Rone Sparrow
West Point Band - United States

Overview

Rone Sparrow, originally from Fairfield, California, joined the West Point Band in 2002. The West Point Band, one of the Army's prestigious special bands, is the oldest continuously serving band in the United States Army.  

As a member of the West Point Band, Rone has been a featured soloist on steel pans, piano, drumset, and mallet percussion. In 2004, he premiered Stephen Anderson's Concerto for Solo Percussion, commissioned by the Barlow Endowment for the Arts. Other highlights as a member of the band include television broadcasts for PBS, the Today Show, and FoxNews, multiple performances at New York Yankees games, collaborations with the New Jersey Ballet, and concerts with the New York Philharmonic. He currently serves as the leader of the concert band percussion section and the West Point Steelband.  

The West Point Band's percussion section has been featured in clinics on numerous occasions including university masterclasses, the New Hampshire and New York City "Day of Percussion" events, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention and The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.  

Prior to his service in the West Point Band, Rone's diverse freelance career included performances with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Sundance Summer Theater, The Drifters, The Jerry Floor Big Band, The Garland/Las Colinas Symphony, and the Walt Disney Corporation.  

Rone earned a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance and Pedagogy from Brigham Young University and a Master of Music in Percussion Performance from The University of North Texas. While at UNT, he taught in the percussion department and was the coordinator for the Green Brigade drumline. As a member of the UNT Wind Symphony, he performed on 7 recordings for the Klavier label and premiered multiple new works. He also played in the UNT jazz department, in both big band and small group settings, and was a member of the Percussive Arts Society World-Champion UNT Drumline.  

Rone's principal teachers include Ron Brough, Christopher Deane, Ed Soph, Paul Rennick, and Mark Ford. He has also studied with Mike Werner and John Riley.  

Rone is an artist/endorser for Sabian Cymbals and Innovative Percussion Inc.