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Dr. Michael Varner |
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Michael Varner is professor of percussion at The University of Texas at Arlington, a position he has held for 18 years. As Coordinator of Percussion activities he is involved in every aspect of percussion including Percussion Ensemble, Marching Percussion Marimba Ensemble and a full schedule of private students. He presents frequent solo recitals of traditional and newly composed works for percussion, and regularly performs chamber music and studio work in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, including performances with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. He recently returned from a performance tour in Austria. He is currently experimenting with integrating computer and MIDI effects into live performance. Dr.Varner has presented clinics for the Music Educators National Convention as well as the Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana Music Educators state conventions. He has performed at state conventions for the Texas, Utah, Ohio and Michigan and Minnesota Percussive Arts Societies. He was Vice President of the Texas Percussive Arts Society from 1985 to 1991and is an endorsee for Yamaha Drums and Sabian Cymbals. He has been selected as host for the Percussive Arts societies 2000 International Convention to be held in Ft. Worth, Texas He is extremely active nationally in the field of marching percussion, both adjudicating and presenting demonstrations of new innovations. His UT Arlington drum line is nationally recognized and has competed in many marching competitions including the 1982, 1988 and 1993 Percussive Arts Societies International competitions. He has worked with numerous drum and bugle corps, including the DCI champion Chicago Cavaliers and is currently involved in the Yamaha "Sounds of Summer" marching percussion camps. As a composer he publishes many of his own compositions and has also released works through Southern Music, Studio Four, and Permus Publications. He regularly accepts commissions for both marching percussion and percussion ensemble. Dr. Varner has spent time in Japan and China studying the music and especially percussion of these cultures. While visiting Japan he presented clinics/performances on American traditional drumming. He teaches courses on World Music, and presents frequent lectures and demonstrations on the subject. He completed his Doctoral Dissertation at the University of North Texas with his dissertation on "The Marimba Concerti of David Maslanka." He holds a bachelor of music degree from Bowling Green State University, Ohio and a Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Michigan. Prior to his appointment at UTA he taught percussion, ethnomusicology, jazz and marching band for five years at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo
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