Percussion Area Faculty

Jon Crabiel is Percussion Artist-in-Residence at Butler University Jordan College of the Arts in Indianapolis, IN. At Butler University, Jon serves as coordinator of percussion studies, conducts the percussion ensembles and teaches courses in percussion literature, pedagogy and world drumming. In addition, Jon serves as director and founder of the Butler Percussion Camp held every June at Butler University. 

In 2017, Jon took a one-year leave of absence from Butler to perform and serve as Acting Assistant Principal Timpani and Percussion with the National Symphony Orchestra for the 2017-18 season in Washington, D.C. Jon is first-call extra percussion with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Ft. Wayne Philharmonic, Empire Brass, Ronen Chamber Ensemble, Dance Kaleidoscope and national Broadway tour companies. He has served as Principal Timpani at Bear Valley Music Festival and toured with the River City Brass Band. In addition to classical music, Jon is equally versed in rock, pop, jazz, Latin American and Brazilian percussion and drumset. He is a member of The Icarus Ensemble, an eclectic five-piece jazz group made up of members of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. The Icarus Ensemble have performed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in concert as guest artist at the Hilbert Circle Theatre and released their first self-titled CD The Icarus Ensemble in 2015.

Jon studied as an Artist Diploma candidate at Carnegie Mellon University and received both his Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts degrees from Eastern Illinois University. His past teachers include: Timothy Adams Jr., Professor Johnny Lee Lane and Richard Paul. In 2014, Jon received Outstanding Graduate Alumni Award from Eastern Illinois University.

An active performer, clinician and educator throughout the Midwest, Jon serves annually as percussion coach of the Honor Orchestra of America and Masterclass Clinician for the Music For All National Concert Festival. He has served on faculty of the United States Percussion Camp, MidWest Percussion Camp, Las Vegas Percussion Camp, Great Lakes Music Camp and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. 

He has presented clinics for the Percussive Arts Society, Indiana Music Educators Association and Indiana Percussion Association. Jon is an active and in demand studio musician for commercial recording sessions and has made solo performances with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (with The Icarus Ensemble), Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Midwest Band and Orchestra International Conference and the Indiana Music Educators Association Convention.

Jon’s students have received numerous Butler University Concerto Competition honors and awards – and his former students are currently performing with major symphony orchestras, touring nationally and internationally with Broadway shows and teaching at universities in North America. Jon is a Yamaha Performing Artist and endorses Yamaha Drums and Percussion, Vic Firth Drumsticks and Mallets, Remo Drumheads and Zildjian Cymbals.

Craig Hetrick, is currently the Assistant PrincipalTimpanist/Percussionist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Since joining the orchestra in 1992, Mr. Hetrick has recorded ten CD’s for London/Decca and Koss Classic records, toured Europe, and performed as a chamber soloist with the orchestra on numerous occasions, including the 2011 world premier of Joseph Schwantner’s Concerto No. 2 for Percussion Section, Timpani and Orchestra at PASIC. In addition to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Hetrick has also performed with the orchestras of Cincinnati, Baltimore, Delaware, Evansville, and Columbus, Indiana.

Mr. Hetrick holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Delaware, where his major teachers were Christopher Williams (Principal Percussion, Baltimore Symphony) and Harvey Price, and a Master of Music degree from Indiana University,where he studied with George Gaber and Gerald Carlyss. While at I.U., he was awarded a Performer’s Certificate, and performed the solo work Set Up Music, by Maurice Wright, in Carnegie Hall with the IU Soloists. His other teachers include William Schinstine and Alan Abel. In addition, he was a protégé of the world renowned pedagogue, Jim Chapin, and attributes much of his playing success to Jim’s incredible instruction and motivation.

As a performer on drum set, Mr. Hetrick plays frequently with the ISO on Pops concerts, with whom some of the guest artists he has played drums for include: Josh Kaufman (winner of The Voice), Idina Menzel, Matthew Morrison (Glee) and Marvin Hamlisch. He also performs with the Ortwein Jazztet and the Electric Rock bassoon band, RockEbassoon. He has also performed and/or toured the United States with Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, Jimmy Dorsey, Les Elgart and Al Cobine. Hetrick also performed with Dominic Spera’s jazz ensemble at IU, the University of Delaware jazz band and while in high school, with the American Youth Jazz Band,which included a European tour. Hetrick performed for 1 year with Steve Weingart (Dave Weckl’s keyboard player of 7 years) at the Fifth Avenue night club in Dayton, OH. He was also the house drummer/percussionist for The Brandywiners summer musicals at Longwood Gardens, in Philadelphia, for several seasons.

Besides recordings with the Indianapolis and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, Mr. Hetrick can be heard with other Indiana University faculty on David Baker’s chamber work, Homage a L’Histoire, from Bay Chamber Concerts on Cala records. His other recordings include a two-disc set with Randy Carmichael, son of famous composer Hoagie Carmichael, entitled Carmichael Sings Carmichael.

As a composer, his composition Tip of the Andes, published by Southern Music, has been performed by percussion ensembles throughout the United States and Europe, including a performance in Washington, D.C. by the “President’s Own” United States Marine Band. Tip of the Andes won first place in the Delaware State Music Teachers Association Composition Competition, and has been reviewed in Percussive Notes magazine.

A well-respected educator, Mr. Hetrick has taught at Butler University since 1995, and has been a Visiting Professor of Percussion at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Many of his students have gone on to successful careers in orchestras and military ensembles, including the Minnesota Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony, the Tucson Symphony, the Syracuse Symphony, the President’s Own Marine Band, the USAF Heritage Band of America, the United States Navy Band, and the 25th Infantry Division Band in Hawaii. He has had students accepted at prestigious music schools such as the IU Jacobs School, Temple University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Rice University, Carnegie Mellon University, Cleveland State University, DePaul University, as well as Butler University!! 

Mr. Hetrick has presented clinics on orchestral percussion at PASIC 2004 and 2009, and also for Indiana’s PAS Day of Percussion, Bands of America, Ball State University, Butler University, and Indiana University.

More information about Craig, including videos and reviews can be found at his website www.craighetrickdrums.com.

Craig endorses Pearl/Adams instruments, Sabian cymbals, Vic Firth products, and Evans heads.

Emma Huening recently graduated from Butler University with her Masters in Percussion Performance. She also completed her Bachelor’s degree at Butler before choosing to stay. During her time at Butler, Emma had the opportunity to perform with the Butler Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and Symphony Orchestra, serving as the principal percussionist for her last two years. Eventually, she started to focus more on playing hand drums and world percussion, specifically Latin percussion. This love came from playing for the modern dance classes at Butler. Now that Emma has graduated, she has once again stayed at Butler, this time as a staff member working for the Butler Dance department. She is excited to be just a small part of this department’s long history of greatness within the dance community and is grateful for the opportunity to play for such talented dancers.

In addition to playing for dance, Emma is a percussion teacher in the Indy area with a focus on marching percussion at the high school level.

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