Megan Arns
University of Missouri - United States
Overview
Megan Arns is a percussionist, ethnomusicologist, and educator with a diverse set of skills and a driven passion for her craft. Active as a contemporary chamber percussionist, Megan’s recent highlights include collaborative performances in India, Jordan, Costa Rica, Ghana, and the United States at venues such as the Kennedy Center, Millennium Park, Smithsonian Institution, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. She is an advocate for the creation of new music, co-commissioning and premiering works by notable composers such as John Luther Adams, Alejandro Viñao, Halim El-Dahb, Steven Snowden, Adam Silverman, and Ivan Trevino.
An enthusiastic educator, Megan recently joined the music faculty of the University of Missouri as an Assistant Teaching Professor of Percussion. She previously served on the faculty of Mansfield University in Mansfield, PA and the National Music Conservatory in Amman, Jordan where she was also the Principal Timpanist of the Amman Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, she has performed with the Tallahassee, Sarasota, Northwest Florida, Albany, Southern Tier and Macon Symphony Orchestras. Megan also has extensive experience in the field of marching percussion, currently acting as a front ensemble consultant for Gateway Indoor Percussion, previously working as the Front Ensemble Instructor of the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps for the 2008-09 seasons, and receiving the distinguished Mike Laporta Percussion Award as a performing member of the Santa Clara Vanguard from 2005-06.
Megan is a candidate for a D.M.A. in Percussion Performance & Literature and received a M.A. in Ethnomusicology at the Eastman School of Music. She was also awarded performance degrees from Florida State University and Truman State University, where she was recognized as a Presser Scholar. Her primary teachers include Michael Burritt, John W. Parks IV, Michael Bump, Bill Cahn, and Nyoman Suadin. An active member of the Percussive Arts Society, Megan is the editor for Rhythm! Scene, a new online publication.