Justin Alexander

Justin Alexander serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. A versatile percussionist, he performs internationally across Belgium, Australia, Sweden, Costa Rica, and The Dominican Republic, and collaborates with ensembles including The Florida Orchestra, The Richmond Symphony (GRAMMY-nominated), and The Arkansas Symphony.

He holds a Doctor of Music Degree in Percussion Performance from The Florida State University, studying under Dr. John W. Parks IV, Dr. Blake Tyson, and Prof. Leon Anderson. His educational foundation bridges classical and popular music traditions.

Research centers on drum set innovation and cross-cultural percussion pedagogy. He commissions new works for drum set in concert settings while integrating it into core curriculum. Recent scholarship explores Carnatic and Hindustani music through studies with Erode Nagaraj and Shawn Mativetsky, advocating for non-western traditions in percussion education as evidenced by his 2018 National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy presentation and 2020 Percussive Notes co-authored article.

Scientific Awards: None documented in source material.

As Director of Percussion Studies, he leads VCU's program development and serves on the Percussive Arts Society World Percussion Committee. His professional endorsements include Pearl/Adams Musical Instruments, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth, Grover Pro Percussion, and Remo, Inc. He maintains active performance roles as Principal Percussionist for Wintergreen Summer Music Festival since 2015 and Aspen Music Festival alum.