Blacksburg Community Band - Percussion Equipment

A major expense in a large community band such as ours is the purchase of percussion equipment.  Unlike the other instruments in our band that are owned and maintained by the musicians, the percussion equipment belongs to the band itself.  

In 2025 for Giving Day we want to raise funds to purchase a timpani and a marimba, and we hope that you will help us!  

But... what is a timpani and a marimba?

TIMPANI: Approximate cost, $9,000.  You would likely recognize them even if you don’t know what they are called.  Timpani is actually plural for a set of separate large drums, traditionally made out of copper and played with timpani sticks, they are sometimes called “kettledrums”.  With excellent care and maintenance we expect timpani to last for several decades, so this is indeed a special purchase for us!

MARIMBA: Approximate cost, $3000.  Again you would probably recognize a marimba if you saw one, but you might think it was called a xylophone because it is similar.  A marimba is a large keyboard percussion instrument, generally made with wooden keys that are arranged like a piano keyboard and it is usually played with 2-4 mallets.  Underneath the keys are vertical tubes called resonators that amplify the sound.  It is a beautiful instrument, and it too would be a very special purchase for us!

We truly appreciate the support that we have always received from our local community, and we hope that you will help us reach our goal through #GiveLocalNRV