1998–1999 · Competitive marching percussion program. State championship and percussion caption recognition.
Curriculum development, ensemble direction, student progression, and competitive season preparation across four states.
Foundation: University of North Texas (1993–1996)
Attended The University of North Texas pursuing a BA in Music Education with emphasis in percussion. Selected for the award-winning UNT A-Line Drumline (1994–96), Brazilian Percussion Ensemble, and SteelBand Ensemble. Won individual PAS Gold Medal at the Percussive Arts Society Solo Tenor Competition, 1995 — a national distinction recognizing technical mastery and artistic excellence. UNT Percussion Scholarship recipient. Performed at PAS national conventions (1993–96).
Drum Corps & Performance Experience (1993–1995)
Marched Sky Ryders (1993) and Velvet Knights of Anaheim (1994–95) under direction of Paul Rennick and Tom Float. Progressed from performer to Assistant Instructor, Velvet Knights B-Line (1994–95), marking early transition into instructional leadership. Also served as Battery/Quad Line Technician, Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps (1999) under Mike Stevens.
Education & Instruction Leadership (1998–2004)
Transitioned to full-time percussion instruction and program direction. Percussion Director, Air Academy High School (Colorado Springs, CO) — led competitive percussion program to state titles and percussion caption awards (1998–1999). Percussion Instructor: Plano Senior HS (2004), The Colony HS (1995). Clinician and consultant across Colorado, California, and Texas — after-school programs, masterclasses, and technical direction for school districts.
International Performance (2002)
Performed with StickWorx Percussion Group at Conrad Jupiter’s Gold Coast Resort, Gold Coast, Australia — under direction of Paul Rennick (UNT). Applied performance mastery at the highest international level.
Current Practice: Private Instruction & Mentorship (2004–Present)
Teaching private percussion lessons in Fort Wayne, IN — continuing 30+ years of performance and instruction. Individual student development across drumset, rudimental, conga, djembe, and tabla.
Instruction specialization: 5 primary methods
Teaching styles & repertoire — Classical, Jazz, Funk, African, Brazilian, and Caribbean music. Emphasis on technique mastery, musical expression, cultural context, and student-centered instruction.
Technical proficiency
Pedagogical approach — Combines technical rigor (UNT-trained fundamentals, PAS Gold Medal standard) with inclusive instruction. Experience teaching across age ranges (elementary through adult), ability levels (beginning to advanced), and cultural contexts. Mentorship-focused: students progress from foundational technique to competitive excellence and musical independence.
Outside the instruction studio and marketing workstation, the most important system Anooj runs is at home. Husband and father of three — the same discipline that earned a PAS Gold Medal, directed a state-title-winning percussion program, and orchestrates 175+ campaigns a year gets applied to weekend lessons, homework, weekend practices, and keeping a household of five running on beat.
The same principles that build championship percussion programs and make campaigns work — timing, layering, consistency, knowing when to lead and when to listen, understanding individual and group dynamics — turn out to be pretty solid parenting principles too. Three kids, a drum kit, a percussion setup, and one wife who somehow tolerates all of it.
Off-roading, photography, podcasting, true crime, camping, Fortnite with the kids. A global mindset and cross-cultural perspective built from years of touring nationally and internationally, teaching across four states, studying world percussion traditions, and performing in diverse musical contexts. Comfort with systems thinking applied across domains — from rhythm and timing to campaign orchestration to household logistics.