Rate My Professor Mark Ford

Mark Ford serves as Regents Professor of Percussion and Coordinator of Percussion Activities at the University of North Texas College of Music, where he directs one of the largest percussion programs globally. He earned his Master of Music in Orchestral Instrument (Percussion) from the University of North Texas in 1983 and his Bachelor of Music Education from East Carolina University in 1981. Prior to joining UNT in 1999, Ford held positions as Associate Professor at East Carolina University (1987-1999), Instructor at Middle Tennessee State University (1983-1987), and interim Instructor at Murray State University (1983). A renowned marimba artist, he specializes in percussion performance, pedagogy, technique, literature, and composition, serving as Past-President of the Percussive Arts Society and Artistic Director of the Drum Fest Marimba/Vibraphone Competition in Opole, Poland.

Ford is an active international performer, appearing as marimba soloist across the United States and in Europe, Japan, China, Taiwan, Australia, and South America. Under his direction, the UNT Percussion Ensemble has toured Europe and won the PAS International Percussion Ensemble Competition. He represents Tama/Bergerault, Sabian Cymbals, Evans Drum Heads, Musicon Publications, Meinl Percussion, and Innovative Percussion as clinician and artist. His pedagogical publications include Marimba: Technique Through Music (2005), used worldwide in conservatories; #MarimbaBaby; and Marimba: The Intermediate Step (2005). Notable compositions encompass Stubernic Fantasy for Wind Ensemble and Three Marimbists (2012), recorded by multiple ensembles; Concerto for Marimba and Wind Ensemble (2022); and Desert Wood (2023). Ford's CDs, such as Polaris (1996), Motion Beyond (2001), and Stealing a Moment, are benchmarks in percussion repertoire. His honors include the 2011 Lifetime Percussion Award of Honor from the Belgium Percussion Festival, 2012 UNT Institute for the Advancement of the Arts Fellowship, and 2008 Most Outstanding Alumni from ECU School of Music. Ford's former students perform and teach nationwide, affirming his profound impact on percussion education.