Why Millikin?
- Millikin is a small comprehensive undergraduate university where approximately one in four students major in the fine arts (350 are music majors).
- All courses and lessons are staffed by experienced professionals-not graduate students- committed to offering the highest quality of instruction.
- Our comprehensive graduate success rate with regards to placement into professional employment and graduate school is 98% and higher.
- Millikin’s tuition rate is comparable to most other regional institutions of similar quality.  Generous Academic Merit Scholarships and Talent Awards are available.


Percussion Facilities

- A separate building accommodating eleven percussion practice rooms and a rehearsal studio make our facilities among the most spacious anywhere.
- A 1,900 seat Fine Arts Center auditorium provides the venue for ensemble performances and performance by national touring acts.
- A newly renovated School of Music Facility featuring state of the art technological resources includes a: 32 track fully automated digital recording studio; Video editing suite; MIDI lab; and Computer lab with 20+ iMacs, various software and keyboards.


Recent Accolades

- Percussive Arts Society International Convention 2008 "Focus Day" performance

- Finalist in the 2003 Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition

- Recipient of laudable reviews in Percussive Notes and Gramophone magazine (June 2004) for the chamber percussion ensemble's Best Kept Secret CD.

- Host of the 2006 IMEA All-State Percussion Symposium

- Featured performance at the Percussive Arts Society (IL Chapter) " Day of Percussion" (1998, 2000, 2006)

- Featured performance at the 2007 IMEA All State Music Festival

MDSO (Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra) Concerto Aria competition winners 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.


Pre-Professional Opportunities at Millikin
- Play in one of six percussion ensembles: Two chamber ensembles (see below), a Guatemalan/Mexican marimba ensemble, a ragtime xylophone group, a classical marimba ensemble, and a world percussion ensemble (see below).
- Perform with traditional large ensembles (wind ensemble, jazz band, & orchestra), plus a variety of small ensembles including jazz combos, vocal jazz groups, and a pop/rock ensemble.

- Participate in a Millitrax recording session as song writer, engineer, producer, or performer.

- Participate in First Step Records, the University’s record label and publishing company.


Chamber Percussion Ensembles
The Millikin Chamber Percussion Ensembles, under the direction of Brian Justison, have been widely acclaimed for their performances of concert repertoire for percussion instruments. They are a recent winner (2003) of the Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition and were selected to perform at the 2008 PASIC Focus Day session. Performances at numerous regional music festivals are also part of their activities. Additionally, their debut CD, Best Kept Secret, received laudable reviews from both Gramophone Magazine and Percussive Notes. Each semester, one of four sub-groups are drawn from the core of this ensemble––a classical marimba quartet, a ragtime xylophone group, a Guatemalan/Mexican marimba ensemble, and an experimental music ensemble. The group has premiered many new works, including three such premieres at its PASIC 2003 showcase concert. In sum, these ensembles explore the diverse world of percussion music from the novel to the sublime. 


World Percussion Ensemble
The World Percussion Ensemble provides students with the opportunity to explore playing techniques and rhythms from around the world with a special emphasis on African and Afro-Caribbean music. In addition to offering authentic world music performances, the group's interest in combining elements of western and non-western music has given rise to an eclectic mix of jazz, pop, and world music which has engaged audiences throughout the region. The group’s first CD, Latin Jazz Project, received a laudable review in Percussive Notes (December 2006). The group’s latest release, Global Perspectives, is now available at First Step Records.