Faculty/Staff Profile
Dr. Eric J Willie, D.M.A.
Bryan Fine Arts Building (BFA) 315 
(931) 372-6082
More Information
Dr. Eric Willie serves as Associate Professor of Percussion at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN where he teaches applied percussion, directs the Classical and Pop Percussion Ensembles, and arranges for the TTU Golden Eagle Drum Line. In addition, Eric serves as President for the Tennessee Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society and as a member of the PAS Education Committee.
Dr. Willie regularly performs with the Nief-Norf New Music Ensemble and the Eclectic Chamber Players. He has performed at six Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, the 2009 Eastern Trombone Workshop, the 2005 Florida Electroacoustic Music Festival, the 2003 World Saxophone Congress, and the 2001 Bands of America National Percussion Festival. He has performed with the Nashville Symphony, Nashville Ballet, Nashville Philharmonic, Murfreesboro Symphony, Lexington Philharmonic, Beloit/Janesville Symphony, and as Principal Percussionist with the Bryan Symphony Orchestra. As well, he has performed several times on Nashville Public Radio's "Live in Studio C."
An advocate for commissioning new works for percussion, he has premiered works by Christopher Adler, Greg Danner, Christopher Deane, Paul Lansky*, Blake Tyson*, and James Wood*. In addition, he was featured on the title track of the Brass Arts Quintet CD "Serengeti," and has additionally recorded with the Bain Percussion Group, the TTU Legacy Tuba Ensemble, and for Arranger's Publishing in Nashville, TN. A CD of works for trombone and percussion, "ej," with Dr. Josh Hauser will be released later this year.
He has served as instructor and/or arranger for the Spirit of JSU, Southwind, Carolina Crown, and the Madison Scouts drum and bugle corps. The University of North Texas, the University of Kentucky, and Murray State University Drum Lines have performed his marching percussion arrangements. In addition, he has instructed for the University of North Texas "A" Line, Music City Mystique, served as Arranger for the University of Kentucky Indoor Drum Line, and served on Faculty for the Bands of America World Percussion Symposium.
As a clinician, Dr. Willie most recently appeared at the 2007 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL. He has appeared at several state music educators' conventions throughout the midwest and southeastern United States. His educational articles have appeared in The Instrumentalist and Percussive Notes, and he has contributed educational resources to Innovative Percussion, Inc., Sabian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, and Black Swamp Percussion. From 2008-2011, Dr. Willie also served as New Music/Literature Reviewer for the Percussive Notes journal.
Eric holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas, a Master of Music from the University of Kentucky, and a BS in Music Education from Austin Peay State University.
Eric and his wife, Rebecca (violinist with the Nashville Symphony), reside in Baxter, TN with their son Aiden.
* Premieres will occur during the 2011-2012 academic year.
