Graduating from Vandercook School of Music with a Master’s of Music Education and Eastern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education, Joe Arenberg has studied with numerous teachers such as: Professor Johnny Lee Lane, Kevin Lepper, Bret Kuhn, Peter Hussey, Jeff Crowell, Tom Leddy, Patsy Dash, Jeff Hoke, Paul Wertico, Mike Balter, and numerous others.  While at Eastern, Joe learned that he loved teaching music as well as performing music.

Teaching has become a passion for Joe.  Since 2001, Joe has been a Director of Bands at Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15 in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.  His duties have included: educating beginning, intermediate bands, jazz bands, and instructing group lessons.  Joe has taught and arranged for several award-winning marching percussion sections including, Salem High School in Salem Illinois, Carbondale High School in Carbondale Illinois, Glenbrook South High School in Glenview Illinois and others.   Besides being a leading band director and percussion caption head, Joe has his own private studio where he teaches private percussion students of all different ages and backgrounds.  In 2011, Joe released his own beginning snare drum method called “Progressive Studies for Snare Drum” to supplement beginning percussion students.

Joe is also a leading freelance percussionist in the Chicago land area.  He has been known to be able to play in almost any type of situation.  From playing mallets, timpani, and auxiliary percussion parts in musical stage productions such as Music on Stage, to performing as the percussionist and drumset artist in the band Mario, Nick, & Joe.  Joe also has performed with Liz Berg, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Midwest Chamber Strings, the Music Institute of Chicago Philharmonic, the Shawn Salmon trio, the John Preddice Band, the Palatine Community Band, and many other small jazz groups and religious services in the Chicagoland area.

Joe endorses Pearl/Adams percussion instruments, Remo Drumheads, Sabian cymbals, and Vic Firth drum sticks and mallets.