Sarah Roberts, Senior
Sarah Roberts is currently a senior at the University of Tennessee at Martin. She is pursuing a degree in Instrumental Music Education. Sarah has been involved in the UTM Percussion Ensemble, Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, and Concert Band. Sarah also is an active member of Sigma Alpha Iota which volunteers and raises money to support various philanthropies in the surrounding community and previously served as their treasurer. In 2004, Sarah performed with the UTM Percussion Ensemble in a terrace concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Concert (PASIC). With West Tennessee high schools, Sarah has served on band camp staves arranging front ensemble music and working percussion sectionals. While in high school, Sarah attended All West Honor bands, All State Honor Bands, and Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. Past teachers include Nancy Mathesen and Thom Hasenflug. Sarah currently studies percussion with Dr. Julie Hill.
Clint Rawls, Senior
Clint Rawls is a senior percussion major at the University of Tennessee at Martin. He has been a member of the UTM Percussion Ensemble since the Fall of 2004. Clint performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in 2004 with the UTM Percussion Ensemble. He has taught band camps at Camden Central High School, Waverly High School, and Union City High School. Clint has studied percussion under Nancy Mathesen. He currently studies percussion with Dr. Julie Hill at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Scottie Somerville, Senior
Scottie Somerville is a senior at UTM. Somerville is a MusicEducation Major with and emphasis in percussion. Somerville had the privilege of playing at the 2004 Pasic Convention under the direction of Professor Nancy Mathesen. Scottie is a member of the percussion ensemble, the steel band, the marching band, and the wind ensemble at UTM. He is also one of the founding members of Jamaica Me Happy, a small steel band ensemble, which started in the spring of 2005. Scottie also is the percussion instructor at Gibson County High School. He previously taught at Camden Central High School and at Union City High School. Scottie is also a member of the West Tennessee Drumline Hall of Fame. He studies percussion with Dr. Julie Hill
Richard Henson, Senior
Richard Henson is currently a senior at the University of Tennessee at Martin pursuing a Bachelor of Music Education degree, with an emphasis in percussion. Richard is an active member in the UTM marching band as well as the percussion ensemble. Henson came to UTM in the fall of 2003 to study with Professor Nancy Mathesen, who retired in the spring of 2005. While studying with Professor Mathesen, Richard had the privilege of performing with the UTM percussion ensemble at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in 2004. Henson is now studying under Dr. Julie Hill.
Mark Fairless, Junior
Mark Fairless is currently a junior at the University of Tennessee at Martin. He is earning his B.A. in music and is currently studying percussion with Dr. Julie Hill. Mark has played with several ensembles at UTM including marching band, pep band, jazz band, percussion ensemble, steel band, Jamaica Me Happy, and served as section leader in the concert band and held principle chair in the Wind Ensemble. Mark has been on staff for all three of the Drum-line Tune Up days and the Skyhawk drum camp. He also served as the percussion instructor for the Peabody High School’s drumline for two years. Mark also attends and is the drummer for Salem Baptist Church in Trenton, TN.
Daniel Vargason, Sophomore
Daniel Vargason is currently a sophomore at the University of Tennessee at Martin majoring in Music Education with an emphasis in percussion. He has studied percussion under Jeff Miller and is currently studying percussion under Dr. Julie Hill. He graduated from McNairy Central High School where he
performed in the indoor drumline, jazz band, marching band, concert band,
and percussion ensemble. He was also the percussion captain during his
junior and senior year. While in high school he played in the All-West
Tennessee blue band on two separate occasions, as well with the UTM Honor
Band Percussion Ensemble on two separate occasions. He is now the
percussion tech at McNairy Central High School as well as the front ensemble instructor at Gibson County High School. He is also in the six piece steel band group “Jamaica Me Happy.” He plans on going to
graduate school after he finishes at UTM.
Cory Bozard, Sophomore
Cory Bozard is currently a sophomore at the University of Tennessee at Martin where he is majoring in Instrumental Music Education with emphasis on percussion. He has served as a member of the UTM Percussion Ensemble, Steel Band, Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble. Cory is a graduate of Dyer County High School where he participated in the marching, concert, jazz, and pep bands for four years. He has performed with the All-West Concert and Jazz bands, the All-State Concert band, the UTM Honor Percussion Ensemble, and the Dyersburg State Community Orchestra. Cory has served as the percussion instructor for Dyersburg High School. He is currently a member of the small steel band ensemble Jamaica Me Happy. Cory has studied percussion with Chad Davis, Adrian Baker, and Nancy Mathesen as well as attended clinics with James Campbell, Matt Savage, B Michael Williams, and Michael Gould. He is currently studying percussion with Dr. Julie Hill.
Jacob Abbot, Sophomore
Jacob Abbott is currently a sophomore at the University of Tennessee at Martin. He is pursuing a career in Music Education. He began studying percussion under Brian Price at Gibson County High School and is currently studying under Dr. Julie Hill. Jacob is on special staff at Union City High School, where he works with both the drum line and front ensemble. He plans to one day teach music to students of all ages in the Gibson County area.
Jeff Moore, Sophomore
Jeff Moore is currently at the University of Tennessee at Martin where he is
majoring in instrumental music with an emphasis on percussion. Jeff is
participating in marching band, concert band, steel band, and Percussion
Ensemble at UTM. He is a graduate of Dyer County high school where he took
place in marching, concert, jazz, and pep band. As a senior in high school
he received the John Phillips Sousa award. He has attended clinics with Matt
Savage, Andy Bliss, and Aaron Bliss. Jeff has also attended numerous solo
and ensemble competitions.Jeff is also working the Waverly High Schools band camp.
He is also playing in a six piece steel pan group called Jamaican Me Happy. Jeff is also
the drummer for East of Innocence, a four piece modern rock band from Dyersburg, TN.
He is currently studying under the direction of Dr. Julie Hill.
where he plans to finish his degree and teach high school percussion.
Andrew Lynn, Sophomore
Andrew Lynn graduated from Gibson County High School in 2006 where he was a member of the GCHS Marching Pioneers. While there he was in concert band, percussion ensemble, pep band, and in symphonic band 4 years. His senior year Andrew was the Percussion captain. He was in the UTM honor band 2 years, and was awarded many superior ratings at solo and ensemble festivals. While in High School Andrew performed all percussion parts for two musicals- Annie and The Music Man. He has also played drumset at his church for many years. In April of 2006 Andrew had the honor of performing at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. He is currently pursuing a degree in Music Education from the University of TN at Martin where he studies percussion with Dr. Julie Hill.
Sean Johnson, Sophomore
Sean is a sophomore at the University of Tennessee at Martin. When he was in third grade, Sean studies African drumming from Pascal Younge at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center. In the Winter of 2001, Sean partcipated in the winter Drumline Invitational at WVU. When he was 13 years old, Sean moved to Memphis, TN, and began private lessons from Ed Murray. From 2002-2006, Sean attended Oventon High School studying band under the direction of Chris Piecuch and Shawn Sullivan. The Overton High School Marching Band became the grand champions at the Columbia Marching Competition. Sean participated in the All-West TN Bands his ninth, tenth, and twelfth grade years. Sean is currently studying Music Education at the University of TN at Martin, where he studies percussion with Dr. Julie Hill.
Stephen Hughes, First Year
Stephen Hughes is a first year Music Education major at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Stephen was a member of the Brighton High School band for four years under the direction of Jonathan Findley where he participated in Marching Band, Pep Band, Concert Band, and Winter Drum line. He was the percussion section leader his senior year. Stephen also participated in several honor bands such as the UT martin Honor Band and All-West Blue Band and has attended Solo and Ensemble where he received high scores. Stephen has attended clinics with Jim Campbell, B. Michael Williams, and Leigh Howard Stevens and has taken lessons from Stan Head in Memphis, Tennessee. Stephen is currently studying under Dr. Julie Hill.
