Brian U

At age three, Brian was already taking music lessons, and by age six he was already performing the works of Beethoven.  As a youth, he entered in several musicians’ guild and youth composition contests, and was often the youngest award recipient.  To this day, Brian spends several hours a week performing and composing works for the piano.

Upon entering junior high, Brian took up percussion to be a member of his school’s band program.  He excelled at percussion, performing in the Wisconsin State Solo & Ensemble festival in marimba, snare drum, drum set, xylophone and timpani.  He studied percussion under the instruction of renowned percussion instructor Vicki Jenks, and for four years he served as percussionist with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra.  In 1998, he was afforded the opportunity to perform in the Wisconsin State Honors Jazz Ensemble.

In 1997, Brian began touring the continent as a tenor drummer for the Capital Sound Drum and Bugle Corps.  By 2000, he was the drum line section leader.  In 2001 and 2002, he toured even more extensively as a percussionist for the elite level Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, and then returned to Capital Sound to instruct for the following season.

At the University of Wisconsin, Brian studied percussion under Professor Anthony DiSanza, and performed in several western and world percussion ensembles, as well as chamber groups, wind ensembles and symphony orchestras.  While attending university, he was the resident percussion instructor at Madison Memorial High School for three years.  In 2003, he spent a semester studying marimba in Sydney, Australia under the instruction of world famous marimbist Allison Eddington.

Since moving to the Twin Cities in 2004, Brian has instructed percussion at several area high schools.  He has composed and arranged several original works for his students, some of which have evened garnered international recognition.

Along with piano, Brian teaches all areas of percussion (keyboard percussion, orchestral percussion, drum set, hand drums and world percussion, and anything in between).  Brian has a passion for music education, working closely with his students to help them reach their personal goals while making music an enjoyable experience.  He always goes out of his way to find works of music for his students that both excites them and teaches them valuable musical lessons.  And if none exist, he composes them!  Brian takes a theory-first approach to teaching, emphasizing the core fundamentals of music rather than just parroting melodies and patterns.  He encourages musical experimentation and improvisation, and most of all, learning to love making music.