About Us
It was October 1989. On a typically cold and snowy fall day in Ithaca, New York, a young Kevin Martin, a student at Cornell, discovered a book in the school library. That book was Pete Seeger’s Steel drums - how to play them and make them written in 1964. With this book as their guide, Kevin and his brother Sean built their first steel drum to use in their band Bermuda Blue. After graduating with a degree in International Trade and Finance, Kevin and pursued a career in his field, but the steel drum never left his mind. Over the years, he continued to build drums in his spare time. In 1998, Kevin left his investment job to pursue steel drum building and playing music full time.
Kevin launched Rockcreek Steel Drums that year and added the steel drum school a year later. Since then, Rockcreek has stayed on the cutting edge of drum production with the addition of high powered compression hammers and endless research into note layouts and patterns. At the same time, we respect and continue to learn more about the traditional building processes. To that end, Kevin took a tour as Artist-in-Residence aboard The World cruise ship as it sailed to Trinidad where he was able to research the history of the drums and examine the steel drum orchestras and panyards firsthand.
In the summer of 2008, Kevin joined sculptor James Brenner in his Chicago studio to help create two very large spherical steel tongue drums for a permanent musical playground installation at Mt. Greenwood Park in downtown Chicago. Click here to see a video of the opening day performance.
The detailed work involved in taking raw metal and transforming it into a finished steel drum is staggering, but the result is well worth the work. Being a part of the evolution of this instrument and teaching people to play the steel drum is the focus of Rockcreek Steel Drums.
Contact Us
443-794-3326
443-782-0340 (fax)
1290 Bay Dale Drive, #355
Arnold, Maryland 21012
Customer Service
Rockcreek Steel Drums is committed to 100% customer satisfaction. If you are unable to find the answers to your questions here, please email us.
safe shopping policy
Because your credit card security is a high priority, we have taken numerous steps to ensure that your payment information is processed confidentially, accurately and securely. rockcreeksteeldrums.com uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), an encryption technology that protects your credit card information. SSL encrypts all ordering information (name, address, credit card number) so no one can read it as it travels over the Internet. All account information submitted to us is safely isolated from unauthorized Internet access. To view our security certificate proceed to the Checkout area and click the secure lock in the Status bar of your browser.
shopping cart
We use e-junkie as our shopping cart.
privacy policy
We do not sell, trade or rent your personal information to others.
copyright notice
This site is owned and operated by Rockcreek Steel Drums. Unless otherwise specified, all materials appearing on this site, including text, site design, logos, graphics and images are the sole property of Rockcreek Steel Drums, Copyright 2009, all rights reserved.
prices
Prices are subject to change.
sales tax
A 6.0% sales tax is applied to orders delivered to Maryland.
shipping
During the order process, the total cost of goods, the cost of shipping and sales taxes (if applicable) are clearly displayed. We ship internationally via the United States Postal Service. We make every effort to ship your order as quickly as possible. Unless otherwise specified, all orders are processed within 1-3 business days. Any customs charges will be assessed by the local country’s postal service.
order confirmation
You will receive an order confirmation via email within 24 hours. Please enable your computer to accept email from rockcreeksteeldrums.com.
order tracking
When your order is shipped, you will receive a shipping notification email. You can track your order through a link in this email.
returns
Of course, we strive for 100% satisfaction. We have a return rate of less than 1%. If you are unhappy with our products for any reason, you may return the items in their original condition for a refund or credit within 30 days of receipt. Shipping charges will only be refunded if the return is due to our error. All returns must be accompanied by a copy of the receipt/order confirmation. After a return has been received, it will take 1-2 weeks to process. If using a credit card, refunds will be credited to your account. If paying by check, a refund check will be mailed to you. We suggest using UPS or insured Priority Mail for your protection.
payment
We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express for orders on our website. We also offer the option of paying through PayPal.
school orders
We accept school purchase orders. If you are planning to submit a purchase order, please email us so that we can arrange the necessary paperwork.