Welcome to the Sticks of Thunder Community of Percussion Arts website! We have developed a groundbreaking, multi-faceted percussion studies program dedicated to serving the needs of serious, young musicians in the Kansas City metro area. For intermediate to advanced players, we are offering a rigorous, yet enjoyable, curriculum and are fortunate to have with us a distinguished faculty of professional players who are driven and eager to share their musical prowess with the next generation. Our primary goals are to creatively contribute to the local and national music arenas and provide our students a springboard from which to realize their full, musical potentials.
Founded by Curtis Pickering, at heart, a Music Man. A nationally renowned music and film producer, Curtis has demonstrated to Fortune 500 companies all over the world how music can educate and motivate. Now, with the Sticks of Thunder Academy he brings together the culmination of that experience and two great passions—music and education. “What the world needs most,” said Pickering, “is good thinkers, and music stimulates both learning and cognitive thinking.” The goal of SOTA, headed by the best-of-the best–from high-level professional musician educators to a dean with a PhD in music– is to reach and teach high school and college students through a credit-based curriculum. “SOTA can start a student on the path to a career in music or just instill a life-long love of making music,” said Pickering. “Either way, it’s a good thing”.
