BEAT HUNGER
UTC PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE’S ANNUAL BENEFIT CONCERT MONDAY
Having been the director of percussion studies at UTC for more than 30 years has given Dr. Monte Coulter III a little perspective.
“I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t work, and I get rid of the things that don’t work. Beat Hunger works,” he says.
As it has for the last 21 years, the UTC Percussion Ensemble, which is comprised of Coulter’s students, will present its annual Beat Hunger concert in the UTC Fine Arts Center, 752 Vine St. The show will take place Monday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m.
As in years past, the admission of either a $2 donation or two nonperishable food items will go to the Chattanooga Community Kitchen. The Chattanooga Community Kitchen provides food, shelter, clothes, showers and various types of counsel to the homeless of the city.
Coulter says he has become familiar with some of the people the concert helps, since many of the Community Kitchen volunteers who come to collect donations each year are homeless people who benefit from the services.
Coulter says he is proud of not only the aid that Beat Hunger provides area homeless, but the way his students have embraced it. He says he has discovered over the years that not every student is raised to give back to their community, or they just haven’t been shown the need or the possibilities.
The concert features songs that students have been learning and practicing throughout the year.
“I work them very hard in the classroom to get ready for this. Very hard. But they show up ready to play and they come with their families and boxes and boxes of food and items for the Community Kitchen. It’s a fun, festivalish atmosphere, and that is really gratifying.”