Our clinic will focus on the technical and musical percussion skills required for a quality performance in both marching and concert percussion applications. This clinic will demonstrate universal musical concepts on percussion that can be applied to either area (marching or concert) with success. Excerpts from wind ensemble literature, percussion solos, and marching percussion music will be performed.
Mark Ford
- Biographical Information
Mark Ford is the coordinator of percussion activities at The University of North Texas in Denton, Texas and a Past-President of the Percussive Arts Society. He is a marimba specialist and the coordinator of one of the largest percussion programs in the United States at UNT. Ford is an active performer on the marimba and he has been featured throughout the United States at universities and music conferences. He also regularly performs at International Music Festivals, and he serves as the Artistic Director for the Polish International Marimba and Vibraphone Competition held annually at Drum Fest in Opole, Poland.
As a composer Mark’s percussion compositions are considered staples in percussion repertoire and performed throughout the world. His marimba concerto, Stubernic Fantasy, was premiered at the Mid-West Band and Orchestra Convention and has been performed on tour by the US Navy Band and Air Force Band. In 2016 Mark’s orchestral fanfare Przebudzenie (The Awakening) was premiered by the Opole Philharmonic Orchestra in Poland, and the wind ensemble version was premiered in 2017 by the University of Texas at El Paso Wind Ensemble under the direction of Brad Genevro. Ford is also the author of Marimba: Technique Through Music, a four-mallet marimba method book.
Ford has been recognized as a leading percussion educator. His former students are professional performers, educators and university professors throughout the United States. Under his direction the UNT Percussion Ensemble has toured in Poland, Croatia, France and Belgium and also won the PAS International Percussion Ensemble Competition. Mark Ford proudly represents Dynasty Percussion, Bergerault, Zildjian, Evans Drum Heads, Meinl and Innovative Percussion Inc. as performing artist and clinician.
Paul Rennick is Assistant Professor in Percussion at the University of North Texas where he has served on the faculty since 1991. A leading figure in the world of marching percussion and percussion education, Paul has a long history of successful students and renowned performing ensembles, and has been a featured clinician and guest artist worldwide.
Since 1989 Paul has written and designed the competitive shows for the 20-time Percussive Arts Society International Champion University of North Texas Indoor Drumline. He is also the percussion coordinator for the nationally recognized UNT Green Brigade Marching Band.
Paul is currently the music coordinator, percussion director and arranger for the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps, recently winning the DCI Fred Sanford Award for Percussion Performance three times in the last four years (2014, 2016, 2017). He is also currently the percussion coordinator and arranger for the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps.
Paul served as the director of percussion for the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps from 2003-2010, winning the Drum Corps International Fred Sanford Award for Percussion Performance three times (2006, 2008, 2010), and the DCI Championship in 2008, achieving the rare feat of winning the DCI drum trophy multiple times with two different organizations. Paul recently received the honor of being elected to DCI Hall of Fame class of 2017.
Paul was a design team member, music composer/arranger, instructor, and percussion manager for the Tony & Emmy Award-winning Broadway production “Blast!”
Paul is also an active performer, appearing as a featured soloist with the UNT Wind Symphony on the DVD recording “Percussive Palooza,” and related showcase concert at PASIC 2006. He is also a featured soloist on the University of North Texas Percussion Ensemble recording “Vespertine Formations” (2009).
Paul is an artist and product consultant with Dynasty USA, and helped design the new “Custom Elite” series of marching drums. He is also a signature artist with Innovative Percussion, Inc. and designed three signature sticks, FS-PR, FS-PR2, and TS-PR. Paul is also an artist and clinician for Remo Inc. and the Avedis Zildjian Co.