Casey Thompkins, Percussion
If you can bang on it, you can make music!
Casey grew up in Missouri, first in O’Fallon, then in Wentzville, both exurbs of St. Louis. He began playing in middle school. “Initially I just thought drums were really cool. And then I just kept with it.” He played in middle school band, and played a little piano as well. In high school, he played in marching band, concert band and jazz band.
His expertise expanded along with the complexity of music. Casey also played in percussion ensembles, specifically designed to develop technical and instrumental skills. “First you start with single tone instruments like snare, bass drum, bells, triangle and cymbals. Then you move on to tuned instruments like timpani. And then the mallet instruments, like glockenspiel, marimba, xylophone, and vibes. Those are fun because you get more melodic lines.”
Next stop was the Missouri University of Science and Technology, where Casey studied nuclear engineering—and also played in the Missouri All-Collegiate Band and Orchestra and the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps, a competitive drum corps group.
On to graduate school, where Casey received a PhD in nuclear engineering, and then to Ontario, Canada, to work at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, the country’s premier nuclear science and technology organization. While there, he played in symphony and concert bands. It was a job at Kairos Power in Alameda that brought Casey to the Bay Area; he works in safety systems design, analysis and testing.
He now plays a wide range of…well, things. Like whistles, assorted pieces of metal, water-filled goblets, trash cans, car horns and brake drums (yes, from a car). “You get a nice ring like an anvil from that.”
“Newer music expands the range of instruments, which is fun” Casey plays with community bands in Alameda and Pleasanton, as well as in pit orchestras here and there. He found Prometheus through an internet search. “You play cool music and I thought it would be a great group to join.” And we’re having a banging good time with him!
~ Joyce Vollmer
