Norman Weinberg is Professor of Music and the Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Arizona. He has been a Yamaha Performing Artist since 1993. Norm was awarded the Charles and Irene Putnam Excellence in Teaching Award for 2014-2015 by the College of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona. He has performed as the principal timpanist and principal percussionist with the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra and as principal timpanist with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Evansville Philharmonic, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, and the Leonard Bernstein Festival Orchestra. He performs with the Arizona Opera and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. These, and additional musical experiences, have given him the opportunity to perform under the batons of David Amram, Enrique Bátiz, Luciano Berio, Leonard Bernstein, Gary Bertini, Ogan Durjan'narc, Cornelius Eberhardt, Lukas Foss, Alberto Ginastera, Christopher Keene, Cal Stewart Kellogg, Igor Markevitch, Neville Marriner, Yehudi Menuhin, John Nelson, Daniel Oren, Krzysztof Penderecki, José Serebrier, Robert Shaw, George Singer, Leonard Slatkin, Walter Susskind, and many others.
Norm has performed and presented seminars at many regional, national, and international conventions including two International Percussion Festivals of Puerto Rico; the Texas Music Educators Association Convention; The Texas Association of Music Schools Convention; the Tennessee Wind Ensemble Conference; the Ontario Celebration of the Drum; the Day of Percussion Festivals in Arizona, California, Kansas, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah; the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Convention; the Rhythm Sticks Festival in London; the Toronto 2000: Musical Intersections conference; and four Percussive Arts Society International Conventions.
A prolific author, Norm has published over 250 articles in journals including Drum!, Modern Drummer, Drums and Drumming, Rhythm, Percussive Notes, Percussive Notes Research Edition, Keyboard Magazine, Music and Computers, The Instrumentalist, and Home Recording Newsletter. He holds the position of Contributing Technology Editor for Drum! magazine, and served as the Technology Editor for Percussive Notes for 12 years. In addition, he has several compositions published by Southern Music Corporation. His text, The Electronic Drummer, is part of the Modern Drummer Library, and his book, Guide to Standardized Drumset Notation, has set a worldwide standard, and is published by the Percussive Arts Society. Both books are distributed by Hal Leonard Publications.
Educational achievements include the prestigious Performer's Certificate from Indiana University, where Norm received a Master of Music degree in percussion performance with honors and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. He has studied with several outstanding teachers during his career including George Boberg, Jerry Carlyss, George Gaber, William Roberts, Ben Udell, Gary Werdesheim, Charmaine Asher Wiley, and William Zickos.
Norm created and helped to establish the World Percussion Network which later became pas.org. At PASIC 1994, he was given the Outstanding Service Award from the Percussive Arts Society. In 2000, Norm was invited to present the Keynote Address at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention's New Music and Research Day. The address was titled "Turn On - Plug In - Groove Out". He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Percussive Arts Society from 1998-2004. In 2002, Norm was honored to be the recipient of the Maestro Award from the University of Arizona School of Music and Dance, awarded "in recognition of his students' outstanding achievements".
