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 Diane Downs, a teacher at an elementary school in Louisville, Kentucky, created an ensemble group called The Fabulous Leopard Percussionists in November 1993. It consists of students in grades one to five at the school, all of whom have been, or are currently, students in Downs’s class.
The product of her labor, which began modestly, has matured in size, musical range, ability and accomplishment. During the last five years, the Leopards have performed locally for the Kentucky Derby Festival, the University of Louisville basketball games, and the U.S. Women’s World Cup Champion Soccer Team at Morehead State University. The group has also had the honor of performing at the Eastern Kentucky University, the Louisville Bach Society, the Louisville Orchestra and twice at the Kentucky State Music conference. The talent of the young group has received recognition on local television programs and in area and national publications. In a tribute to Diane Downs efforts with these exceptionally talented young people, the Percussion Marketing Council named 1999 the Year of the Leopard.
On the national level, Downs’s students have performed at the 1997 Atlanta International Band and Orchestra Festival; the 1998 Winter Guard International Competition in Dayton, Ohio; the 1998 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Orlando, Florida; the 1999 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Columbus, Ohio; the 2000 International Association of Jazz Educators Convention at the Superdome in new Orleans; and the 2000 Midwest Convention in Chicago, Illinois; and most recently at the Florida Educators Music Association Convention in Tampa, Florida.
During these performances, Downs and her students have had the privilege of performing with some of the world’s leading percussionists including Jerry Steinholtz, Victor Mendoza, Ruben Alvarez, Ndugu Chancler, Louie Bellson, Brad Dutz, and Dave Samuels. They have also performed for such luminaries as Coretta Scott King, Evelyn Glennie, and Wynton Marsalis.
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