-- The Kansan
Brad Shores first saw a steel drum being played at the Tempe Arts Festival in Arizona and was immediately intrigued by the instrument.
After talking with the steel drum player, noted musician Tom Gates, Shores purchased a steel drum for himself. Lacking a case, stand, mallets, sheet music or an instructor, he set the steel drum aside.
"When I started, there was no internet — we couldn't just download songs," Shores noted. "For seven months, it sat on the floor and my daughter used it as a jungle gym."
Shores graduated from Fort Hays State University with a degree in percussion. He played the drums and jazz vibes, but up to that time had never heard anything like the bright, cheerful music coming from the steel drums...
Shores has grown the steel drum community in Kansas by teaching the instrument to students in Haven and Nickerson.
...In Nickerson, Shores led the middle school and senior high bands, twice being honored as Teacher of the Year. He taught at Haven High School beginning in 2000, leading marching, pep, concert and steel drum bands and teaching guitar and music theory.
Shores was named the Kansas Music Educators Association Outstanding High School Music Educator for 2015–16.
Shores joined the faculty of Bethel College in May. He is creating Bethel's first scramble band, which will also be a pep band for the college, and is teaching steel drum to students...
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