Officers

President - Ryan McCarthy
Ryan McCarthy has been the Director of Bands at Hudson High School since the fall of 2001.  During his tenure, he has directed the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Varsity Band, Marching Band, and Jazz Band.  Prior to being named as a Band Director at Hudson, Ryan held the position of Band Director at Rosemount Middle School in Rosemount, MN.  During his tenure at Rosemount, he was also one of the directors of the Hudson Marching Band.  In 1997, he was instrumental in the formation of Hudson's Indoor Winter Drumline, which evolved in 2001 into ExCuPeEn, Hudson's extra curricular percussion ensemble.  ExCuPeEn received critical praise for its performance at the 2003 Wisconsin Music Educators Association convention.  Ryan has extensive drum and bugle corps experience, having marched in and been on staff for multiple World Championship Drum Corps.  Ryan holds a Bachelors of Music Education degree from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls.  He and his wife Amanda have 2 sons: Nick and Sam.

Vice President/President-Elect - Tobie Wilkinson

Senior Lecturer of Music, Tobie Wilkinson has been a member of the music faculty since 2002. Since his appointment, the percussion studio has become a thriving and vibrant place to train young percussionists using the "total percussion" model, and is a respected member of the percussive community. In addition to concerts every semester on the UWW campus, the UWW Percussion Ensemble has performed at the WSMA State Music Conference, and at the Wisconsin PAS "Day of Percussion".

Active as a free-lance performer, Mr. Wilkinson has performed with the Bel Canto Chorus Orchestra, the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, the Racine Symphony, and the Waukesha Symphony. He has also performed with the Madison Symphony, and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Prior to his appointment at UW-Whitewater, he was Principal Percussionist with the Greater Lansing Symphony, and Principal Timpanist with the West Shore Symphony, and Orchestra X in Houston, TX. Mr. Wilkinson was also a member of the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas and Charles Dutoit. In addition, Mr. Wilkinson has performed with touring Broadway companies, and pop artists for special events.

Equally active as a chamber musician, Mr. Wilkinson performs on faculty recitals and is co-founder of the UW-Whitewater new music ensemble, SONICT. The UW-Whitewater Percussion Ensemble also performs on many SONICT concerts under his direction.

In his role as Assistant Marching Band Director, Mr. Wilkinson works closely with the percussion section as instructor and arranger. He also adjudicates marching bands, and has worked with numerous high school percussion sections across the Midwest. Mr. Wilkinson also serves as a judge for solo/ensemble festivals in Wisconsin.

Dedicated to teaching young musicians, Mr. Wilkinson has hosted Percussion Camp every summer since his appointment in 2002. Percussion Camp enjoys a superb reputation as an outstanding educational and performance experience designed solely for young percussionists. Mr. Wilkinson is a member of the Percussive Arts Society, the Music Educators National Conference, and the American Federation of Musicians. He is currently the Vice President for the Wisconsin Chapter of PAS, and has served as director of the Wisconsin PAS Collegiate All-Star Percussion Ensemble.

Treasurer - Dick Farvour

Dick Farvour is a retired juvenile justice practitioner now working as a substitute teacher for the Pewaukee School District.  He has been a freelance percussionist in the greater Milwaukee area for over 30 years.  Mr. Farvour's current percussion activities include the Waukesha Area Symphonic Band, the Waukesha Civic Band, the Waukesha Choral Union, church services, drum circles, his garage band "The McButts", and as noted, various freelance gigs.  He has a Bachelor's Degree in Music/Percussion from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.  He and his wife Kathy have two sons, Brian and Paul, both of whom are drummers.

Secretary - Brett Jones

After growing up in South Dakota, Brett Jones attended the University of Colorado where he earned a degree in Music Education. He continued his studies at Texas Tech University where he earned both a Master of Music degree, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance. His primary instructors include Alan Shinn, Lisa Rogers, Doug Walter, Don N. Parker, John R. Beck, and Gene Holter.  Jones served on the faculty of Texas Tech University from 2003-2004, and Blinn College from 2004-2007. He has regularly performed in the percussion sections of the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra, the Boulder Philharmonic, the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, and the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra. Jones also served as the Principal Percussionist of the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra from 2006-2007. He performs a wide variety of chamber music and is a member of the newly formed Percussion Duo North. His publications include articles in Percussive Notes, The Instrumentalist, and School Band and Orchestra Magazine, and compositions and arrangements published by C. Alan Publications, HoneyRock, Percussion Arrangers Music Publishing Company, and Purple Frog Press. He was a featured presenter at the Wisconsin Day of Percussion in 2010, and the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio in 2002.  Jones endorses Encore mallets, Silverfox drumsticks, Grover Pro Percussion products, and Planet Marimba mallet instruments.  Brett Jones currently serves as the Assistant Professor of Percussion at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. He is known as the foremost expert on Robert Kreutz's marimba music. His doctoral research culminated in his paper entitled The Marimba Music of Robert E. Kreutz: A Stylistic Study of the Choral Influences in his Compositions for Marimba which has been published in the Percussive Arts Society's Online Research Journal. Jones resides in Superior with his wife, Meghan and their four children.

Immediate Past President - Tammy Fischer

Dr. Tammy Fisher is the Director of Bands and Percussion Studies at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. In addition to directing the Wind Ensemble and the UW-L Community Orchestra, she teaches courses in instrumental music education and conducting. Dr. Fisher’s academic degrees include a bachelor degree in Music Education from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a doctorate in Music Education from the University of North Carolina - Greensboro.

Dr. Fisher has held the position Principal Timpanist in the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra for eight years.  She serves currently as the President of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. She is an active adjudicator for the Wisconsin School Music Association, and she is sought after as a clinician in the Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois areas. Dr. Fisher is a member of several professional organizations, including the College Band Directors National Association, MENC, and the Percussive Arts Society.

Fisher is a native of Pennsylvania, teaching instrumental music in the public schools for eleven years. In addition, she served as a percussionist with the 553rd Air National Guard Band in Harrisburg PA for nine years.

Webmaster - Ryan Gutsch

Ryan Gutsch is currently the band director at the Turtle Lake School District. He first went to Northcentral Technical College and graduated in 2002 with a degree in Computer Systems/Analysis.  He later went to the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and graduated in 2007 with his BFA in Instrumental Music Education.  He worked at Oconto Falls High School from 2007-2009 when he made the move to Turtle Lake.

Along with his band experience, Ryan have been very active in the competitive marching circuit in Wisconsin.  He has instructed at Marathon, Merrill, D.C. Everest, and Germantown High Schools as percussion instructor and marching and maneuvering instructor.  Through Ryan's instruction, his students have received 3 State Percussion Championships and 2 State Band Championships.  He has also been judging in the WSMA circuit since 2009 and has made a judging appearance with the Small Drum & Bugle Corps Association in 2009.

E-mail the webmaster at paswi@rocketmail.com