Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick Kramer. He and their team shared their story with us below:
JOIA: World Percussion. We celebrate our 30th anniversary as St. Louis’s Premier World Percussion Ensemble. Performing the life-celebrating rhythms of Brazil, Africa, The Caribbean, Cuba, and Japan. The story began in 1993 when a group of percussionists decided to join forces and perform an expanding repertoire of world percussion music. Founding members included Rick Kramer, Mel Eberle, Bradley Drury, Donna Hailstone, Michael Fishman, and David Sanders. With weekly rehearsals, the group grew to 15 – 20 regular members. The group quickly began playing festivals and private events before playing for the Rams football team at their inaugural games. The group went on to lead the St. Louis Mardi Gras Parade for many years, performed at the Sheldon Concert Hall, and eventually wound up as ambassadors to St. Louis with our celebratory photos featured in the main terminal at St. Louis’s Lambert Field International Airport.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part, yes. However, as director of the band, it was sometimes tricky being the center of many unique personalities and different points of view. However, the music always seemed to unite the band. The main focus was to celebrate life.
Thanks for sharing that. Please tell us more about your work.
Below is a recent resume for teaching with Springboard To Learning. They are an organization that matches artists with the St. Louis Public Schools. I currently do once-a-week, 12-week residencies where I teach elementary school students the rhythms of Joia. An example of what I do is at https://www.unitythroughpercussion.com/Home.html. The work that takes up most of my time is manufacturing and selling an instrument I designed for music education called Joia Tubes. This is what I am most proud of. I’ve sold several thousand instruments in the US and abroad. There is much more information on my company at www.joiatubes.com.
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
- JOIA: World Percussion Ensemble, St. Louis, MO / Sep 1993 – Present
- 25 years of training and rehearsing community members to perform with Joia
- 22 years of teaching ESL at the International Institute
- 20 years designing and marketing Joia Tubes for elementary music education
- 15 years presenting at national music conferences; Music Therapy, TMEA, Orff Schulwerk, FMEA
- 10 published world percussion arrangements
- 10 years on the faculty of the Strike Institute
- 15 years as ambassadors to St. Louis at Lambert Field
- 17 years leading the Soulard Mardi Gras Grand Parade
- Percussionist for Karlovsky Dance Company – 20 years
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
All the free institutions, museums, the zoo, science center, etc. The people. St. Louis is a great place to live, and the cost of living is low. I also love that everything is about twenty minutes away. What do I like the least, sorry to say, but crime?
Contact Info:
- Website: joia.com, joiatubes.com
