Illinois College has announced the creation of a drumline to serve as the primary musical marching ensemble for Illinois College athletic and campus events. According to a press release from the school this afternoon, the new program will give students the opportunity to join a dynamic spirit band performing regular with pregame and halftime performances at Illinois College athletic events and additional public showings throughout the community. Tyler Carpenter, a Jacksonville native and experienced drumline performer and instructor, has been selected to lead the program. Carpenter, who joined the IC in October, after serving as percussion director for Skaggs Catholic Center in Draper, Utah. Carpenter spent four years performing with the Cleveland Browns Drumline, and is a graduate of Jacksonville High School, who went on to earn a bachelor's degree at South Dakota State and a master's in music performance at the University of Akron. Illinois College stated that Carpenter's experience leading several successful drumlines at the high school level and serving as an instructor at the collegiate level made him an ideal candidate to start the new program. Mike Snyder, director of athletics at IC, said he is excited to work closely with Carpenter as the new director of the IC drumline, and that the partnership between the two programs will provide an added layer to both the student and student-athlete experiences at Illinois College. Carpenter said he looks forward to building a program that not only adds excitement to the already vibrant IC athletic department, but is also a very visible and recognizable ensemble in the community.
Carpenter said he will focus on recruiting students to develop an energetic, diverse drumline, and to begin performing in the fall of 2020.