arts Society

Percussive Arts Society

The Percussive Arts Society (PAS) is an international music service organization promoting percussion education, research, performance and appreciation.

Established in 1961 as a non-profit, music service organization, PAS is the world's largest percussion organization and is a central source for information and networking for percussionists and drummers of all ages. With over 9,000 members (as of 2007), PAS has chapters located in each of the United States (including Puerto Rico), and 23 chapters in 19 other countries.

PAS publishes two bi-monthly publications, Percussive Notes and Percussion News, and a website that contains publication archives, research databases, a conference center, museum tour and other features. PAS is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and includes the Percussive Arts Museum and Library, which contains rare and unusual percussion instruments and scores. The Percussive Arts Society also hosts the annual PASIC convention in a different city each year. PASIC 2008 was in Austin, Texas. PASIC 2009 will be in Indianapolis, Indiana. The convention features four days of clinics, concerts, competitions and mock auditions, and other percussion events. Past conventions such as the 2003 and 2004 conventions were held in Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee. The 2003 convention included performances from Omar Hakim, giving a drum set clinic, and Jeff Queen with a marching snare drum clinic. Highlights from the 2004 convention included drum set clinics by JoJo Mayer and Morgan Rose of Sevendust. Before the Morgan Rose clinic began a pair of Vater Morgan Rose signature sticks sat in each of the first few rows of the audience. The clinic consisted of playing multiple tracks from the then record "Seasons" with a behind the back drum and foot pedal camera. The audience heard the band through the speakers as Morgan played over it but the vocals were taken out. Following the performance a Q and A session followed with an autograph session.

The Percussive Arts Society is well known among percussionists for the PAS International Drum Rudiments, a set of basic drum beats and exercises that is used by percussion educators. These rudiments can be found in most percussion music books and a copy is available for free download from the PAS web site.