- Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 521 - PASIC 2026 Preview (Part 2)Episode 521 - PASIC 2026 Preview (Part 2) Pete's Percussion Podcast
PASIC 2026 Week is Here! Part 2 of the annual PASIC Preview Episodes is here, including conversations with Emma Kieselhorst (02:20), Lamon Lawhorn [interviewing Pete] (24:20), and Vivienne and Jordan Shippy of Metaphor Percussion (38:10).
Links:
10 November 2026, 9:27 pm - Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 520 - PASIC 2026 Preview (Part 1)Episode 520 - 2026 PASIC Preview (Part 1) Pete's Percussion Podcast
PASIC 2026 is here! Let’s preview some clinics, presentations, and performances happening this year. Presenting on Thursday are Tim Feeney (02:10), Ross Karre (18:55), Ethan Strickland (33:20), and Gregory Beyer (42:50).
Links:
10 November 2026, 3:45 pm - Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 519 - Gabriela Ordoñez Villalobos (Part 2)Episode 519 - Gabriela Ordonez Villalobos (Part 2) Pete's Percussion Podcast
Mexico-based percussionist, educator, and entrepreneur Gabriela Ordoñez Villalobos returns to discuss the end of her orchestral tenure and heading to UNLV for her master’s degree, improving her English speaking, teaching steel band and rock music history, returning to her studies later in her career, and freelancing in the Las Vegas area (02:10), staying at UNLV for her doctorate, her dissertation research on playing Flamenco music on marimba, and her post-doctorate career working in Las Vegas as an arts administrator prior to moving back to Mexico (23:30), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on her experiences as a woman in the percussion field, making clothing decisions, the Las Vegas Raiders, The Mexican National Soccer team and the recent World Cup, playing for actual lions, and Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti album (48:15).
Finishing with a Rave on Peter Wolf’s memoir Waiting on the Moon and Wolf’s appearance on the Marc Maron WTF podcast in 2025 (01:26:45).
Gabriela Ordoñez Villalobos links:
Part 1 with Gabriela Ordoñez Villalobos
Gabriela’s Flamenco Music Dissertation
Other Links:
The Canadian Percussion Network
“Asturias” - Isaac Albéniz/transc. L.H. Stevens
Mexico vs. England 2026 World Cup
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish trailer
The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin
Raves:
5 November 2026, 12:00 pm - Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 518 - Gabriela Ordoñez Villalobos (Part 1)Episode 518 - Gabriela Ordonez Villalobos (Part 1) Pete's Percussion Podcast
Percussionist, Educator, Entrepreneur, and Freelancer Gabriela Ordoñez Villalobos stops by to talk about her job as the Artistic Director of the Juventud Center at Sewá Charter School in Chihuahua (Mexico) and her freelancing career (03:40), her work setting up and running the Festival Internacional de Percusiones de Chihuahua, the challenges and successes there, and the grant writing process (18:35), growing up in Chihuahua, her father’s love of rock music, her background in drumset, Mexico’s Rock music scene, music education in Mexico and Mariachi Programs in the U.S. (38:40), and talks about her experiences at the Chihuahua Conservatory of Music, her years in gymnastics, and eventually earning the full-time timpani position in Chihuahua (01:00:20).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2016 film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (01:30:00).
Gabriela Ordoñez Villalobos links:
Gabriela’s Flamenco Music Dissertation
Other Links:
Raves:
29 October 2026, 11:00 am - Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 517 - Morgan Parker (Part 2)Episode 517 - Morgan Parker (Part 2) Pete's Percussion Podcast
New York City-based drummer and percussionist Morgan Parker returns to talk about moving to leaving Kansas and heading to NYC after undergrad, the pandemic occurring during her NYU masters, studying with great teachers and getting connected, and taking tap dance lessons (03:00), then settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on the importance of listening to recordings, Morgan’s experiences as a woman in the percussion world, great movies and books, bad jobs, crazy live gigs, and experiencing newer artists live (27:25).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 film Primetime (01:11:25).
Morgan Parker Links:
Other Links:
The Rocky Horror Picture Show trailer
Back to the Future Part 2 trailer
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off trailer
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F___ - Mark Manson
Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear trailer
Raves:
22 October 2026, 11:00 am - Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 516 - Morgan Parker (Part 1)Episode 516 - Morgan Parker (Part 1) Pete's Percussion Podcast
New York City-based freelancing drummer and percussionist Morgan Parker stops by to talk about her career in NYC, her recent 2-year tour with A Beautiful Noise, and her upcoming PASIC performance supporting Valerie Naranjo (04:00), her work as a Broadway sub, and what 2 years of touring meant for her gear and how she managed her physical and mental health (22:35), growing up in rural Kansas, getting involved in music and how it saved her life, the importance of musical style, how she manages social media (50:20), and the importance of her teachers in and out of her years at Kansas Wesleyan University, attaining both music performance and music education degrees simultaneously, and her experiences in student teaching (01:21:10).
Finishes with a Rave on the 2000s TV Series Slings & Arrows (01:43:25).
Morgan Parker Links:
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Other Links:
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical
Raves:
15 October 2026, 11:00 am - Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 515: Kat Otto-GentryEpisode 515 - Kat Otto-Gentry Pete's Percussion Podcast
Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts (in Kansas City) band director and Lincoln University (MO) alum Kat Otto-Gentry stops by to talk about her new job there and the changes from her previous post at FL Schlagle High School (03:55), growing up in Kansas City, her parents the radio DJs, drumming from a young age, playing cello and sousaphone, and meeting former LU band director Rhonda Harper (16:40), Kat interviews Pete about his years teaching at Lincoln (39:00), Kat discusses her own time as an undergrad at Lincoln (58:00), her post-Lincoln career beginning at Lee A. Tolbert in KC and her learning curve about the teaching profession (01:12:30), teaching at Schlagle, replacing a legend, her thoughts on attaining future degrees, and her decision to leave her alma mater (01:21:30), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on her experiences in the band world as a woman, grilling food, the Kansas City Chiefs, great KC Ethiopian food restaurants, and the JS Bach Cello Suites (01:45:05).
Finishing with a Rave on the recent Missouri Symphony Performance of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (02:15:40).
Kat Otto-Gentry Links:
Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts Staff Page
Previous Podcast Guests Mentioned:
Other Links:
Lincoln University Music Department
The Grand Emporium, Kansas City
Team America: World Police trailer
A Song For You: My Life with Whitney Houston - Robyn Crawford
Yo Yo Ma playing JS Bach’s Cello Suite in G Major, Prelude
Raves:
8 October 2026, 11:00 am - Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 514 - Steph DavisEpisode 514 - Steph Davis Pete's Percussion Podcast
Boston-based marimbist, educator, collaborator, composer, arranger, and Africana historian Steph Davis stops by to talk about with entrepreneurial and performance career, his teaching at Boston Conservatory, living and working in Boston, and playing gyil (03:35), growing up in Orlando (FL), getting into percussion, his years as a gymnast, and his love of reading (28:50), attending Boston Conservatory for his undergrad and masters, studying with Nancy Zeltsman, moving to a new city, and getting into the foodie culture (46:05), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on making a career on marimba, maintaining physical and mental health, the Twilight movies, Toni Morrison, and Lauryn Hill (01:13:40).
Finishes with a Rave on the 2026 film Is God Is (01:42:20).
Steph Davis links:
Steph Davis’ Boston Conservatory page
“Of Thoughts and Thinking” - Tony Lymon
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Other Links:
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card
“Variations on Lost Love” - David Maslanka
“Scenes from Mexico” - Alice Gomez
Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Ms. Lauryn Hill
Zora Neale Hurston’s Anthropological Legacy
Raves:
1 October 2026, 11:00 am - Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 513 - Mackenna TolfaEpisode 513 - Mackenna Tolfa Pete's Percussion Podcast
Percussionist and Freelancer Mackenna Tolfa stops by to talk about her long run with the Blue Man Group, getting the job and the physical and acting demands of the role, the daily schedule, and cooking on tour (02:10), growing up in Green Bay (WI), surrounded by music at an early age, her extensive piano and percussion background, and her fondness for the composer Sergei Rachmaninov (30:50), her undergrad years at the University of Minnesota and studying with Fernando Meza (47:30), her post-undergrad years, the Blue Man Group auditions, the importance of social media for her success, and her Broadway gigs and the Dust Bowl Radio Hour (59:25), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on mental health in school programs, social media, thrifting, traveling, great books and music, her love of sports, and the importance of the music of AURORA (01:14:00).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2000 film Miss Congeniality (01:49:30).
MacKenna Tolfa links:
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Other Links:
“Prelude in G minor” - Sergei Rachmaninov
Piano Concerto No. 2 - Sergei Rachmaninov
Concerto in F - George Gershwin
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - JK Rowling
The Courage to be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi
Raves:
24 September 2026, 11:00 am - Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 512 - Michelle ColtonEpisode 512- Michelle Colton Pete's Percussion Podcast
Toronto-based Percussion Educator, Composer, and Freelancer Michelle Colton stops by to talk about her sessional teaching work at the University of Toronto, teaching in the local school district, and the freelancing scene there (03:25), her time as the Ontario Chapter President of PAS (19:15), growing up in Marion (IA), her musical family, soul and funk music, marching band, and marathon running (25:50), attending the University of Iowa for undergrad, her wide variety of experiences there, and eventually meeting her husband Alejandro Cespedes (41:50), going to the University of Toronto for her grad degrees, studying with lots of great professors, and her dissertation on percussion gestures (50:25), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on developing well-rounded percussionists, being a woman in the percussion world, keeping up her mental and physical health, great food, audiobooks, and her compositional inspirations (01:09:20).
Finishing with a Rave on a recent University of Missouri Faculty Music Recital (01:38:00).
Michelle Colton Links:
Michelle Colton’s YouTube page
Michelle Colton’s University of Toronto page
Previous Podcast guests mentioned:
Other Links:
Community Music Schools of Toronto
“Natural Woman” - Aretha Franklin
“If I Ain’t Got You” - Alicia Keys
The Woman in Me - Britney Spears
“Uninvited” - Alanis Morisette and Brandi Carlile
Raves:
17 September 2026, 11:00 am - Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 511 - Domenico ZarroEpisode 511 - Domenico Zarro Pete's Percussion Podcast
New Jersey-based percussionist, educator and researcher Domenico Zarro stops by to talk about our Italian names, living and teaching in New Jersey, his college teaching doctorate and his research interests (06:45), the Percussion Student Blog and Pete’s experience with it (28:30), growing up in Bergen County (NJ), his early percussion experiences and his connections to many great percussion educators, marching in VFW parades, improvisation in performance, and his thoughts on the current state of percussion education (40:15), his wide-ranging teaching career and further considerations for future percussion teachers (01:19:40), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on clothing, Turner Classic Movies and classic film stars and directors, Ron Chernow books, New York sports, and the art of Americana (01:31:00).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 film Obsession (02:01:10).
Domenico Zarro links:
Perspectives of Percussion Pedagogues
Domenico’s article on Ney Rosauro’s Marimba Concerto No. 1
Music for Percussion - Domenico Zarro
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Other Links:
Modern Method for Timpani - Saul Goodman
Modern School for Xylophone, Marimba, and Vibraphone - Morris Goldenberg
Portraits in Rhythm - Tony Cirone
Twelve Studies for Snare Drum - Frederic Delecluse
National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy
Percussion Instruments and Their History - James Blades
You Can’t Take It With You trailer
Alexander Hamilton - Ron Chernow
The Making of the American Mind - Matthew Spalding
“Sleigh Ride” - Leroy Anderson
“Fanfare for the Common Man” - Aaron Copland
Raves:
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