Tommy Sam has been working as a music lessons instructor since 2015 and has been assisting with marching band programs since 2010. After completing a degree in music from UT-Martin, he moved to the Nashville area and worked as a freelance percussionist teaching lessons and masterclasses at several schools around Middle Tennessee. He has been an instructor in the Drum Corps International (DCI) activity since 2014 when he joined the instructional staff at Music City Drum Corps. He is currently a battery instructor for the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps and serves on the board of directors for the Memphis Blues Drum Corps. 

Many of Tommy’s private lesson students have been selected to participate in their respective regional honor bands (All-East, Mid-State, All-West, etc.). He has helped a number of students prepare and audition successfully for drum corps, college music programs, and other independent percussion ensembles. 

Most recently Tommy has had the unique opportunity to travel abroad to teach and perform. He worked as a lecturer of percussion for the Royal Oman Police bands and performed at the Ithra Children’s Festival in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.