Graduate student featured as a guest conductor at the fall percussion ensembles concert

By Ashlie Albrecht

Jason Piers, a graduate student at Utah State University, was featured as a guest conductor at the annual fall percussion ensembles concert on Monday night in the Kent Concert Hall. 

Jason Nicholson, the director of percussion studies at USU, said Piers did a wonderful job conducting the group. Nicholson said he wanted Piers to conduct one of the songs to give him experience, since he might be teaching in the future.

“I like to vary it up, to give the students a different experience as well,” Nicholson said.

Piers conducted the second song in the program, “No Exit.”

“It was a great performance,” Piers said. “It was pretty fun to be in charge. I want to be like Dr. Nicholson someday. Following in his footsteps is what I want to do.”

Betsy Nelson, a percussionist who performed in the song Piers conducted, said leading a percussion ensemble is difficult because in other types, such as a symphony orchestra, the conductor’s main focus is on expression. She said in a percussion ensemble, there are very complex meters to work with, meaning the conductor really has to work on keeping the group together. According to Nelson, Piers still has some things to learn.

“As a conductor, Jason is pretty inexperienced,” Nelson said. “Dr. Nicholson is very precise. He has a tendency to be very small in his conducting which almost makes it easier to follow. That is something that Jason is still learning. It’s something that comes with experience. He’ll get better at it.”

Piers graduated from the University of North Texas and applied to Utah State to work toward his master’s degree.

“Of course I accepted him,” Nicholson said. “It was a pretty easy decision to have him out here.”

Nicholson was pleased with Piers’ conducting job as well as the concert as a whole.

“You know, overall the students had fun, so that’s always a pleasure to see them reacting like that,” Nicholson said.