Team Bios

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Team Bios

L-R: Joyce James, Judith Hizer, James Riley, Marie Kolecki

photo by Matt Cashore

http://www.mattcashore.com

Vinny Carrasco and James Riley began drumming together in 1999 having met through a mutual friend. They performed together in a West-African influenced group for 4 years before RhythmWorks! Their shared musical history is readily apparent in their tight arrangements, energetic solos, and show-stopping call and response drumming.

It was a night of primal rhythms in the heart of the city when Vincenzo (Vinny) Carrasco and Judith Hizer met in the summer of 2002. Vinny was downtown late one night and followed the call of the drums to find Judith and friends jammin' at an open drum circle. When the pair first began drumming together, it was obvious magic. Sharing the downbeat, weaving in and out of one another's rhythms, flowing like water, listeners can't help but follow their journey.

Vincenzo (Vinny) Carrasco

Vinny has been a professional kit drummer since 1993. He has played a wide array of musical genre including rock, punk, funk, jam, blues, and traditional West-African music. He has recorded with rock and fusion bands The Butterfly Effect, The Potables, The Happy Campers, and Driftwood. He has been learning and performing West-African music since 1998. He is the drummer for blues band Blue Star Highway (formerly the Rhythm Ratz). He has been known to sit in on percussion or drum kit with other bands, including the Moontravellers, the Strayhorns and (nearly!) anybody in the Michiana music scene.

With RhythmWorks! Vinny plays djembe, dun duns, doumbek, congas and any percussion instrument you place in front of him. He has studied under YaYa Kabo, Boynarr Sow, Yakoub Kouyate, Ryan Edwards, and Michael Markus.

At RhythmWorks! Vinny is responsible for curriculum, teaching beginner though advanced drumming; drum circle facilitation, composing, and arranging, and serves as our bilingual (Spanish) resource specialist.

In his former career he has worked with youth in the South Bend Community Schools, and in an after-school program, where he incorporated rhythm and creative movement as a teaching tool. In addition to drumming, he is Training Coordinator for Partners in Opportunities, Inc., training staff to assist persons with developmental disabilities.

Vinny is an Alumni of the University of Notre Dame.

Judith Hizer

Judith may not recall her first birthday, but her mother has home movies showing her enthusiastically playing her first drum.

In 1994 she fell in love with West-African music when she attended a performance by "Prince Julius and the Drums of West-Africa." Her first opportunity to play was not until 2000, when she joined a women's drum circle. Judith began learning West-African rhythms in 2001.

Judith plays djembe, bodhran, Native American drums, dun duns, and doumbek. She enjoys playing with sound, and has just as much fun playing a pair of kitchen spoons as she does playing a drum. Her interests include West African rhythms, Celtic music and global fusion. She has studied with Helen Bond, YaYa Kabo, and Michael Markus.

At RhythmWorks! Judith is responsible for marketing, booking, community relations, developing promotional materials, teaching beginner's rhythm classes, and corporate training.

Judith enjoys sharing the empowerment of drumming with other women. She has taught a variety of arts to women since 1991, including poetry and essay writing, creative movement, and drumming.

In her day job, Judith is Editorial Coordinator for Flagship Publications, the magazine division of the South Bend Tribune, editing "In Michiana" and "Inside Granger" magazines.

Judith is an Alumna of Indiana University Kokomo.

James Riley

James has been drumming for 25 years, being taught by the famous Bill “Sticks” Nicks in South Bend, Indiana. James has a passion for drumming that is more of a calling or vocation than just playing a drum. James is currently a timbalero in Michiana's only salsa band, “Orquestra Caribe,” and formerly was a conguero in LaPorte, IN band “Dr. Groovy and the Soul Surgeons.” In RhythmWorks! James is responsible for djembe, dun duns, conga, and any other person, place or thing that resembles a percussion instrument.

James was the first African American drum captain in the University of Notre Dame's Marching Band. James was a member of the marching band for four years, and traveled to many college campuses and bowl games with the drum line. The most memorable time for James as a member of the drum line was in his senior year when being filmed as an extra in the movie “Rudy.”

Outside of drumming, James is a pharmaceutical representative for Abbott Laboratories; and is the proud parent of two girls, Jasmine and Naya, along with his wife, Mirella.

James is the Chairperson of the Black Alumni of Notre Dame.

Marie Kolecki

From the time she was born, Marie has been called to move to the rhythm.

Marie grew up in a household where music was the core of playtime. The family

would sit around and sing rounds and harmony, play music on the stereo (everything from Buck Owens to Gershwin) and dance around the house. Everyone was required to learn an instrument beginning by playing in the band in school. Marie played clarinet and moved on to the bass clarinet (keeping the beat) and won many awards throughout grade school and high school. An older upright piano was her mom's pride and joy and everyone was required to take piano lessons for at least a year.

Dancing and Singing have always been a passion for Marie. Then one day Marie

saw a special on the Discovery channel about drum circles. She started doing some

research and found that there was a women's drum circle right here in her hometown

of South Bend. Marie attended the drum circle and was hooked. This is also where she

met Judith. Marie's first drum was a Native American frame drum but she quickly moved on to the djembe. Currently Marie's home is filled with 7 Ashiko's, 4 djun djuns,

a doumbek, 3 djembes and a wide assortment of rhythm instruments. Open drum circles

are held there twice a month. Marie has been playing hand drums for 5 years and has

attended workshops with Michael Markus and Michael Taylor.

Marie is employed by Trinity Health where she manages the core group of System

and Security Administrators.

Joyce James

At the age of seventeen, Joyce James joined the Tampa Philharmonic (now called the Florida Orchestra) as an oboist. For the past forty years, James, a native of Tampa, Florida, has played professional oboe and English Horn; taught woodwinds, and has had a varied singing career. She has been a solo vocalist with the Florida Orchestra, the Atlanta Pops and was the lead singer for Manfredo Fest, and for other bands in the Bay Area.

When Joyce moved to Indiana, she was promptly recruited by RhythmWorks! where she plays flute, clarinet, Native American flute, and sings. Joyce lives in South Bend with her dog, Charlie.

Joyce is an alumna of the University of South Florida.