Biography

Director and Primary Instructor
West Yorkshire School of Percussive Arts

www.schoolofpercussivearts.co.uk


EDUCATION
American percussionist and pedagogue Faith Lanam graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance and Instrumental Music Education from the Conservatory of Music - Capital University (Columbus, Ohio, USA), where she gained extensive performance experience as well as training in instrumental pedagogy, conducting, and educational psychology.

Recently, Mrs Lanam finished the coursework for a Master of Music in Musicology at the University of Leeds, where she won the Herbert Thompson International Scholarship Competition, and awaits graduation in December 2010. She completed a dissertation entitled ‘The Transcription of Renaissance and Baroque Lute-Family Music for Marimba: A New Methodology for the Creation of Pedagogical Scholarly Editions’, edited G.G. Kapsperger’s Libro terzo d’intavolatura di chitarrone (1626, Rome) for performance on marimba, and presented a recital of her own transcriptions for marimba.

Mrs Lanam’s percussion training has included studies with drummer of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and past-president of The Percussive Arts Society, Bob Breithaupt; principle timpanist of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Ben Ramirez; founding member of the taiko ensemble Kodo, Eitetsu Hayashi; freelance percussionist, Nate Anders; ethnic percussion specialist, Eric Paton; composer and founder of the BackBeat Percussion Quartet, Damien Harron, and music educators Richard Sherrick, Tina Decker, and Leslie Baltzell. She has also studied piano and accompanying with pianists John Carter, Mary Whitehurst, Paula Linn, and Mary Lou Anderson.

TEACHING
Mrs Lanam began teaching at the age of seventeen. From 2003 to 2005, she was the Percussion Instructor for the Marion Local High School Marching Band (Maria Stein, Ohio, USA). For the following four years, she served as the Assistant Instructor for the award-winning percussion programme at Pickerington High School North (Pickerington, Ohio, USA) and managed her own percussion and piano studio. In her studio of private students, Mrs Lanam has developed and successfully implemented a comprehensive curriculum for students aged 8 to 18 and prepared students for solo performances at the Ohio Music Education Association’s Solo and Ensemble Adjudicated Events, with all her students receiving ratings of ‘Superior’ and ‘Excellent’. Mrs Lanam is currently the director and primary instructor for the West Yorkshire School of Percussive Arts (www.schoolofpercussivearts.co.uk).

PERFORMING
Specialising in orchestral percussion and marimba, Mrs Lanam has performed throughout the Midwestern United States and Western Europe. As a freelance percussionist, she has performed with the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra, as a guest soloist with the Lima Area Concert Band, and in a number of opera/musical theatre productions including Sweeney Todd, The Pirates of Penzance, Die Fledermaus, Into the Woods, Jesus Christ Superstar, Titanic, and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. In 2005, Mrs Lanam performed at The Percussive Arts Society International Convention in an exhibition of new works for percussion ensemble.

At the Conservatory of Music at Capital University, Mrs Lanam served as principle timpanist and principle percussionist of both the Symphonic Winds and the Capital University-Bexley Community Orchestra and performed as a member of the Chamber Percussion Ensemble and Ethnic Percussion Ensemble. While at Capital University, she recorded albums with the Boston Brass, the Capital University Symphonic Winds, and the Capital University Chapel Choir. At the University of York, she performed with Chimera (a new music ensemble), the Symphonic Orchestra, and Gamelan Sekar Petak.

Mrs Lanam has presented percussion recitals at the University of Leeds (2010), Pickerington High School North (2009), and the Conservatory of Music - Capital University (2007, 2006). She has also performed regularly as an accompanist to vocal and instrumental students.

Mrs Lanam has worked with a number of notable performers, composers, and academics, among them percussionist and pedagogue, Chris Carmean; operatic tenor and conductor, Joshua Lanam; internationally renown lutenist, Jacob Heringman; professional tenor, editor, and lecturer at the University of Leeds, Dr Steve Muir; Senior Lecturer at the University of Leeds and former lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music, Dr Michael Allis; member of the Purcell Society and lecturer at the University of Leeds, Dr Bryan White; and director of Parley of Instruments and Psalmody and lecturer at the University of Leeds, Professor Peter Holman.

Mrs Lanam has performed under the baton of Dr Barry Kopetz, Eric Whitacre, Professor Nicholas Perrini, Dr Sandra Mathias, Dr Lynda Hasseler, Robert W. Smith, Dr Jon Woods, Professor Tony Zilicik, Richard Sherrick, Dr John Stringer, Dr Peter Seymour, John Hill, Dale Laukhuf, and Dr James Moore.