Percussive Arts Society

The Percussive Arts Society (PAS), headquartered in Indianapolis, is an international organization for percussionists and percussion educators, which maintains a significant presence in the local arts community. Established in 1961, the group moved to Indianapolis in 2007. PAS educates and supports percussionists in the areas of performance, pedagogy, and research. The organization hosts its annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) each November in Indianapolis, bringing percussionists and drummers throughout the world to the city.

The organization’s origins came from discussions at the 1960 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, where a group of 14 percussionists and educators agreed that there was a need for standardization of solo and ensemble contests and improved percussion teaching methods. They envisioned creating a new organization to pursue those ends. In January 1961, during the Southwestern Division of the Music Educators National Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a larger group of participants settled on a name: the Percussive Arts Society. By that fall, the first issue of a newsletter, the Percussive Arts Society Bulletin, had been published. By 1964, PAS had elected its first board of directors while garnering national influence as an authority on percussion education and professional standards.

In 1972, the society established the PAS Hall of Fame to commemorate the contributions of figures who have made “outstanding contributions to the world of percussion,” including musicians, educators, and others. To date, 158 figures, ranging from orchestral masters to jazz legends, have been inducted. PAS also began granting a Lifetime Achievement in Education award, in an effort to recognize the educational contributions of teachers and mentors who shape the next generation of musicians.

The society has moved its headquarters several times during its lifetime. After being based in Terre Haute, Indiana, for 20 years, PAS moved to Urbana, Illinois, in 1981, where it hired its first professional staff. In 1992, the organization relocated to a custom-built headquarters and museum in Lawton, Oklahoma, to house its growing collection.

In 2005, the board of directors voted to relocate the organization to Indianapolis. This move sought to unite the PAS headquarters, its archival library, and the annual convention in a single city after decades where the convention took place in a city other than the headquarters and library home. The administrative offices moved to Indianapolis in 2007 and, in 2009, PAS opened its archival library and museum, named the Rhythm! Discovery Center, in downtown Indianapolis’s Claypool Court building (see Claypool Hotel). The interactive percussion museum showcases an extensive collection of rare instruments, archives, scores, and recordings, and provides educational programming, for visitors from Indiana and elsewhere.

The organization’s membership eventually expanded across the continent and internationally. By 2026, PAS had 6,000 members across 48 US chapters and 20 international chapters, and offered benefits such as access to a digital research database, the Percussive Notes journal, and DRUMSET magazine. Specialized committees covering a range of topics—from drum set and marching percussion to diversity and healthcare—are sponsored by the organization. The organization’s main annual event, the PASIC, began in 1976 and features concerts, clinics, and panels that span a diversity of musical genres. It has been held in Indianapolis each year since 2016. The 50th PASIC convention, held in 2025, drew a record attendance of 7,837 participants.