Mr. Stodd holds the Master of Music from the Eastman School, the Bachelor of Music from the University of Oregon, and the NYS Teaching Certificate from Nazareth College of Rochester. Mr. Stodd’s leadership tenure includes 28 years as Director of Instrumental Music at the Hilton Central School District (Hilton, NY), 26 years as both President and Vice-President for the New York State Percussion Circuit, 17 years as the Percussion Caption Head for the New York Federation of Contest Judges Association, and 10 years as Adjunct Professor of Percussion at the State University of New York College (SUNY) at Geneseo. While an undergraduate student, Mr. Stodd was Assistant Director of the University of Oregon Marching Band, and as a Masters Candidate was a Graduate Teaching Fellow at the Eastman School.
An experienced performer, Mr. Stodd has recorded for RCA Victor, CBS Masterworks, Turner Classic Movies, CBS Sony in Japan, and the National Television of Portugal. Among other highlights, Mr. Stodd was the timpanist on Wynton Marsalis’ “Carnaval” – a Grammy-nominated recording. He is also Percussionist with the Flower City Society Orchestra (FCSO) -- performing period music for silent films in both the United States and Europe.
Mr. Stodd founded and directed many ensembles and organizations including the Geneseo Percussion Ensemble (SUNY) in 1986, the New York State Percussion Circuit (NYSPC) in 1994, and the Hilton HS Percussion Ensemble in 1995.
During Mr. Stodd’s tenure at Hilton, he directed the Hilton HS Percussion Ensemble to numerous First Place Championships including the 2013 WGI PSA World Championship, 7 WGI Regional Championships, and 16 New York State Percussion Circuit Championships. Mr. Stodd has enjoyed a life of pageantry including “Ageing Out” as a snare drummer with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps, and later serving as Percussion Caption Head and/or Percussion Arranger for the Empire Statesmen Sr. Drum and Bugle Corps for 18 seasons. During Mr. Stodd’s tenure with the Empire Statesmen, the corps won five DCA World Championships and five DCA High Percussion awards.
Mr. Stodd is an active clinician and has adjudicated for pageantry circuits including DCI, WGI, DCA, and many others throughout the United States and Canada. In New York, he has presented clinics for the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Annual Winter Conference, the New York State Field Band Conference (NYSFBC), as well as the Monroe County School Music Association (MCSMA). Mr. Stodd has been featured in publications including Drum Corps World, School Music News, The Rudimental Percussionist, the Syracuse Post Standard, and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. He is published with G. Schirmer, Inc., and is endorsed by Innovative Percussion. Along with his wife Shelly and their two cats, Mr. Stodd resides in Rochester, NY.
