Mr. Houpe is the Percussion Director for Fowler and Scoggins Middle Schools in Frisco ISD where he teaches percussion sectionals, percussion ensembles, and percussion private lessons. In addition to his middle school duties, Mr. Houpe also assists with percussion instruction at Liberty High School. Before teaching for Frisco ISD, Mr. Houpe has been an assistant band director/percussion director for Midway ISD, and has been a private lesson instructor for Argyle ISD and Lewisville ISD. Mr. Houpe received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas and holds a Master’s Degree in Percussion Performance from Northern Illinois University.

While at the University of North Texas, Mr. Houpe studied percussion with Mark Ford, Christopher Deane, Paul Rennick, Dr. Robert Schietroma and Ed Smith. He also studied composition with Dr. Joseph Klien and percussion arranging with Paul Rennick. At Northern Illinois University, Mr. Houpe served as a graduate assistant, studying under Robert Chappell and Dr. Greg Beyer; and played in the NIU Steel Band under the direction of Cliff Alexis and Liam Teague.

Mr. Houpe is active as a teacher, performer, composer and adjudicator, and has worked as a percussion clinician in Texas, Illinois and Wisconsin. Mr. Houpe has studied and performed a broad range of world music styles including Balinese Gamelan, Medieval Iberian Music, North Indian Tabla, Afro-Cuban Percussion, Brazilian Percussion , Guatemalan Marimba, Venezuelan Joropo Maracas, Ragtime Xylophone and Steel Band. Mr. Houpe was a member of the PASIC Champion UNT Indoor Drumline in 2002 and 2005. He was a member of the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps in 2003 and 2004.

Mr. Houpe was the Second Place Winner in the 2006 PAS Composition Contest for his marimba and steel pan duet, “Elemental Introversion.” In the fall of 2007 he was a featured performer in “John Cage’s Music Circus” at the Chicago Cultural Center. In 2008 Mr. Houpe was the recipient of the Thomas Siwe PASIC Scholarship as well as the recipient of the Howard Johnston Award for Graduate Student Travel, a grant enabling him to travel to San Jose, Costa Rica to perform and present a master class on the music of Iannis Xenakis at the International Festival of Percussion Ensembles.