Program Director of Percussion
About Me
Dr. Brooks Truly is an Artist Faculty and Program Director of Percussion at ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳, where he teaches applied lessons and co-directs the Percussion Ensemble, and the Percussion Performance Class. He also serves as the full-time Percussion Coordinator and Arts Administrator at the Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts), where he teaches Percussion Technique classes and directs both the Percussion Ensemble and the Afro-Caribbean Ensemble.
Dr. Truly is a freelance drummer, percussionist, and timpanist and has performed with dozens of orchestras, groups, and countless prominent artists throughout the Midwest, gulf coast, and southeast areas for over 30 years, ranging from Phillipe Entremont, James Judd, and Philip Glass, to Elvis Costello, Michel Camilo, and Evanescence. Additionally, he has taught drums and percussion at over 20 different institutions. His DMA dissertation, The Afro-Cuban Abakuá – Rhythmic Origins to Modern Applications, completed at the University of Miami, led to a lecture-performance presentation at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). He can be heard on the Navona, Centaur, and Albany record labels.
Dr. Truly holds Percussion Performance degrees from the University of Miami (DMA), where he was Ney Rosauro’s graduate assistant; ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ (MM), where he studied with Ed Harrison and Vadim Karpinos; and the University of South Alabama (BM) where he studied with John Papastefan. He is an endorsed performing artist with Remo Drumheads, Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets and is a member of the Vic Firth Education Team in the Collegiate Educators Program, and the Black Swamp Educational Network.