The countless hours spent and the numerous amounts of drumsticks broken only barely describe the amount of work and effort senior Nick Fox has put into preparing for his student recital.

Fox’s hard work will be put on display at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for free in the Light Recital Hall. This will be his first solo recital.

“I’m real excited but nervous,” Fox said. “No matter how much preparation you do for a show, you’re always going to have that feeling.”

Fox will play a wide arrange of instruments including, bongos, timpani, marimbas, electronic drums, vibes and gongs.

Fox’s classmate and friend, junior Nick Cesarz, will be accompanying Fox in a few of the pieces.

“I just love playing music and challenging myself to learn new music,” Fox said. “It’s also nice feeling to hear applause from your audience too.”

Fox comes from a very musical-oriented family; his mother is a music teacher, and his sisters and brother all play instruments.

Motivated by his family’s strong passion for music, Fox started playing drums in the fourth grade.

“I’ve always been good with rhythm so drumming was just natural,” Fox said. “Plus I just like hitting things.”
While in school, Fox branched out from just playing drum kit and started exploring new types of percussion instruments and new music.

“I love the wide arrange of things you’re allowed to do with percussion,” Fox said. “You don’t have to be tied down to one instrument since there are thousands of new sounds out there to explore and play with percussion.”

Playing drums started out as just a fun hobby but grew into something more.

Fox decided to turn his leisure activity into his career by attending UW-Whitewater.

Steve Schick and Greg Beyer are just a few of the many professional drumming influences that inspired Fox to pursue his dream career in music.

He spent four years working with music lecturer Tobie Wilkinson on perfecting his abilities and learning new styles of music.

“Tobie is a great instructor who really cares for his students,” Fox said. “He helped me tighten my technique, encouraged me to try new things, and led me in the right direction to become the drummer I am today.”

Wilkinson said he has enjoyed the time he has spent teaching Fox and seeing him not only grow as an instrumentalist, but also as a young adult.

“Nick is a fantastic performer with great work ethic and lots of drive and has a bright future ahead of him in music,” Wilkinson said.