John Willmarth

I am a percussion arranger, composer, and educator with more than 20 years of experience writing for marching percussion and concert ensembles. I currently serve as Director of Steel Bands at Summerville High School in Summerville, SC, where the program includes six bands with more than 100 students — one of the largest high school steel band programs in the country. I also serve as a faculty member for PATHWAY, a Dorchester School District Two program supporting gifted and talented middle school students in the arts.

As a performer, I was a member of the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, where I was part of three DCI High Percussion trophy-winning ensembles and two DCI World Championship titles.

My marching percussion arrangements have been written for high school programs across the country, including state champion bands in multiple states, as well as the University of Kentucky, the University of Iowa, and Charleston Southern University. As a clinician and consultant, I have worked with Music for All, the Yamaha Corporation of America, and the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts.

My compositions have been performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. In 2006, I received second place in the PAS Composition Contest for my solo timpani work Bushido: The Way of the Warrior. My compositions and arrangements are published by Innovative Percussion, Row-Loff Productions, and Tapspace Publications. I have also contributed articles to Percussive Notes and Bluegrass Music News.

I am an artist with Innovative Percussion, Evans Drumheads, and the Yamaha Corporation of America.

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