Drew Brooks began his career in music education in South Carolina where he graduated from Summerville High School. There, he performed at the BOA Grand National level with the SHS Competitive Performance Ensemble under the direction of Mr. Leslie Gilreath. In 2008, he received the Henry Fillmore Award for Outstanding Musicianship and was awarded the SC Teaching Fellows Scholarship to attend Furman University.

 

At Furman University, Mr. Brooks marched as a member of the Paladin Regiment under the direction of Mr. Jay Bocook and Dr. Les Hicken. During his undergraduate studies, he was selected to spend a semester at the prestigious Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy to study music and horn performance with professional musicians across Tuscany. Following his semester abroad, he competed and won the Furman University Biennial Concerto Competition, he was selected as principal horn of the South Carolina Intercollegiate Honor Band, and he was elected to serve as the president of Furman’s Gamma Eta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.  

 

Immediately after earning his Bachelor of Music in Music Education and graduating summa cum laudefrom Furman University in 2012, Mr. Brooks joined the staff of the Auburn University Marching Band where he apprenticed in conducting, drill-writing, and music arranging under Dr. Rick Good. During his time at Auburn, Mr. Brooks also served as a staff drum major for the pregame and halftime shows in Jordan-Hare Stadium, conducted the Basketball Pep Band for ESPN televised games in Auburn Arena, and co-conducted the Tiger and Eagle Wind Ensembles. He was also selected to serve as a member of the band director staff for the 2012 Macy’s Great American Marching Band.  

 

Throughout his career as a music educator, Mr. Brooks has directed middle and high school band programs in North Carolina and South Carolina wherein his students and ensembles have consistently earned ratings of Excellent and Superior in regional and state adjudication. In 2020, he earned his Master of Music in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he served as Graduate Teaching Associate for the Music Education Department and Greensboro Graduate Scholar for the Graduate School. During his graduate studies, he focused his research on the effects of music education experiences on the social identity development and the social-emotional learning of adolescents. His research was selected for presentation at the International Society for Music Education World Conference in Helsinki, Finland, the Biennial Society for Music Teacher Education National Conference in Greensboro, NC, the Biennial Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference in Kissimmee, FL, and the North Carolina Music Educators Association Annual Conference in Winston-Salem, NC. Most recently, his research study "A Grounded Theory of Early Preservice Music Teacher Identity Development" was published in the international Journal of Research in Music Education.  

 

Mr. Brooks holds professional memberships in the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Society for Music Teacher Education (SMTE), the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA), the North Carolina Bandmasters Association (NCBA), the Central District Bandmasters Association (CDBA), Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, and Phi Eta Sigma Honors Fraternity. Mr. Brooks currently serves as High School Board Member-at-Large and All-District Auditions Chair for the CDBA, and he serves as All-County Auditions Chair for Guilford County Schools.

 

Beyond the band room, Mr. Brooks is a proud husband and father. He and his wife, Abbey, are so grateful for their two precious children, Silas and Lilah (and their dog, Rosie). Mr. Brooks is immensely honored to carry forward the tradition that beats at the very heart of the Northwest Guilford Viking Band Program - To Foster the Growth of Empathy and Self-Belief through the Creation of Living Art.