About Marc Collier

Marc Collier is the interim director of Lake Braddock Middle School Orchestras, bringing deep roots in Fairfax County schools and decades of experience in music education. Following graduation from West Springfield HS (’85), he completed his Bachelors in Music at GMU (’92) where he studied symphonic percussion with Ken Harbison (NSO) and rudimental drumming with Aubrey Adams (USAF). He completed his Masters in Music at the University of Washington (’98), studying solo marimba literature and jazz vibes with Prof. Tom Collier and timpani with Mike Crusoe of the Seattle Symphony. Upon graduation he began a 10-year tenure at Eastside Catholic HS in Bellevue, WA where he founded an orchestra, jazz band, percussion ensemble and taught music appreciation and AP Music Theory. In collaboration with the drama department he directed yearly musicals, choir events and run out tours to local feeder programs. At this same time, he began his apprenticeship with West African master drummer Yaw Asare from Ghana. These studies included years of performances on the traditional drumming styles, including two research trips to the Asante regions to record and perform with the indigenous groups. This field research forms the basis for his ongoing doctoral dissertation on the Asante use of drum language in both government and traditional education. After returning to the Fairfax area in 2009, he returned to FCPS as an itinerant Band and Orchestra conductor, and is a regular sub with area music programs. He has worked as a marching band pit/battery teacher and arranged music for numerous ensembles. He has recently focused on audio engineering and become an AVID Certified Instructor on Pro Tools software.