Birdville High School Percussion Ensemble

Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

The Birdville Percussion Studio is nationally recognized for its focus on artistry and musical excellence. The ensemble is a three-time winner of the Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition (2009, 2019, and 2024) and was named the 2019 National Winner of the Mark of Excellence National Percussion Ensemble Competition. The studio has also achieved local success at contests such as the Texas Christian University Percussion Festival, winning the Intermediate Small Ensemble division in 2022, and the Lone Star Drumline Contest, where the marching ensemble placed 2nd in the Intermediate Standstill Red Division in 2025 and earned the Best Quad Line and Best Front Ensemble caption awards. The Birdville percussion program also regularly places several students each year in the Texas Music Educators Association All-Region groups, and produced two Texas All-State percussionists during the 2024–2025 school year. The Birdville Percussion Ensemble has had the privilege of working with renowned educators, including Dr. Brian West, Dr. Andrew Eldridge, Dr. Brian Zator, Dr. Francisco Perez, Dr. Dave Hall, and Dr. Matt Jordan. The program has also made meaningful contributions to the percussion ensemble repertoire by commissioning new works for percussion orchestra from Nathan Daughtrey and Matt Moore, both published by C. Alan Publications, and Russell Wharton, published by Tapspace, and plans to continue this tradition by commissioning additional works from distinguished composers in the future. The Birdville Studio is supported through artist sponsorships with Pearl/Adams, Remo, Sabian, and Innovative Percussion. The Birdville Percussion Studio is dedicated to cultivating a safe and inviting environment where students can create music at the highest artistic level. Through this culture, the program strives to maintain a consistently high standard of excellence, while also guiding students to become strong members of society and servant leaders. The Birdville Percussion Studio is under the direction of Dr. Akira Robles and Eric Roundy.

Birdville High School Percussion Ensemble

Conductor's Bio

Akira Robles is currently the Percussion Director at Birdville High School in Birdville ISD. Dr. Robles earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance and Literature at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign under the tutelage of William Moersch and Ricardo Flores. During Dr. Robles' tenure, the Birdville High School percussion program has achieved consistent success at the local level, earning distinctions and awards at competitions such as the Lone Star Drumline Contest and the Texas Christian University Percussion Festival. The program regularly places several students each year in the Texas Music Educators Association All-Region groups, and produced two Texas All-State percussionists from 2024-2025. The Birdville Percussion Ensemble has also garnered international acclaim, earning first place in the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) International Percussion Ensemble Contest in 2024, and receiving an invitation to perform at the Midwest Clinic in 2026. Dr. Robles has been heavily involved in the marching percussion activity since 2003. As a performer, he marched bass drum with the Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps (2003–2005) and the Phantom Regiment (2006–2007), and was a member of the 2008 WGI World Champion Rhythm X. As an educator, he has worked with the Phantom Regiment (2010) and the Santa Clara Vanguard (2011–2022), both under the direction of Paul Rennick, and has been part of seven Fred Sanford Award-winning percussion ensembles. Akira is an educational artist with Pearl/Adams, Innovative Percussion, Remo, and Sabian.

Additional Directors

Eric Roundy