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John
S. Beckford
Professor of Percussion and Music History
John S. Beckford,
Professor of Percussion and Music History, has Bachelor of Music,
Master of Fine Arts, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the
University of Iowa where he
studied percussion with Thomas L. Davis. His performance experience
includes Principal Percussionist and Timpanist for the Quad-City
(Iowa/Illinois) Symphony Orchestra, Percussionist for the Greenville
Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, and is an active free-lance
musician for area orchestras, road shows, and churches. His research
articles have been published in the Percussive Notes journal. He
was a faculty member with the South Carolina Governor's School for
the Arts from 1982-1999, past president of the South Carolina Chapter
of the Percussive Arts Society, a Yamaha Regional-Artist Clinician,
a member of the Vic Firth Education Team, and an adjudicator for
marching and concert percussion competitions.
A native of
Burlington, Iowa, Dr. Beckford began teaching at Furman in the fall
of 1976. As the first full-time percussion instructor at Furman,
his percussionists have continued in careers as professional and
amateur performers, high school and college teachers, as well as
church music directors and members of the music business profession.
The Furman Percussion Ensemble has become one of the most popular
on-campus concerts of the year. This ensemble has also performed
numerous concerts for schools, arts organizations, the South Carolina
Music Educators Conference, and for the state chapter of the Percussive
Arts Society. In his spare time he enjoys sailing and running. You
can write to Dr. Beckford at john.beckford@furman.edu.
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Ron Schwartz
Drum Set Instructor
Ron
Schwartz grew up in the Sacramento,
California area where he attended Sacramento City College and
Sacramento State College. He studied drumming with Stan Lunetta
and Vince Lateano and in the late sixties became affiliated with
RCA Records playing for The Jefferson Airplane, Harry Nilsson,
and Jose Feliciano. Over the next twenty years Mr. Schwartz toured
or worked with Kim Carnes, Neil Diamond, and members of the First
Edition. He had his own project with Capitol Records and worked
on numerous commercials, television shows, and recording sessions.
Other artists with whom he has collaborated include keyboardist
Larry Knectel, drummer David Ragsdale of the Smashing Pumpkins
and Kansas, bassist Jerry Peek of the Steve Morse Band, saxophonists
Sam Skelton and Chris Vadala, trumpeter Jon Faddis, vibist Jon
Metzger, pianist Joe Sample, and jazz guitarists Larry Koonse,
Barry Greene, John Stowell, and Larry Coryell.
Currently
he is Senior Vice President and Creative Director for OneTen Management
Group, producing recordings for the Boys Choir of Harlem, the
Atlanta based acid jazz group PDQ, and the Acoustic Jazz Quartet
from Los Angeles. In addition to his part-time teaching responsibilities
at Furman, he remains an active performer and teacher and serves
as an adjunct teacher to the South Carolina School for the Arts
and Humanities. You can contact Ron Schwartz at dodrums@aol.com.
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Patrick
Lowery
Furman Drumline Arranger and Instructor
Patrick
Lowery is a native of Savannah, Georgia, where he graduated
from Effingham Co. High School in 1991. In 1996 he received his
Bachelors degree in music education from the University of Georgia
followed by an assistantship at the University of Tennessee, where
he earned the Masters Degree in percussion performance in 1998.
After returning to do post-graduate work at the University of
Georgia, in 1999
Mr.
Lowery accepted the position as band director and Director of
Percussion Studies in District 5 Schools of Spartanburg County,
South Carolina. Mr. Lowery has performed with many diverse groups
including the Spirit of Atlanta Bugle Corps, Southwind Drum and
Bugle Corps, the Tropical Breeze Steel Drum Band, UGA Wind Symphony,
the Savannah Symphony, UGA African Ensemble, and the Battuta Percussion
Group. In addition, Mr. Lowery has played with the Porto Alegre
Symphony in Porto Alegre, Brazil and the Yuyama Duo, a saxophone/percussion
duet with friend and saxophonist Ruth Colegrove. With Mrs. Colegrove,
Mr. Lowery recently performed at the World Saxophone Congress
in Montreal. Active as an adjudicator throughout the Southeast,
Mr. Lowery has also given clinics at the Tennessee Music Educator's
Conference, the University of Georgia January Festival, and the
Joycliffe Marching Percussion Clinic in Athens, Georgia.
As
a teacher and writer, Mr. Lowery has worked with numerous marching
bands, drum corps, indoor percussion ensembles, and concert ensembles.
These include the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps, the
University of Georgia Redcoat Band, the University of Tennessee
Pride of the Southland, and countless high school ensembles. He
joined the Furman Marching Band staff in 2000. Mr. Lowery has
studied with F. Michael Combs, Dr. Tony McCutchen, Dr. Arvin Scott,
Keith Brown, and Ney Rosauro.
You
can contact Mr. Lowery at LoweryPL@spart5.k12.sc.us.
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