Dr. David Whitman

Email

Primary Email: [email protected]

Files

• David Whitman's CV

Bio

David Whitman is a Lecturer at San Diego State University, where he teaches percussion methods and has also taught marching percussion and drum line, classical percussion, jazz vibraphone, and jazz drum set, and has assisted in directing athletic bands, including supervising travel with the basketball band to the 2012 NCAA tournament. He served in the past at San Diego Christian College (percussion methods, applied percussion), Guajome Park Academy (music production, elementary music, music appreciation, rhythm appreciation, three drum lines, instructional and departmental leadership roles, beginner band), the University of Southern Mississippi (drum line, percussion methods, applied percussion), and Kansas State University (drum line, Latin jazz ensemble, percussion methods, percussion ensemble, applied percussion for minors only). During the 2004–2005 academic year he served in an internship role at the University of Wisconsin–Stout as Jazz Band Director.

Whitman earned a B.A. in Music from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, an M.M. from Kansas State University, and a D.M.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi, with both advanced degrees in Percussion Performance and Pedagogy. He has been a contributing author to Percussive Notes, the field’s primary peer-reviewed journal for percussion, and has published marching percussion and percussion ensemble compositions with GPG Music and Really Good Music, LLC. His drum set method book, The Daily Drummer, was published in 2024 by Troy Nelson Music and has repeatedly ranked as the #1 selling Kindle Store book in percussion and a top-selling physical book on Amazon.

Research interests include stroke-type mechanics and analysis, drum set and percussion pedagogy, percussion methods and literature, percussion ensemble, jazz ensemble, and applied percussion. Whitman was awarded an undergraduate research grant supporting an academic year of study in the New York City area with Joe Morello, widely regarded as one of the foremost pedagogues in stroke mechanics and efficiency. The grant-supported research examined the teachings and techniques of early Radio City Music Hall drummer Billy Gladstone, drum set pedagogy, and stroke-type mechanics and analysis. Dr. Whitman presents lecture recitals, clinics, and masterclasses on stroke-type analysis and related elements of percussion pedagogy.

As a jazz recording artist, Dr. Whitman has been described as a musician “that has taken the lead from post-bop greats like Tony Williams and Jack DeJohnette.” From an early age Whitman aimed to advance his craft by learning traditions, conventions, and repertoire and their development over time (e.g., regular study with Joe Morello) and methods and philosophies that drive the modern avant-garde (e.g., regular long-time study with Dave King). His recordings as a leader have been commercially distributed on the Ropeadope Records, Shifting Paradigm Records, and Northpark Records labels and have received widespread international attention. His album Oh, Clara! won the Independent Music Award (IMA) for “Best Album Jazz Instrumental” in 2018 at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. His albums have garnered a cumulative seven global music awards in categories of jazz and production, five IMA nominations, and four appearances on GRAMMY Awards first round ballot. He also appears on recordings for Emeritus, Sea Breeze Vista, Garuda, and others.

Whitman’s work integrates scholarly inquiry, professional performance, and contemporary percussion pedagogy across both classical and jazz traditions.

Whitman has performed live professionally with Cynthia Erivo, Geoffrey Keezer, Bob Sheppard, Johnny Mathis, Francisco Torres, Jens Lindemann, Ledisi, The Who, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Ethan Iverson, The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Bernadette Peters, Roger Nierenberg, Pete Townshend, Jared Gold, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra on both percussion and drum set, the Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Meridian Symphony Orchestra, the California Chamber Orchestra, the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra, Opera Neo Festival Orchestra, Chris Voss, San Diego Opera, Pacific Lyric Opera, San Diego City Ballet, San Diego Winds, Zimbeat, Temecula Symphony Orchestra, Itzhak Perlman, and many other bands and artists. He has also performed with and collaborated on a host of Broadway projects, playing drum set on the world premiere run of Bhangin’ It, the world premiere run of The Outsiders, and even rehearsal drumming for the cast and creatives during the development of Cyndi Lauper’s Working Girl, performing on a total of nine new or touring Broadway productions to date, a tally that includes two iterations of Wicked and does not include any regional productions whatsoever (although he has performed a great many).

Dr. Whitman has more than 25 years of experience in the marching arts, having taught multiple award-winning high school and middle school programs, instructed and directed collegiate drumlines in the NCAA Division I Big 12, Sun Belt, and Mountain West conferences in dozens of nationally televised appearances, and marched with Capitol Sound Drum and Bugle Corps (Madison, WI). He has remained active throughout his career as a marching percussion consultant, clinician, and educator, and worked professionally as a marching percussionist for Six Flags following his tenure in drum corps. Dr. Whitman is a longtime advocate for marching percussion and received his doctoral mentoring from John Wooton, widely recognized as a leading authority in rudimental drumming.

Dr. Whitman received the John Philip Sousa Band Award, widely considered to be the most prestigious honor a high school band student can receive in the United States. He received full-tuition graduate scholarships and teaching assistantship stipends for assigned teaching and directing duties that split band offices and percussion studio responsibilities at both KSU and USM. He was honored and awarded for “outstanding contribution to the Kansas State University Symphony Band and Marching Band,” and was faculty-nominated into Pi Kappa Lambda, widely recognized in academia as a mark of high musical and scholarly achievement and the only music organization recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies which verifies its adherence to high standards for academic societies. He studied conducting with Dr. Frank Tracz and Dr. Richard Mark Heidl and has started a wind band from zero twice, teaching all beginners all instruments from scratch and performing concerts in the same year.

Dr. Whitman seeks opportunities for community service through and in the name of music and percussion. He has accompanied the Very Special Arts Wisconsin Choir, performed for nearly a decade in the Coastal Cities Jazz Band and Concert Band, accompanied local district honor ensembles, directed and founded the San Diego Community Percussion Ensemble to premiere a new work by Elliot Cole, supports youth ensembles and community ensembles like the All About Music San Diego Orchestra and the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra, and has performed with the Bill Yeager Jazz Orchestra, SDSU’s resident jazz ensemble. He has served on the Wage List Committee for the San Diego Musicians Union Local 325.

Dr. Whitman is a REMO Artist/Educator and has more than 20 years of experience presenting clinics, performances, and masterclasses in percussion, drumming, or music more broadly at schools, festivals, and conferences of every level and internationally. He has been an invited featured guest artist with many ensembles on both percussion and as a jazz drum set artist and has been invited to direct district honor jazz bands nationally. Dr. Whitman has adjudicated the ENKOR International Music Competition for more than 12 years and was invited to teach and perform in residency at Kyushu Lutheran College in Japan in 2013. In 2019 he was awarded the highest alumni award, The President’s Award, from UW–EC for having “significant impact through life’s work and connection to the university,” rewarding outstanding professional and personal achievements and service to UW–Eau Claire.

Education

• D.M.A. Percussion Performance and Pedagogy
• M.M. Percussion Performance and Pedagogy
• B.A. Music

Areas of Specialization

Percussion Pedagogy, Drum Set, Percussion Performance, Rudimental Drumming, Stroke-Type Analysis and Mechanics, Jazz Drumming, Classical Marimba, Timpani, Tambourine 

Interests

Research interests include stroke-type mechanics and analysis, drum set and percussion pedagogy, percussion methods and literature, percussion ensemble, jazz ensemble, and applied percussion.

Languages

Japanese, English

Awards & Honors

• President's Award from University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire for Success in Chosen Field
• 2018 Independent Music Award Winner for Best Album - Jazz Instrumental 
• 7x Global Music Award Winner in Jazz and Music Production
• Pi Kappa Lambda Faculty Selected Academic Honor Society
• 2x San Diego Music Award Winner as Member of Ensemble
• 4x Placement on GRAMMY Awards First Round Ballot

Courses

MUS 217, 251E/451E, 251I/451I, 651I, Drum Line

Intellectual Contributions

Notation for Stroke-Type Analysis

Grants

Undergraduate Research Grant in Jazz Percussion

Media

• Oh, Clara! - Commercial Jazz Album
• Soul Flow - Commercial Jazz Album
• Oh, Hugo! - Commercial Jazz Album
• Ode to Joe - Commercial Jazz Album

Publications

• The Daily Drummer - Drum Set Method Book, 2024
• "Stickings as Creative Springboards" in Percussive Notes, March 2011
• Marimba Quartet, 2011
• "Percussion on the World Wide Web" in Percussive Notes, June 2007
• El Diablo de las Lomas, Marching Percussion Arrangment, 2007
• Cruisin' Easy, Marching Percussion Arrangement, 2006
  

Service

American Federation of Musicians, Local 325 Wage List Committee Member