MM Robinson’s Percussion has accomplished some amazing things in its five-year history, and having 12 of its members perform at last Sunday’s Juno Awards in Hamilton, can now be added to that list.

When pop/rock band Hedley went searching for a percussion presence for its song Anything, they looked no further than the award-winning Burlington school ensemble.

“Hedley’s tour manager called us in January and asked us if we were able to do the performance,” said MM Robinson Percussion Ensemble founder, Carolyn French. “He was able to find and choose us because we have built a strong online presence.”

Although they would love to have had all the members onstage at the Junos, the “gig was only for 12 people.”

The Percussion ensemble held two rehearsals on their own to learn the music and the choreography and then a two-hour rehearsal with Hedley on stage at the First Ontario Centre the day before the show.

“The song Anything has a very strong beat and worked very well with an ensemble of drummers performing it,” said French.

Needless to say, there were some very excited Percussion members like Stephanie Saladziak who said, “Literally, the coolest thing I’ve done or I will ever do. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

All instructions not to smile during the performance went out the window for Celeste Payette as soon as she walked on stage.

“When the guy said, ‘No smiling, no movement,’ I thought I could do it. But I knew as soon as we walked out in front of that crowd…I couldn’t contain myself.”

Joe White said he was nervous but excited at the same time.