(upbeat music) - Will you "Consider This"?

It's a very, very small kind of club to belong to, I think.

Especially for a woman growing up.

- Oh, yeah.

- A percussionist.

Peggy Bonner is a percussionist.

And when you were younger, you were about the only one every time, weren't you?

- Oh, yeah.

Pretty much.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

- So tell me about yourself.

You're from Peoria?

Originally, okay.

- From Peoria.

Grew up in Peoria.

- Went to school here.

- Went to school here Went to Lee School and went to Manual High School and lived in the south end.

And yeah, that's where I grew up.

- Well, what sparked your interest in percussion?

I mean, did it start in grade school or high school?

- It kinda started even a little bit before that.

My mother was a concert pianist, and her sister was a percussionist.

And she took lessons in Chicago and was a national champion back in the '30s.

- [Christine] Wow.

- And then moved to California, got married and yada yada.

And so the box of sticks were in her house and they got shipped to me.

- Okay.

- And basically she said, "You know, you need to do something with these."

And it kind of was the start of going and finding lessons and going from there.

My grandparents lived on the other side of Western Alcatel Street.

My grandfather was a plumber, so we... Proctor Center was up from the right up the street.

- Right down the street.

Right.

- And so he said, "Well, we'll find lessons."

The summer band lessons were at Proctor.

And so I pulled my wagon and my drum and I would walk up and go up and take a lesson and come back down.

And he would just look at me.

He goes, "Only you, you don't wanna play flute or anything?"

"No, I'll be fine."

- [Christine] Well, yeah, because that's what you think of- - Yeah, yeah.

- Especially back in the '50s, '60s.

- And wanted to carry on kind of the tradition of music and my mom's family.

And why not use the sticks, you know, that she sent me?

So that's kind of where it started.

- Wow, what a story.

- So- - So you just started with a little snare drum or what?

- I had a snare drum sticks in my stand and my books.

And that's where it all started.

- And how old do you think you were at that time?

- Oh, probably fourth, third... Fourth, fifth grade.

- So nine or 10 years old?

- Yeah, because most of the bands things started when you were in fifth grade.

Especially like in the schools, that's when they started beginning band.

And so I started a little bit before that, so, and away I went.

- Uh-huh.

Well, so, okay then, so middle school, then you continued with your lessons.

- Oh, yeah.

- And then was there a band in school that you could be part of?

- Yeah.

- And you were one of the percussionists?

- Yeah.

- But the only female percussionist.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Okay.

(laughs) - And then high school, same thing?

- Same thing, same thing.

- Uh-huh.

- Manual at that time had a...

I mean, we marched probably anywhere be 150, 160 kids.

And also in District 150, there were active band and orchestra programs.

And then there was also the Central Illinois Youth Symphony that was an outlet for string and band people to be able to enhance their relationship in literature and all that kind of stuff.

So I started in that, like when I was...

I auditioned and started, like, in seventh, eighth grade.

And it was just a separate orchestra that rehearsed on a Thursday night down at Trewyn, down at the van room, down at Trewyn.

And that's kind of where all that started.

- [Christine] And then you got the bug.

Then you stayed with it.

- Oh, yeah, it bit me.

Yeah.

Yeah.

- Which are pretty hard.

- Yeah, pretty hard.

Yeah, because it was just...

It was things that just, I like giving back music.

I like my mother did.

Mom played for all of my solo and ensemble things.

So it was, like, "Okay, so what are we gonna do next?"

You know, so you were always constantly kind of looking for something to go do and play and be in.

You know, I did some early theater at, you know, Corn Stock and at Peoria Players.

Don't ask me what I ever played 'cause I don't remember, but you would go do- - But it's whatever.

- Go do things and then to have a relationship with all the local people.

- The casting crew.

- And, yeah- - Yeah.

- So one thing kinda led to another.

- And here you are.

- And here.

Yeah.

- Did you ever think that it would be like your career?

- No, no.

Uh-uh.

(Christine laughs) Because at one point, I did study in Chicago with a gentleman by the name of Bobby Christian, who was well-noted and a composer and an editor and a player in the Chicago area.

And I actually auditioned to take lessons from him.

And we always had those conversations.

"Well, what are you gonna do?"

So I kind of leaned toward I liked the performing, but yet I wanted to teach others.

- And share.

- And so when I went into Bradley, then I started the teaching education, the ed group, and then just continued playing.

So I did both.

- Okay.

And you're still doing that?

- Yeah.

- You're still teaching at Bradley?

- Yeah.

I went back.

Oh my gosh, it's been... Oh, wow, 24 years ago.

- [Christine] Okay.

- The head of the department said, "I need a percussion teacher and I have one student, will you come do it?"

- [Christine] One student.

- That was at Bradley.

- At that time.

- At that time.

- Right.

- It was just a lull in the whatever, which happens.

- Right.

- And I said, "Yeah."

I said, "But can I have my... Can I put my studio in there too?"

And he goes, "Yeah, because I was teaching private."

So it all worked out, and then we got more kids to continue to come to Bradley and be in the program.

So it was a win-win situation all the way around so... - Well, okay, so you also play the kettledrums.

That's where I very first noticed you because you're tall and- - [Peggy] Yeah, I'm the shortest one in the back.

Yeah.

- (laughs) Right.

And there you are with the drums, and they're beautiful.

And the way that you play them and then you take them down and then you smooth them out.

(Peggy laughs) I mean, maybe there's an official word for that, but I was just fascinated by watching you because it was so different that here's this tall woman playing these big drums, and it's just so different.

- Yeah.

- And percussion itself is just different.

- I was just drawn to the unusual.

I do play drum set.

I do things like that.

But I just wanted to do all of the percussion instruments.

You know, tambourine, triangle, all the different parts that come along, and timpani also, you know, and mallets.

So you never know even with all of the music that we get from one concert to another, we never know exactly what most of it calls for until we get the music.

And then we have to make sure that those instruments are there.

- Speaking of which, now you're with the Peoria Symphony.

- Yes.

- And you recently played the soundtrack music for "Encanto" as it was on the big screen at the Civic Center.

Now I saw you peek out before the show started, and then you went behind the screen.

But we didn't really have all of the instruments for that particular showing.

- No.

- For that score.

- No, that score was probably one of the biggest ones I've ever done.

It called for eight percussion, which is really unusual.

And St. Louis Symphony had done it in the summer.

- [Christine] Same thing.

The Symphony playing.

- Same movie, same setup.

- Okay.

- And they had a Latin group.

There were separate books.

There were music and scores for Latin, just all hand percussion.

There was the timpani book, there was a drum set book, and then all of the extra percussion stuff.

So we found the people in St. Louis that did it, they agreed to come to Peoria, the hand percussion people, which was a wonderful thing.

And then we used our own people that play normally in the Symphony.

But what was really... (chuckles) What was really hard is that we didn't have a bombo or a tycho or a Chinese tom or, you know- - I don't even know what the- - All the different- - What's a bombo or a tycho?

- Well, they're ethnic drums from different areas.

Okay, of the world.

- So, okay.

- So between... Kevin Nichols who's at Western and David Collier who's at ISU and Ben Steyers who's at ISU.

- And Nelson Bradley.

- And then what I had it- Bradley.

We were able to put everything together.

- Together.

- And we made it work.

- It sounded wonderful.

- You know, yeah.

- Did you enjoy that?

I mean, was it difficult?

And how often did... How long did you have to practice for that?

- Was it difficult?

No.

What was hard was putting it together and having all the right things in different stations.

You probably didn't get a chance, but we were all in separate groups.

Separate quads.

- 'Cause you were behind the screen.

- We were behind the screen.

- Yeah.

So we didn't get to see that.

- Yeah.

So our book had all three percussion parts.

So I took the top line.

Kevin took the second, Ben took the third, and then we all knew exactly where we had to go.

We brought what we needed for our little part of the line.

The book was 110 pages long.

- Wow.

- So it was a lot.

We had a good time.

We got it all together.

But each one of us had something different.

- And you'd never done anything really like that before or have you?

- Well, we've done movie scores like that.

- Right.

- Yeah.

Not that intense of equipment.

- Yeah.

Well, because it's...

So because it's Latin music and there's a lot going on when you listen to that.

Wow.

Well, I just had accordionist here for the show that I did before this.

- All right.

- So, you know, there's more music.

And there was some accordion music also in "Encanto".

- Yes, yes.

- I believe.

Yeah, yeah.

So you teach students.

How many students do you have now?

- Right now I have, like, 15 in the studio.

I have an ensemble of 11 kids at Bradley and I have five in that studio.

And then I also recently went ahead and helped Julie Clemens at ICC out because she had three students.

So I go over there and work with those kids over at ICC too.

- [Christine] So you managed to keep busy?

- Yeah, I can't say no.

I need to learn how to do that and I don't do it very well.

- You don't march to the beat of a different drum though.

- No.

- No, you don't.

Okay.

- No.

- You march to your own beat.

- Yeah, kind of, yeah.

- Which is good.

So where has your music taken you?

I mean, you've done a lot of things around this area, but you've traveled abroad as well, I believe.

- Yeah.

Well, going back to high school years with senior summer band, the Peoria Park District also had a very extensive music program.

- Summer music program.

- There was summer music program.

There was all ages from beginning to high school.

And the senior summer band was the band that Fred Huber had, who is now gone.

But Fred put together that through the Park district.

And we traveled to Europe.

We did... We went to Japan.

We went to the world's fairs and in Washington State.

We got to do a lot of things like that.

Got to travel with Prairie Winds.

Prairie Winds is another group that is a standard wind ensemble that was created at ICC by Don Lewellen.

- [Christine] Okay.

- And that group did a 21-day tour of Europe and played at different festivals during the summer.

So yeah, we've... Yeah, it's been a lot of fun.

- And you couldn't even imagine that when you- - Oh, no.

- When you got those sticks from your aunt.

- No, never.

No, never would've dreamed.

And got to meet a lot of neat people.

And I think that's the part that is rewarding because no matter where you are, you get to see somebody that you've never met before.

And the questions and just being able to engage in a conversation is just fun.

- So with all of your experience and all of your exposure to all these percussion instruments, what is your favorite?

(Christine laughs) - That's a good question.

- Okay.

- Probably, quite honestly, snare drum is where I started and I'll always, you know, be loving to that.

- Because that- - Yeah, that's what I did.

- That's how you got your start.

- Yeah.

- Well, that's fun, yeah.

- So...

But I really don't say no to much anymore.

I mean, you know, I'll try anything once, you know.

(laughs) - Well, now when we have the Ameren Broadway musicals come to town or... Is that what is, the Ameren series?

- It's a Broadway theater series, yeah.

- It's a Broadway theater series, yeah.

- Okay.

You are always the first call percussionist, is that correct?

- I have been.

Yeah.

- All right.

- Which has kind of been nice.

There's a couple, one of...

I can't even remember there was one or two I couldn't do.

But what those do when they come out in New New York, when they come- - And they travel.

- And they're on tour.

When they travel.

- Right.

- They travel like with obviously a conductor and probably one or two keyboard players, a bass player, and a drum set player.

- All right.

- Because that's the basis.

- [Christine] They have all of their backgrounds and everything, right.

- And they've played the show consistently.

And then what they do is they hire out brass and woodwinds and accessory percussion.

So most of these shows that I've done, it's all, you know, you're playing timpani, mallets, triangle, you know.

"Wicked's" coming again.

And I've done it twice when it's been here.

It's funny that the box that comes along with it.

- Okay, tell me about that.

- All the the witches whistles and all the different sounds that you hear in the soundtrack were all like in a box hanging.

- And that's- - And it was all marked as to where, you know- - You have to use those.

- Where you have to use them.

It's, you know, you never know.

You never know what you're gonna get into, you know.

- Well then how...

So know that "Wicked's" coming.

So have you already started rehearsing again for that or- - Oh, no.

Uh-uh.

- So when they get to town, how long do you have to be a part of that cohesive group?

- Usually, it's only one rehearsal and then they do a dress and then it's a go.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

But welcome to...

I don't know what the Broadway Theater Series is doing this year.

I don't know if they're hiring beyond the people that they're bringing.

- Okay.

- So we won't know until it gets closer.

- [Christine] Well, that's in August.

- Yeah, yo the time.

You know, I don't know.

Sometimes that comes through the local musicians office one way or the other.

That's how they hire some of the players.

So that... And that's all contracted.

So that's all different.

I never know, we never know how many people they're gonna use one way or the other.

- Right.

So of all of the students that you've had over the years, lots and lots and lots.

- [Peggy] (chuckles) Yeah.

- What has been the most entertaining student that you've had who should never have picked up any sticks?

(laughs) No, or, you know... Or something funny that's happened that they broke the drum or something.

- You know, I don't think that there's anyone that's been awful or horrible.

I think what the joy is in being older is that- - I'm with you.

- You know, is I get emails, I get texts, I get cards from them that, you know, showing me the birth of their son or their daughter, or "This is what we did last week", you know, or where they've moved to and they're playing somewhere else and doing that.

I don't really think I've ever had anybody awful, you know?

- That's good.

- But it's interesting how they've all taken a different path.

- [Christine] After they spent time with you.

- After they... Yeah, some play in their community bands wherever they've moved.

Some have gone on to playing in major orchestras.

Some are drum set and playing on stage with, you know- - And that's exciting to hear as well that you have contributed to the- - They've all gone there.

Wherever their passion was, they take off with it.

- Yeah.

- So- - So of all of the people that you've met over time, famous people, who... Is there anyone who stands out who's really impressed you that it's, like, "Wow, I actually rubbed elbows with that person or-" (Peggy sighs) Tough one?

- It's a tough one because you're touched by different people.

You know, I was thinking as I came down here.

Remembering the field house and the symphony would play or they would hire people out, you know, playing with Henry Mancini.

- Wow.

- Playing with people... Pearl Bailey was here.

Certain people, Yo-Yo Ma was here, and that was at the Civic Center.

You know, it was funny.

You never know about what your percussion parts are gonna be with a certain concerto or whatever.

- All right.

- And- - [Christine] 'Cause they all have their own style.

- Oh, they're all completely different.

- [Christine] All right.

- So his piece, Yo-Yo Ma's piece was a three movement, four movement thing, but there were 16 triangle hits in the entire piece.

- Oh.

- And he was talking with the audience, and he says, "I just want you all to know that the percussionist worked just as hard on her part as I did on my cello concerto."

Everybody kinda laughed, you know?

- But it was true.

- But it was- Well, yeah, to a point, you know, but... And then he came back and he said hello to all the people in the percussion section.

He signed our parts for us.

And he really was very warm to us.

And most of the well-known people that come through are that way.

- [Christine] Right.

- You know, they always find somebody or something to say, or the thank you- - To make you feel- - To make you feel like really, it was a joy to be here to work with you, yeah.

- Appreciated.

- Yeah.

Well, that's fun.

- Yeah.

- So and you do have to practice hard and to follow music.

Now I can't imagine reading that kind of music for a triangle thing.

- [Peggy] It's a lot of counting.

- I bet it is.

- It's a lot of counting.

- I mean, you... And you can never lose focus.

You have to really pay attention all the time.

- No.

You have to pay attention.

Yeah.

And that's why you have that new invention called a pencil, (both laughing) and you write yourself little notes at certain section as to what do you hear or you plant or you listen to the brass or where certain things come in.

You just make yourself notes and it makes it easier.

And it just kinda solidifies where you're at as you're sitting on stage.

- Yeah.

- 'Cause you can't step and stand up and say, "I'm lost.

Can you help me?"

- Excuse me.

"Will you tell me where I'm at?"

- I bet.

Yeah.

- Yeah.

- So you- - Yeah.

- So you really need to know how to read their music as well.

- Absolutely.

Yep.

Yeah.

- So that wasn't difficult because your mother had taught you well about music when you were younger.

- Yeah, and all the teachers, no matter what... That's just part of doing it.

- Okay.

- You have to know how to count.

You have to know how to do.

You have to be able to do that.

You know, sometimes I have a... (chuckles) I had a student that took percussion tech not several years ago, and he goes, "Well, I don't have to count.

We'll be fine."

I go, "Good luck."

- Oh.

Okay.

Yeah.

- (chuckles) Good luck.

And he came back a couple years later, he said, "Yeah, you were right."

(chuckles) So you never know- - Didn't he?

- You never know.

- Exactly.

- But you try to make the best influence that you can.

You know, I had one that was doing really, really well.

But I mean, he was, like, adamant, "I'm not gonna do it."

I said, "Fine, well then just gimme your book."

And he looked at me and he goes, "Well, I said, well, we're just gonna go back to the beginning of book one and we're just gonna count it."

- [Christine] Mm.

Okay.

- "We are?"

I said, "Yeah."

- Oh.

- He goes, and he still today fondly tells the story that it's the best thing ever happened to him.

- Because... - I made him count.

- [Christine] Right, right.

Well, that's good influence you're- - That's kind of what we do.

We stand back there and keep people together.

So you have to be able to count.

- Well, yeah.

Yeah.

Man, I can't even imagine that.

What is your next adventure then?

You know, musically?

I mean, do you ever wanna retire?

You probably don't.

- I'm trying to.

- It's just too much fun.

- But it's too much... Yeah, it is.

I love giving back and that's my problem.

You know, I just...

This morning, just this morning at 8:00, I was at Metamora High School working with the band and the band director, and they were doing something in seven, eight, and the young lady couldn't do it, you know.

- Just couldn't get it.

- You know, she was trying to do it.

- She's one, two, three.

- Yeah.

I said- - One, two, three.

- "Just do this one, two, one, two, one, two, three."

And she went, "Oh, I don't have to count to seven?"

- "No, no, it's okay.

You can do two, two, and three."

- Okay.

- And so she played it and the director like, looked and went, "Thank you."

(Christine laughs) So you know, you never...

It's little things like that.

- Right.

Jut those little adjustments.

- That makes you feel that you've given back to somebody, you know?

- Yeah.

- So- - [Christine] Well, that's kind of fun.

- And I'll go judge.

You know, I'll judge contest on junior high or high school level and talk to the kids.

And, you know, I like doing all that kind of stuff.

- But we don't have.. Well, not big marching bands anymore, so that's kinda sad that that's disappearing locally anyway.

- Right, right.

And it's...

Marching band programs are kind of up to the school and how they mold their music program.

- But that's not necessarily a priority to...

But if they sound good otherwise- - Yeah, yeah.

- I guess.

Okay.

Okay.

- There are some directors that have had that heritage over years to have marching bands.

And there are some that lean toward concert band.

And then also... You know, I'm sorry, a lot of that has to do with budget.

- Exactly.

- You know, there are some of the smaller schools that they can't afford.

You know, to buy a new drum line is 40 to $50,000.

- [Christine] Right.

- So, you know, they do with what they have, and that's just the way that it is.

- [Christine] And they make music - And they make music no matter what.

- And you're making music for a long time.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- Well, thank you.

Thanks for sharing your story.

- Oh, you're welcome.

- You're welcome.

- I told you this wasn't gonna be hard.

- Okay.

(chuckles) - She's going, "What are we gonna talk about?"

I said, "I'm sure you have plenty of talk."

- Yeah, I didn't know what we were gonna talk about.

- Well, there you go.

- There you go.

- All right.

Well thanks, Peggy, for being here.

- Thank you.

Thank you very much.

- Thank you for joining us.

And until next time, be well.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues)