Alan Miller
Percussion Director

Alan Miller currently lives in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, where he serves as percussion director for Coppell ISD. He has been an instructor/arranger/clinician in Texas for many years, including one year as arranger/instructor for the West Texas A & M University Drumline.

Alan is currently a pit instructor (with Matt Janus) for the 6-time world champion Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. 2009 is his 8th season as an instructor with the corps. In addition to teaching the front ensemble, he has arranged the group's I & E ensemble for the last four years, including 2004, 2005 and 2006, for which they were awarded 1st place. He began his career with the corps in 1996 as a member of the front ensemble, followed by two seasons as section leader ('97 and '98). During this time, he recieved 1st place in the Drum Corps Midwest I & E keyboard competition and placed as high as 2nd in the DCI competition.

Alan attended college at West Texas A & M University in Canyon, TX, where he studied percussion with Dr. Susan Martin-Tariq and conducting with Dr. Gary Garner. While living in West Texas, he was a nine-year member of the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra, where he served as principal percussionist and timpanist. In 2001, he performed as xylophone soloist with the symphony under the direction of Keith Brion.

In 2000, Alan was awarded second place in Percussive Arts Society's international concerto competition, where he performed with the TCU Wind Symphony.

Alan is also the music director for Metro Alliance Percussion, a WGI Independent Open World Finalist based in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex.

Mike Hodges
Assistant Percussion Director

Mike Hodges is a performer, educator, and clinician serving as Assistant Percussion Director at Coppell High School where his duties include instructing the drumline, percussion ensembles, and teaching private lessons. Mike is also on staff at the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps as a battery instructor.

Hodges has been a member of the 2002 PAS Champion UNT Drumline, the Phantom Regiment, and the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, winning two DCI World Championships in 2002 and 2004. He received 1st place in the PASIC Tenor Solo Competition in 2003 and 2004, 2nd place in the DCI Tenor individuals in 2003 and 2005, and 1st place in the PASIC High School Tenor Solo Competition in 2001. He performed alongside marimba virtuoso Keiko Abe at PASIC in 2006.

February 2006 - CHS Percussion is grateful for the generous donation of a brand new, 5 octave Malletech marimba from Amcat/Emmett and Micki Kennedy of Coppell.