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Matthew Rush is currently the Director of Percussion
at Naaman Forest High School and Webb Middle School in Garland,
Texas. Since he entered this position in fall 2008 he has
coordinated all aspects of the marching and concert percussion
programs. This includes drumline, percussion ensemble, solo
and ensemble entries, and sectionals for the concert wind
bands, as well as plans for the very first NFHS Indoor Drumline
program.
Mr. Rush holds a Master’s in Percussion
Performance from Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth,
TX where he studied percussion with Dr. Brian West, Dr. Richard
Gipson, Paul Rennick, and Joey Carter. While at TCU Matthew
had the opportunity to perform in all major performing ensembles
including the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, Percussion
Ensemble, Marching Band, and the 2006 World Champion Indoor
Drumline. As a soloist Matthew was a winner in the 2007 TCU
Concerto Competition leading to a performance Concerto for
Marimba and Strings by Emmanuel Sejourne as a featured soloist
with the TCU Symphony in February of 2008. During the spring
of 2008 he also competed in the Young Texas Artists Music
Competition in Conroe, TX and was selected as a finalist in
the Winds/Percussion Division. Matthew has performed at TMEA
and CBDNA conventions as a member of the TCU Wind Symphony
and toured Puerto Rico as a performer in the TCU Symphony
Orchestra.
Before coming to Texas in 2006 Matthew earned
his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education at the Indiana
University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, PA. There he studied
percussion with Dr. Michael Kingan, Dr. Gary Olmstead, and
Dr. Ronald Horner as well as wind conducting with Dr. Jack
Stamp. Matthew spent at least a semester in every ensemble
on campus at IUP including the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band,
Percussion Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and Intensity Chamber
Percussion Group.
Matthew also had the opportunity of attending
the 28th annual Leigh Howard Stevens Summer Marimba Seminar
in June of 2007. He spent nearly 4 weeks in Ocean Grove, NJ
studying marimba and music in general with some of the world’s
foremost percussionists, including Leigh Howard Stevens, Michael
Burritt, Gordon Stout, and Eric Sammut.
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