Even though drums were banned in colonial Peru, African slaves living there refused to abandon the rhythms that were so integral to their culture. They grabbed anything they could beat or shake, transforming ordinary items like storage crates and chairs into tools that would preserve their musical tradition. Read more...

If you saw Axel Schmitt, a UCLA student currently working on his Doctor of Musical Arts degree, on campus, you’d never guess he is a renowned pianist who has played in front of crowds all over Europe and the United States. Read more...

Some people dance to the beat of a different drum. For students in one particular on-campus percussion class, that drum is from Africa. An eight-week African drumming class led by Fred Jones is one of the many cultural programs offered by UCLA’s Department of Cultural and Recreation Affairs. Read more...

At military funerals today, it’s not an unusual sight to see a person playing “Taps” with a digital bugle, or to hear a recording of the famous tune playing on a boom box. Read more...

“The Animation Show” may prove to be the perfect compromise for students appalled by the shock value tactics of “Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation,” yet too intellectually pretentious for Saturday morning cartoons. Read more...

If you think you’re reading a sports column, you’re wrong. Still, along with the rest of the world, I watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, but instead of watching the event for what it’s supposed to be (a football game), I watched it for what it really is: a massive exercise in television production. Read more...

Most leading actors demand millions of dollars to star in films. Filmmaker Larry Blamire found one for only $98. “The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra,” a spoof on old B-movies, features a fake skeleton that Blamire purchased off eBay in the title role. Read more...