John H. Beck (born February 16, 1933) is

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of percussion at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

and was principal timpanist for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1962 to 2002.

Career

Beck was born on February 16, 1933, in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Beck found a passion for music playing drum set in the local bars around town. Aiming to be a jazz drummer in the footstep of artists like Gene Krupa, Beck began studying at Eastman under William Street in 1951. After earning his bachelor's degree in 1955, Beck served in the United States Marines as a timpanist for the President's Own. After his discharge in 1959, he taught for Eastman's preparatory program and later became the full professor of percussion in 1967 after Street's retirement. Notable students of Beck include drummer Steve Gadd, vibraphonist Joe Locke, and marimbist

Leigh Howard Stevens Leigh Howard Stevens (born March 9, 1953 in Orange, New Jersey) is a marimba artist best known for developing, codifying, and promoting the Stevens technique or Musser-Stevens grip, a method of independent four-mallet marimba performance based on ...

. Beck served as the president for the New York chapter of the

Percussive Arts Society Percussive Arts Society (PAS) is a non-profit organization for professional percussionists and percussion educators. It was founded in 1961 in the United States and has over 5,000 members in 40 American chapters, with another 28 chapters abroad. It ...

starting in 1976, later being elected the organization's vice president in 1982 and serving as its president from 1987 to 1990. With Beck as the host, the organization had the first annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) at Eastman in 1976. Alongside his role as a teacher and performer, Beck has authored articles for the '' Grove Dictionary of American Music'', '' World Book Encyclopedia'', and ''

The Instrumentalist ''The Instrumentalist'' is an American monthly magazine for music educators — focusing on scholastic band and orchestra — and performing artists and composers. Founded by Traugott Rohner (1906–1991), its first publication was dated Septembe ...

'', among others''.'' Beck also edited the ''Encyclopedia of Percussion'' which is considered the standard reference book for the subject. In 2011, he released an autobiography titled ''Percussion Matter''s'': Life at the Eastman School of Music''.

References

External links

Biography
from the

Hall of Fame * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, John H. Classical percussionists 1933 births Eastman School of Music alumni Living people Eastman School of Music faculty