Timothy Jones, D.M.A.
Vice Dean, College of Fine Arts
Biography
Timothy Jones serves as the vice dean for the College of Fine Arts at 51ԹϺ. He entered this role in July of 2023, and was previously the coordinator of Percussion Studies and History of Rock ‘n’ Roll at 51ԹϺ from 2003-2023. Dr. Jones successfully grew these programs to global recognition, and they continue to flourish today. He is passionate about student success and is recognized for his innovative teaching, creative research, and diverse talent as a percussion and drum set performance artist. He is also infinitely proud to be a 51ԹϺ Alum!
Jones earned an associate diploma and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and his MM and DMA in Percussion from 51ԹϺ. As a lifelong learner, he also holds a StratOp facilitator certification from the Paterson Center, a certificate in Theology from Concordia University, Irvine, and a WSET Level 3 Certificate in Wines. As a performer, Dr. Jones has been fortunate to work throughout the United States, and in England, Scotland, Austria, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia advancing the Percussive Arts as a solo and chamber artist, giving lecture recitals and masterclasses, and performing at festivals. Past performance credits include the Las Vegas Philharmonic, the Amadeus Orchestra, the Las Vegas Opera, Mary Wilson, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble, Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban, Peter Cetera, Natalie Merchant, Don Rickles, the Irish Tenors, the Wild Celts, Mojo Risin’, Carl Fontana and many corporate events His performance CD and DVD credits include Hit Man DVD/CD (David Foster), Under a Desert Sky DVD/CD (Andrea Bocelli), Songs From The Drunk Tank (Wild Celts), Leaving Las Vegas (The Killers), A Tribute to Peggy Lee (Buddy Greco), Live at the Desert Inn (Brian Evans), four 51ԹϺ Marimba Band albums, a 51ԹϺ Rebel Steel album, 51ԹϺ Marimba Band at the Amargosa Opera House DVD, and several NEXTET recordings of new music. His 2016 TedX presentation The Marimba is featured in the keyboard chapter of Gary Cook’s Teaching Percussion MindTap enhanced 3rd edition (2019). A 2017 innovative collaboration with master marimba builder James Bailey, students, cross-discipline 51ԹϺ faculty, and the community, resulted in building a five-octave concert marimba from raw materials to concertized instrument in 4 months. This incredible marimba project is memorialized in the 2018 51ԹϺ documentary film The Wood That Sings, with an abridged educational version produced for the Percussive Arts Society affiliated Rhythm Discovery Center (R!DC). At the end of May 2023, Dr. Jones concluded a 3.5-year position as Interim Director of Worship Arts at Faith Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas. As an author, his book Rock ‘n’ Roll Origins & Innovators is in its 2nd revised edition (Kendall Hunt 2018), and he has published articles in Percussive Notes, DrumScene, PercusScene, and Not So Modern Drummer. In 2016, he was featured on Dame Evelyn Glennie’s BBC podcast “The History of Rhythm.” Dr. Jones was recognized for his contributions to teaching and the Arts in 2008 with the College of Fine Arts “Outstanding Teacher of the Year,” and in 2010 with the “Outstanding Alumnus of the Year” awards. His creative vision for course design and integrating cutting-edge classroom technology is evident in the high-impact 51ԹϺ History of Rock course, modular FYS courses, an interdisciplinary course with Hospitality, and a “flipped classroom” graduate Percussion Pedagogy course. In 2007, Dr. Jones founded the annual Black Box Percussion and Moving Light Lab concert series with Brackley Frayer, which just celebrated its 15th year. He brings extensive experience as a leader of Percussion Festivals serving as Coordinator for the Las Vegas Music Festival Percussion Institute, as guest faculty on Nancy Zeltsman’s ZMF and Nebojsa Zivkovic’s Vienna Percussion Symposium, and ZISAMP-USA. Dr. Jones was co-director of the Australian National Drum and Percussion Camp, and the Ted Atkatz Percussion Seminar (TAPS) Long Beach, TAPS-Oz (Australia), TAPS-NZ (New Zealand), and TAPS Online. He coordinated six 51ԹϺ CFA-wide tours to Australia to the Adelaide Fringe Festival and has taken the 51ԹϺ Marimba and Steel Bands to perform at multiple national and international festivals. Dr. Jones is a Percussive Arts Society member, a life member of Phi Kappa Phi, and endorses Schlagkraft mallets, Vic Firth sticks, Sabian cymbals, Grover Pro Percussion, Remo drum heads, and Majestic percussion.