The Music Building was literally drumming with excitement Monday as NIU percussionist William Cooley performed an effortless recital.

The performance, just over an hour long, showcased Cooley’s fantastic percussion skills as he began by playing the marimba, moved to drums and had a band join him for his final piece, where he played the drumset.

As Cooley played the marimba during the first two songs, he produced a full, encompassing, multi-layered sound that filled the room.

The songs were light and melodic. Cooley used double-sticking, four mallets and performed without a hitch. There was a lot of repetition of rhythms within the songs, but that didn’t take away from the performance.

The audience was paying their undivided attention the entire time.

Cooley didn’t just play light, cheery sounds; he also added some depth by creating an eerie sound during one of his selections. He was highly concentrated as he moved up and down the instrument, which was visually interesting for the audience.

When Cooley switched to the drums, it added an element different from the first half of the performance. The drums added a heavier tone and Cooley was very fluent in both the marimba and drums.

After the intermission, for the last song, other percussion was added, along with trombone, saxophone and a string bass.

The last song was more of a sped-up swing/rock song. The performers worked well together and expressed great musicianship, making the show highly enjoyable.

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