DAVE MARKS BIO

Dave is a classically-trained musician who has written, performed, and recorded original music for over four decades. Dave grew up banging pots and pans and begging for a drum set since it became an audible and somewhat reasonable request. With music playing a large role in the lives of his parents and three older sisters (and some extra encouragement from his mother Virginia), a $75 kit was procured and Dave’s music “career’ was born.

However, he began his college education as a Biology / Pre-Dental Major at Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1984. He had told his parent he wanted to be a dentist from an early age (as Dr. Harroll, his dentist at the age of 7, looked exactly like Fran Tarkenton (Dave loved all sports but especially watching the NFL).

As fate, or “the plan” would have it, his mother Virginia was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 46 and everything changed. The “life is too short” cliche became reality and Dave decided to switch from Biology to Music having had no prior music lessons of any sort. Dad thought I was nuts, mom gave me the support I needed with one caveat: “Whatever you do, do it the best of your ability and be able to support a family.” Thanks, mom. I miss you every day.

At that time, Wesleyan had produced a number of piano and vocal majors, but with no official program established, NWU was somewhat ill-equipped to handle the request. However, a percussion curriculum was soon established under the direction of Rich Jones. With the Woodwinds class acting as the “weeder course” (and his complete and utter disdain for trying to learn to play clarinet), the ultimate goal of performing versus teaching became paramount (and not much of a choice).

With a hunger for learning, and practicing until late in the evening most mights, Dave became the first person to major in, and obtain, a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Percussion. And the rest, as they say, is the present.