The Magic of Percussion: Student musician pursues a career in the orchestra pit

Nick Swoboda sits among his $4,000 worth of “toys” before rehearsing for The Little Mermaid. Despite challenges, he said he has enjoyed playing in the pit. Photo by Kateri Determan

J1 Feature Story By Kathryn Baginski

Talented singers, dazzling sets, and gorgeous costumes enrapture the audience of Wicked on travelling Broadway, but Creighton Prep senior Nick Swoboda is interested in the one thing most people don’t notice—the percussion.

Nick Swoboda sits in the audience, enjoying the musical up on stage, but it is when the lights go up for intermission that true excitement swells in his heart. He stands up and makes his way toward the orchestra pit, peering over the edge with curiosity. Swoboda notices Jeff Nelson, a hired percussionist from Lincoln, Neb., sitting among his many musical “toys” and strikes up a conversation. Out of the blue, Nelson invites Swoboda down into the pit to experience the show from a different perspective.

A week later, on May 15, Swoboda sits in the corner of the pit with a copy of the written music before his eyes, marveling at the talent hidden just below the audience’s vision. Nelson tells his fellow percussion enthusiast about his approach to learning music and how he handles such a large-scale show. “Watching him work during the show was really incredible,” Swoboda said, recalling the experience with fondness. “It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.”

Swoboda’s love for percussion blossomed eight years ago, when he began to learn how to play the drums. At this point, he had been playing piano for three years and decided he wanted to try something new. Luigi Waites, a local jazz musician who used to work at his grandparents’ music store, introduced Swoboda to percussion. Over the years, Waites became a close friend and mentor of the aspiring percussionist.

Swoboda grew up surrounded by the influence of music. “It was never something I learned to love,” he said. “I’ve just always loved it.” As a young child, he listened to his mom play the piano during Sunday Masses at his local parish Blessed Sacrament, and he heard frequent stories about Swoboda Music, his grandparents’ music store. The store has been out of operation for 15 years, but his grandparents have left a lasting legacy in the Omaha community and in the hearts of their grandchildren. Both Swoboda’s brother and sister play instruments and have been involved in band, choir, and musicals. Music has been essential in nearly every stage of his life, and his musical talent in everything he does is indisputable.

Swoboda is not only skilled at what he does, he has also worked hard to make connections and stay involved in the musical world. During his middle school years at Saint Philip Neri, he took part in the Music in Catholic Schools (MCS) Honor Band for four years. He continues to play in Creighton Prep’s band since joining his freshman year. Swoboda has learned valuable life skills in both of these programs, such as communication and self-discipline. Outside of school, he is a member of Omaha Area Youth Orchestras (OAYO), a local group of aspiring musicians aged 8 to 18. This group performs together year-round and occasionally meets with professionals.

Nick Swoboda got to meet one of his biggest inspirations, Ken Yoshida, through OAYO. Yoshida is the principal percussionist in the Omaha Symphony and another huge mentor to Swoboda. The opportunity to work with professional musicians and gain the wisdom of orchestra pit veterans has been invaluable to Swoboda’s growth as a percussionist.

Percussion is unique because of the diversity of instruments one must learn to play. “Pit orchestra is one of the worst as far as gear,” Swoboda admits. In his most recent project, a production of The Little Mermaid at Marian High School, Swoboda works with a seven-piece drum set, cymbals, bells, timpani, and auxiliary percussion or “toys.” “We get to use ‘toys’ like woodblocks, cowbells, and triangles for sound effects. There is an infinite amount of things composers can use when they write for percussion.”

The challenge of learning to play more than 30 instruments is one of the main attractions percussion has for Swoboda. “One of the reasons I fell into percussion is because of all the flexibility you have to have.” Every show he has played is different, but he is not one to back away from the challenge of learning more instruments and complicated music.

To many, keeping such a special and impressive talent hidden in the orchestra pit is a shame, but Swoboda does not mind sitting in the background. “I enjoy knowing that this is an essential part. You turn it into something so incorporated [in the show] that people don’t even know it’s there, but if you took it away, the audience would be able to tell it was missing.” He is able to add life to the shows through sound effects and pull the music together with a beat.

Last year, Swoboda had the opportunity to play at Creighton University with a college professor and his students. The director of this musical theater program approached Swoboda while he was playing in the pit during the 2013 Marian High School production of The King and I.

A true expert recognized his talent, solidifying Swoboda’s hope of becoming a professional percussionist and one day having the privilege of sitting in the pit of a well known musical. However, this is not Swoboda’s only dream.

Many colleges around the country, including the University of Nebraska at Omaha, are developing new programs that allow students to double major in music as well as math or engineering. These universities want to allow for people who wish to pursue both careers. Math and music correlate very strongly psychologically, and Swoboda is no exception to this phenomenon. He plans to double major in performance music (with a percussion discipline) and civil engineering.

In order to gain experience before heading off to college, Swoboda has taken part in productions at Marian High School for the past four years. He has played in the pit for Footloose, Children of Eden, and The King and I and is currently playing for The Little Mermaid. Ms. Cathy Pruitte, the music director, was introduced to Swoboda through his mother, a former member of Ms. Pruitte’s choir. “Nick is a perfectionist as a percussionist. He is wonderful to work with and always kind and pleasant,” Pruitte said. “He…has been a blessing to us. We have been very lucky to find such a great guy and musician to work with us.”

Musicals at Marian differ from other shows in that rehearsals are spent actually learning the music rather than getting it beforehand. “Having more rehearsals is kind of nice because I get a feel for the group and how they play,” Swoboda said. There are six to seven of these three-hour practices. About a week and a half before the show, the musicians incorporate all of their hard work with the cast, focusing on fitting the music to onstage action.

This year’s musical is more difficult than most. Because of Disney’s ties to the production, the orchestra is not allowed to cut or edit any music, which adds over a half hour of music to learn. The musicians are required to play complicated notes and are not allowed to improvise.

The grueling long nights and frustrating challenges are in the past. It’s Oct. 29, the debut of The Little Mermaid.

Nick Swoboda arrives an hour early and sits among his drums, cymbals, and various “toys.” These are the instruments he has been familiarizing himself with for the past few weeks. He glances around and picks up a mallet. It’s time to warm up.

Time has flown by; the audience enters the Performing Arts Center at Marian. The orchestra stops playing, and they review notes together, talking nervously and excitedly among themselves. The musicians tune their instruments with only a few minutes left. The audience goes silent. The whole room is still. Swoboda watches the conductor, Ms. Pruitte, and waits for her cue. All at once, she swings her baton down and the lights dim. The magic has begun.

Swoboda watches the stage with rapt attention, making sure he times each sound effect correctly. He rushes around to all of his “toys” and plays his part without slowing down. At the same time, he must collaborate with his fellow musicians and stay on track with them.

The orchestra plays its way through the show, ending with the finale, Swoboda’s favorite part. Though tired after the long show, he leaves the pit with a smile on his face, knowing he played well. The very first afternoon show ends up being a little rocky, but, with all the kinks worked out, the evening show is phenomenal. Teachers and students sing praises of the actors and actresses, very rarely commenting on the orchestra. With every compliment and admiring word about the show as a whole, members of the orchestra smile inwardly at the knowledge of their part in the production.

Swoboda hopes to continue bringing joy to people through music far into his future. His perseverance and passion for something that many take for granted has grown stronger with every new opportunity. He is able to see things from the background and set the tone of the whole show. Nick Swoboda is not only a percussionist; he is a magician. With a mallet as his wand and cymbals as his potions, he will cast spells on many more people to come.