David Birrow is an experienced percussionist and general music teacher. David has over eighteen years teaching K-12 general music in both public and private schools as well as individual and group percussion instruction.
David currently teaches in Minneapolis at Breck School, where he teaches a diverse curriculum that includes electronic music, world music, bucket drumming, music theory, film soundtracks, and music psychology.
A native of Massachusetts, David started playing percussion in 5th grade band. It quickly became obvious that hitting things was a lot of fun and percussion became an important part of his life. David then attended the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and earned a Bachelors degree in Music with a major in Music Education. His percussion teachers included Dr. Ney Rosauro and Shannon Wood and he studied Music Education with Dr. Joyce Jordan and Dr. Nicholas DeCarbo.
Apparently he missed freezing weather, as David then moved to Minneapolis and earned a Master of Music degree in Instrumental Performance from the University of Minnesota. His percussion teachers were Fernando Meza, Earl Yowell, and Phil Hey.
As a versatile, freelance percussionist, his interests range from orchestral to world music to jazz to new music. Recent performances include the U.S. premiere of The Stranger by Kim André Arnesen with the Queen of Norway in attendance and subbing for the world premiere of An American Tail: The Musical at Children's Theater Company. He has performed throughout Europe and South America as an orchestral percussionist with YOA - Orchestra of the Americas. In addition to freelancing, David has performed with Exotik-a-gogo, Oratorio Society of Minnesota, Struck Percussion Ensemble, and the Marimba Bullies, a Zimbabwean Style marimba band. He also leads his own jazz trio on vibraphone. He performed with the new music group Renegade Ensemble for nine years,
As an award winning educator, David is interested in how music cognition research, technology, and game design can help shape music learning. At Breck School, David currently teaches a variety of subjects to students in grades 5-12, including: Music Theory, Music Psychology, Music and Film, Bucket Drumming, Electronic Music, and World Music. He also runs BATO BATO! Breck School's Marimba Ensemble, who released their third album, Knock on Wood, in April 2023. For eleven years, he taught percussion in group and solo settings as well as k-12 general music at MacPhail Center for Music.
In 2024 David was named a Master Teacher, Breck School's highest honor for teaching excellence. Other honors include Middle School Chair Award for Teaching Excellence in 2022, Innovation in Music Education Award from Slam Academy in 2018, and in 2015 he was awarded the DeLucia Prize from the Mockingbird Foundation. His book on how to teach bucket drumming in the K-12 setting, The Bucket Book, is published by Alfred.
David has presented at many national and international music educator professional development conferences including The Midwest Clinic in Chicago, the National Association for Music Education’s National In-Service Clinic in Nashville, the NAMM Show, Minnesota and Iowa's Music Educators Association Annual State Conferences, the Saskatchewan Music Conference in Saskatoon, the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, and the Midwest Association of Independent Schools.
David proudly endorses Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets.
Photo: Matthew Wagner
David currently teaches in Minneapolis at Breck School, where he teaches a diverse curriculum that includes electronic music, world music, bucket drumming, music theory, film soundtracks, and music psychology.
A native of Massachusetts, David started playing percussion in 5th grade band. It quickly became obvious that hitting things was a lot of fun and percussion became an important part of his life. David then attended the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and earned a Bachelors degree in Music with a major in Music Education. His percussion teachers included Dr. Ney Rosauro and Shannon Wood and he studied Music Education with Dr. Joyce Jordan and Dr. Nicholas DeCarbo.
Apparently he missed freezing weather, as David then moved to Minneapolis and earned a Master of Music degree in Instrumental Performance from the University of Minnesota. His percussion teachers were Fernando Meza, Earl Yowell, and Phil Hey.
As a versatile, freelance percussionist, his interests range from orchestral to world music to jazz to new music. Recent performances include the U.S. premiere of The Stranger by Kim André Arnesen with the Queen of Norway in attendance and subbing for the world premiere of An American Tail: The Musical at Children's Theater Company. He has performed throughout Europe and South America as an orchestral percussionist with YOA - Orchestra of the Americas. In addition to freelancing, David has performed with Exotik-a-gogo, Oratorio Society of Minnesota, Struck Percussion Ensemble, and the Marimba Bullies, a Zimbabwean Style marimba band. He also leads his own jazz trio on vibraphone. He performed with the new music group Renegade Ensemble for nine years,
As an award winning educator, David is interested in how music cognition research, technology, and game design can help shape music learning. At Breck School, David currently teaches a variety of subjects to students in grades 5-12, including: Music Theory, Music Psychology, Music and Film, Bucket Drumming, Electronic Music, and World Music. He also runs BATO BATO! Breck School's Marimba Ensemble, who released their third album, Knock on Wood, in April 2023. For eleven years, he taught percussion in group and solo settings as well as k-12 general music at MacPhail Center for Music.
In 2024 David was named a Master Teacher, Breck School's highest honor for teaching excellence. Other honors include Middle School Chair Award for Teaching Excellence in 2022, Innovation in Music Education Award from Slam Academy in 2018, and in 2015 he was awarded the DeLucia Prize from the Mockingbird Foundation. His book on how to teach bucket drumming in the K-12 setting, The Bucket Book, is published by Alfred.
David has presented at many national and international music educator professional development conferences including The Midwest Clinic in Chicago, the National Association for Music Education’s National In-Service Clinic in Nashville, the NAMM Show, Minnesota and Iowa's Music Educators Association Annual State Conferences, the Saskatchewan Music Conference in Saskatoon, the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, and the Midwest Association of Independent Schools.
David proudly endorses Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets.
Photo: Matthew Wagner