About

Daniel Piccolo

Percussionist Dan Piccolo has performed, taught, and studied internationally during his twenty-year professional career. He is currently Associate Professor of Percussion in Bowling Green State University’s College of Musical Arts.

Dan holds both a DMA and BM in Percussion Performance from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and during his master’s studies in U of M’s Jazz Department he focused on improvisation. He has studied concert percussion with Michael Udow, Salvatore Rabbio, Joseph Gramley and Jonathan Ovalle, among others, and his drum set and improvisation teachers have included Michael Gould, Steve Curry, and Ed Sarath. Dan is also skilled in several forms of non-Western percussion, having studied frame drumming with Jamey Haddad and tabla with Pandit Kuber Nath Mishra in multiple visits to Varanasi, India. A grant from the University of Michigan’s International Institute funded the first of these visits, and he returned to Varanasi in the winter of 2015 thanks to an award from the Presser Foundation. An additional award from U of M’s International Institute made it possible for Dan to begin formal studies of West African music in Ghana in the summer of 2014.

Dan’s debut solo recording, Monobot, was released on the Equilibrium Recordings label in December 2020. In October 2019 Dan gave the world premiere of Evan Ziporyn’s concerto for drum set and wind ensemble, Impulse Control, which was written for Dan and for which he led the commissioning consortium. Dan has also premiered works by composers including Aaron Kernis, Christopher Dietz, Emma O’Halloran, and Adam Silverman, as well as his own compositions, and he continues to work actively with composers to commission new solo and ensemble works for percussion.

Dan has appeared as a soloist with groups including the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and the University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble, and as a guest artist at colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. As a chamber musician he has enjoyed collaborations with notable artists including Third Coast Percussion, composer/pianist Harold Budd, percussionists Ji Hye Jung and Joseph Gramley, the arx duo, pianist Sonya Belaya, and the Detroit Chamber Winds. Dan also remains active as a jazz drummer, working with musicians such as John Scofield, Regina Carter, Mike Stern, and Stanley Cowell. For six years Dan was the drummer with Nomo, with whom he toured internationally and recorded three albums for Ubiquity Records. Dan has also toured and recorded as a member of Cloud Nine Music, The Ragbirds, His Name is Alive, and others. Dan continues to perform regularly with symphony orchestras, rock bands, Indian classical music ensembles, jazz groups, and in various chamber music configurations. This busy performance schedule has earned him invitations to perform at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention and the annual conference of the International Society for Improvised Music.

In addition to his busy professional schedule, Dan is a dynamic educator, teaching a broad range of percussion instruments in private and classroom settings. He has presented workshops and masterclasses at universities throughout the United States, and has twice been selected as a clinician at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Dan spent six years as the coordinator of the percussion program at Ann Arbor’s Pioneer High School, during which time the school was twice named a Grammy Signature School. In 2016 Dan joined the faculty of the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Prior to this appointment Dan was Assistant Director of Percussion at the University of Tennessee at Martin, and he previously served as Head of the Percussion Area at New England Music Camp in Sidney, Maine.

An active member of the Percussive Arts Society, Dan served as a member of the World Percussion Committee from 2014 to 2019, and he currently serves as Associate Editor for Professional Development for the Society’s journal, Percussive Notes. In 2021 he began his first term as President of PAS’s Ohio Chapter.

Dan proudly endorses Cooperman Frame Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, Pearl/Adams percussion instruments, and Remo drumheads. For more information please visit www.danpiccolo.com.

Nick Fox

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Nick Fox is an active percussionist and teacher, currently pursuing a DMA in contemporary music at Bowling Green State University. Fox received a Master’s degree in percussion performance from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He has studied with Dr. Daniel Piccolo, Dr. Gregory Beyer, Tobie Wilkinson, Dr. Patti Cudd, and Michael Mixtacki.

In addition to teaching and solo performance commitments, Fox is a founding member of the Altered Sound Duo (saxophone and percussion) as well as the percussion quartet Landlocked Percussion. Both of these groups focus on prominent contemporary chamber works in the repertoire and Altered Sound Duo actively commissions new works. In 2014, Trevor Saint and Fox formed the percussion duo Undue. This project has lead to the creation of three new works and a Midwest tour including performances/master-classes at seven universities. The following year, Fox organized his solo tour debut including six universities and several arts clubs.

Fox has had the opportunity to perform with many influential artists, such as Jan Williams, Greg Beyer, Stuart Gerber, Tim Munroe, Shara Nova, Dal Niente, Erik Griswold, and members of the JACK Quartet. Fox has been awarded grant funding to assist with the commissioning of new works, transportation to music conferences, and summer music festivals such as New Music On the Point in Vermont. As a committed new music activist, Fox has expanded the percussion repertoire through commissions/collaborations with composers Matthew Burtner, James Romig, Jeff Herriott, and Christopher Burns, just to name a few. 

DMA Students

JacobKoch

Jacob Koch

First Year

Jacob Koch is a percussionist and music educator from northern Ohio. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the University of Toledo and a Master's degree in Music Performance from Kent State University. Jacob is currently pursuing a DMA in Contemporary Music from Bowling Green State University where he also serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the percussion studio.

Masters Students

David-Esselburn

David Esselburn

Third Year

David is in his third year of pursuing a M. M. in Percussion Performance at BGSU and was previously the Graduate Assistant for the Percussion Studio, as well as the President for the Student Percussion Assosication. He holds a B.A. in Music from Muskingum University where he studied with Professor Seth Alexander. He has performed in many groups including the South Eastern Ohio Symphony Orchestra, Muskingum University Wind Ensemble, and other various ensembles. David has also taught privately and acted as Percussion Instructor for the East Muskingum School District for the past three years. David also spends his time studying Jazz and Music Composition; having written works for solo marimba, wind band, and SATB choir.

Nick-Bahr

Nick Bahr

First Year

Nick is a first year M.M. in Percussion Performance at BSGU and is currently the Graduate Assistant for the Percussion Studio. He previously attended Iowa State University where he studied under Dr. Jonathan Sharp and earned a B.M. in Percussion Performance. He has worked with many ensembles while at ISU, including the Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble, and Marching Band, as well the Central Iowa Wind Ensemble and Ames Municipal Band. Nick was also a member of the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps in 2021, and played with the indoor WGI group, Crossroads Percussion, for three years. As an educator, Nick has worked with many indivual students and was the percussion instructor for Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Undergraduate Students

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Tate Stewart

Senior

Tate is a fourth-year undergraduate music education major specializing in instrumental music at Bowling Green State University. At Bowling Green, he is a member of the Musicianship and Advanced Pedagogy program, The Student Percussion Association, performs with the university’s wind symphony, and serves as the College of Musical Arts senator in the Undergraduate Student Government. He is currently serving as treasurer of the OCMEA chapter at Bowling Green and as membership chair for the state board of the organization. He is the historian for the BGSU Student Percussion Association.

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Cadence Miller

Senior

Cadence is a fourth-year music education major specializing in instrumental music from Dayton, Ohio. He has performed actively as a soloist with the Bowling Green State University Philharmonic after being one of the winners of the undergraduate division of the BGSU Concerto Competition in 2022. He has also played in masterclasses for artists such as Ji Su Jung, Ji Hye Jung, Michael Udow and many others. He attended the Sandbox Percussion Seminar in 2022 where he performed with artist Ian Rosenbaum to premier the piece Loud and Soft by Molly Joyce. He has been a member of the Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra, the BGSU Wind Ensemble and Philarmonic, the Falcon Marching Band and the New Music Ensemble. Outside of performing, he teaches the front ensemble at Findlay High School during the spring. In his free time, Cadence longboards trails around the local area as well as enjoys time reading and spending time with individuals from the College of Musical Arts.

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Ian Weil

Senior

Ian is a senior Music Education student at Bowling Green State University. From Sylvania, Ohio, Ian previously studied under Dr. Olman Piedra and Dr. Aaron Ziegler. Ian has a great interest in topics in ethnomusicology and musicology and is an avid enjoyer of popular music from the 20th and 21st centuries. Outside of school, Ian also has an interest in synthesizers and keyboards, songwriting, and playing music alongside his younger brother, Jake.

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Kaitlynn Kamer

Senior

Kaitlynn Kamer is a fourth year Music Education student from Toledo, Ohio. She graduated from Northview High School where she participated in multiple ensembles and OMEA events. She has played with multiple honor bands and ensembles including the Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra. While at BGSU, Kaitlynn has been a member of the Wind Symphony, Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, and Falcon Marching Band. She is currently serving as the secretary for the Student Percussion Association and is a member of the BGSU honors college.

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Jayden Hall

Junior

Jayden Hall is a third-year student getting a BMA with a minor in recording technology. He's been a member of symphonic band and percussion ensemble at BGSU. He is also a former member of Cap City 2. He is eager to work on anything that will help him be better off with anything he does.

FrankSanzo

Frank Sanzo

Junior

Frank Sanzo is a third-year Music Education major from Painesville, Ohio. He attended Riverside High School, where he was heavily involved in their theatre, choir, and band programs. On campus, Frank is involved in Music Industry Club, serves as Vice President of the Student Percussion Association, and is currently President of the Ohio Collegiate Music Education Association. Besides percussion, Frank also plays guitar, piano, sings, and writes music in his free time.

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Riley Kramer

Junior

Riley Kramer is a third-year Jazz Studies major from Monclova, Ohio. He graduated from Toledo Christian Schools, where he participated in the marching band, concert band, worship band, choir, and musical theatre programs. Riley is a recipient of the John Philip Sousa Award, and has competed at the national level as a member of the Calvary Student Ministries worship team. He is a proud member of the Falcon Marching Band Cymbal Line and the BGSU Honors College.

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Emma Zemancik

Junior

Emma Zemancik is a third-year music performance major at BGSU. She is a graduate of Northwestern High School, where she was involved in choir, theatre, and the marching and concert bands. She was also a four-year member of the Akron Youth Symphony and has participated in numerous honor bands and choirs. Along with music, she is interested in literature and writing.  

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Anna Martin

Junior

Anna Martin is a junior majoring in Adolescent to Young Adult Mathematical Education and minoring in music. She is from Pickerington, Ohio, where she attended Pickerington High School North. She has been involved in DCI and WGI, including Bluecoats and Rhythm X, where she played vibraphone.

During college, she has been involved in the wind symphony, philharmonic orchestra, and percussion ensemble at Bowling Green State University. Throughout high school, she has performed in the Ohio Music Education Association All-State Band, college honor bands, her high school symphonic band, and earned years of superior ratings during solo and ensemble. She was also very involved in the front ensemble during high school marching band, taking multiple leadership roles. Outside of music, she plays club volleyball for BGSU as libero. In addition, she earned Second Team All Ohio Capital Conference in high school for volleyball. She enjoys playing table tennis as well and competes within her college and at the Arnold Sports Fest in Ohio.

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Kathryn Mahoney

Junior

Kathryn graduated from Riverside Highschool and is currently a third-year student at Bowling Green State University. She came to BG to pursue a degree in Music Performance and possibly minor in Recording Production/Media. She has played percussion for 6+ years and has been involved in music for even longer. She has been involved in her highschool, one of the main activities being marching band, where she played bells for her first year, and bass for her remaining three. She was also a squad leader her senior year. She was also involved in her high school theater program, where she joined the Light and Sound crew, and assumed the position of Tech Head of the crew for two full years. She was a four year member of the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony, and during her senior year she was a part of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Percussion Ensemble.

SamBatty

Sam Batty

Junior

Sam Batty is a Jazz Studies major from Temecula, California. He graduated from Temecula Valley High School in 2020 where he participated in the school's marching, jazz and concert bands as well as the indoor percussion ensemble. Sam also previously studied at Mira Costa College in Oceanside, California, before transferring to BGSU this fall. At Bowling Green, he is currently part of various jazz ensembles, and the percussion ensemble. 



ElijahKuszmaul

Elijah Kuszmaul

Sophomore

Elijah Kuszmaul is a second year Music Education major from West Unity, Ohio. He is a graduate from Hilltop High School where he played drum set in jazz band for four years, marching band for four years, sang in audition choir for 4 years, and did theatre for 7 years. He was also actively involved in community ensembles and omea events which included black swamp community orchestra, black swamp community choir, and Solo and Ensemble. At Bg, Elijah is a part of the percussion ensemble, samba bateria, symphonic Band, and is a member of OCMEA and the Student Percussion Ascosication.

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Evan Palermo

Sophomore

Over his past ten years of playing percussion-three of which being professional, Evan has put some impressive notches under his belt. While currently a full-time student in both the College of Musical Arts and the Schmidhorst College of Business, he still has an active performance career.

Dating back to high school, Evan has played in numerous orchestral ensembles, one of note being the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony, where he was a three-year member and performed multiple concerts at Severance Hall with the group. Evan has also been an active jazz community member, playing in big bands and combo groups, which have led to performances at venues such as the Bop Stop and also a residency at Cedar Fair’s own Sawmill Creek Hotel.

Evan would like to thank the people who have supported him, as he is proud to be a recipient of a BGSU Choice Music Scholarship, a branch scholarship from the Ian’s Legacy Foundation, and most recently, the winner of the 2023 Percussive Arts Society Ohio Chapter - Bill Platt PASIC scholarship.

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Mason Marquette

Sophomore

Mason Marquette is a second-year Music Education major from Stow, Ohio. In high school, he participated in the marching band, Wind Ensemble, Concert Choir, and multiple acapella groups. He also participated in OMEA Solo and Ensemble as well as Large Group Contest in both band and choral ensembles. He currently plays tenor drums in the Falcon Marching Band.

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Matthew Graves

Sophomre

Matthew Graves is a second-year music education major at BGSU. He is from Avon Lake Ohio where he graduated from Avon Lake High School.  He participated in marching band, percussion ensemble, jazz band, the symphonic band, and the pit orchestra for the musicals.  He was also the president of the marching band his senior year. He competed in OMEA for marching band, solo and ensemble, and symphonic band.

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Liam Lockhart

Sophomore

Liam Lockhart is a second-year Music Education student from Oberlin, Ohio. He graduated in 2021 from Firelands High School where he was a member of marching band, concert band, and honors choir, performing in OMEA Solo & Ensemble and large group events with band and choir. He has performed in honor bands at both Kent State University and Cleveland State University. He was a member of the BGSU FMB Drumline in 2022/23 and is a member of the BGSU Samba Bateria and percussion ensemble. Liam is the secretary of the BG Student Percussion Association and the BGSU chapter of Ohio Collegiate Music Educators Association.

EleanorWisniewski

Eleanor Wisniewski

Freshmen

Eleanor Wisniewski is a first-year student getting a BMA. She is from Royal Oak, Michigan and graduated from Royal Oak High School. In high school, she participated in MSBOA Solo and Ensemble as a soloist. She also played in the Marching Band, Jazz Band, Pit Orchestra, Pep Band, Wind Ensemble, and she was in the Detroit Youth Wind Ensemble. She also had the privilege to perform with her drumline for the First Lady in her senior year.

ZionBateman

Zion Bateman

Freshmen

Zion Bateman is a Freshman. He is from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, and graduated from Reynoldsburg High School Summit Campus. Back in high school Zion was a Drumline member of the Reynoldsburg Marching Pride, as well as being apart of Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. Zion has performed each year in OMEA Solo & Ensemble.

SarahHertenstein

Sarah Hertenstein

Freshmen

Sarah Hertenstein is a first-year Music Composition student from Powell, Ohio. She graduated in 2023 from Olentangy Liberty High School where she was a part of concert band, jazz band, marching band, pep band and indoor drumline. Sarah also participated in multiple concert choirs and Liberty Belles Acapella Group. She performed in several concerts and jazz gigs as well as the Kettering National A Capella Festival, OMEA Marching Band Competitions, OIPA, and WGI competitions.

AnthonyDouglas

Anthony Douglas

Freshmen

Anthony is a first-year instrumental performance major. He graduated from Perkins High School in 2023, and participated in nearly every organization offered, from wind ensemble, marching band, and honor bands. On top of being a percussionist, he has performed guitar in his high school jazz band, pit orchestra, and assorted bands in his hometown. At BG, he is a part of the Afro-Carribian ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Percussion Ensemble; with plans to pursue further musical opportunities.

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Alex Huss

Freshmen

Alex Huss is a first-year student in Music Education. His primary instrument in percussion is the snare drum. He is from Genoa, Ohio and is a receiver of the John-Phillips Sousa Award in band. He is a participant in the Falcon Marching Band as an equipment crew member and he spends his free time playing the drum set and drawing.

PASIC2017-BSP-EDIT

Robert Breithaupt (BM, MM) - Retired Professor of Percussion, Capital University

Olman Piedra (DMA '13) - Associate Professor of Percussion, University of Toledo

Zeca Lacerda (DMA '15) - Professor of Percussion, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso

Eric Sooy (BM ’90, MM ‘93) - Founder and President, Black Swamp Percussion

James Armstrong (MM '94) - Instructor of Percussion, Millersville University & Elizabethtown College

Dane Newlove (BM '83) - Asst. Principal Percussionist, Lima Symphony Orchestra, Principal Percussion, Old Crown Brass Band [Ft. Wayne, In.] Director of Materials and Awards, Ohio Music Education Association; and percussion specialist for the Coldwater and St. Marys Schools in West Central Ohio.

Matt Timman (MM '14) - Percussion Faculty, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp; Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra; Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra

Michael Varner (MUED) - Retired Director of Percussion, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX

Jerry Emmons (MM '19)- Adjunct Lecturer of Music, University of Tennessee at Martin; Adjunct Instructor of Percussion, Lane College, Jackson, TN

Felix Reyes (MM ’17) - Digital Archivist/Webmaster for So Percussion; Front Ensemble Instructor, Floral Park Memorial High School; Founding member of Pathos Trio

Michelle Watson (BM ’90) - Assistant Marching Band Director and Percussion Advisor at Chardon Local Schools

Ryan Williams (BM '15) - Assistant Band Director, Perrysburg High School

Joe Woodie (BM) - Percussion Specialist, William Mason High School

Daniel Klohn (BM '10) - Director of Bands, Sandusky City Schools

Paul Sansing (BM) - Assistant Band & Orchestra Director, Waite High School

Scott Charvet (MM ’17) - Percussion Instructor, Crockett High School, Austin, TX

Katelen Brown (MM '16) - Instructor for Shockwave Indoor Percussion; pursuing MA in Popular Culture

Mark Cook (DMA '15) - Director of BGSU Falcon Drumline

Nick Dian (BM '14) - Former Stage Manager, Toledo Symphony Orchestra

Sam Fronk (BM '16) - MM student, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music

Isabelle Huang (DMA '12)

Billy Sheak (BM Jazz Studies '16) - Drummer/Percussionist, Cedar Point

Tucker Marshall (BM Jazz Studies ‘17) - Free-lance jazz musician, Philadelphia

Emanuel Bowman (MM ’19) - Music Teacher, Winterfield Venture Academy, Toledo, OH

Febe Harmon (MUED '18) - Director of Bands, Brookville Local Schools, Brookville, OH

Eric Cooper (MUED ’18) - Director of Bands, Millcreek-West Unity School District

RJ Siebert (MUED '18) - Elementary Music Teacher, Blissfield Community Schools; Instructor of Music-Interlochen Arts Camp

Jerin Fuller (MUSP '19) - Assistant Percussion Instructor, Dulles High School, Sugar Land, TX


Erin Redick (MUED '20) - Assistant Band Director, Defiance High School

Frances Zengel (MUSP ’21) - Percussion Graduate Assistant, Ohio University, Athens, OH

Zachary Green (MUED ’18) - K-8 Music Teacher, Pathway School of Discovery, Dayton, OH

Gage Hoehne (MUED ’20) – Band & Choir Teacher, Continental Schools, Continental, OH 

Ben Hellert (MM ’22) - Freelance Percussionist; Band/General Music Teacher at West Side Montessori, Toledo, OH

Jacob Hargrove (MM ’22) - Freelance Percussionist; Percussion Instructor at Houston High School, Memphis, TN; Private Lesson Instructor at Rhythm & Grooves Academy, Memphis, TN

Cole Jackson (MM ’22) - Marching Band Percussion Tech, Heritage High School, Littleton, CO

Updated: 09/16/2023 02:51PM