Rimshots! Percussion Ensemble
Rimshots! is MacPhail’s Premier Percussion Ensemble (ages 13-18)
Rimshots! strives to bring relevant and exciting compositions for percussion to MacPhail and community stages. The highly motivated percussion students play myriad instruments that range from triangle to timpani to table-tops. Rimshots! performs concerts in a variety of settings throughout the community.
Rimshots! students love percussion, music, playing, and discovering how to develop the most cohesive ensemble possible.
The goal is to take the music beyond the notes to create meaning and connect with the audience.
Rimshots! runs annually from September to June with exciting 2-hour weekly rehearsals on Saturdays from 2-4 pm.
Students wishing to audition should be proficient on mallets, snare drum, timpani, drum set, and accessories.
Application deadlines are Tuesday, August 5, 2025 & Friday, August 22, 2025.
Auditions will be held on Tuesday, August 12 from 1-4 pm & Friday, August 29 from 2-4:30 pm.
Meet the Rimshots! Faculty
Paul Babcock
Paul Babcock has over 25 years of experience teaching percussion/drum set. He enjoys working with students of all backgrounds to discover their passions for music and percussion to see how far they can go on this exciting journey.
Paul developed the MacPhail percussion ensemble Rimshots!, which has performed across the United States and abroad.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from Monmouth College (Illinois) and a Master’s in Music Performance from the University of Minnesota.
Mary Emmons
Mary Emmons is percussionist and educator currently based in the Greater Twin Cities Area of Minnesota where she serves as the Adjunct Professor of Percussion at St. Cloud State University, as well as part of the Percussion Faculty at the MacPhail Center for Music. At SCSU she teaches Applied Percussion, leads the World Drumming Group, and assists the Husky Sports Band. She also assists the Eastview High School Marching Band as a Front Ensemble Tech in Apple Valley, MN.
Most recently, Mary completed her Masters in Percussion Performance at the University of Missouri. Before coming to Missouri, Mary received her Bachelor’s in Music Performance from the University of Tennessee-Martin.