Eric Rath is an active educator, clinician, arranger and composer. He is currently the Director of Bands at Panhandle High School in Panhandle, TX. Previously, Mr. Rath was the director of Percussion and assistant Band Director at Randall High School in Amarillo, TX. Additionally, he serves as adjunct Instructor of Percussion at Amarillo College.

Mr. Rath is a graduate of West Texas A&M University where he received both his Bachelor of Music Education and his Master of Arts Degree. While at WT, he studied percussion with Dr. Susan Martin Tariq and was a member of the Symphonic Band under the direction of Dr. Gary Garner and then Mr. Don Lefevre.

As a composer, Mr. Rath has a growing list of original works and arrangements published through TRN Music, C. Alan Publications, Tapspace Publications, HoneyRock Publications, Key Poulan Music, JW3 Publications and Eric Rath Music. His music has been described as “very exciting for performers and audiences alike.” Mr. Rath’s piece “Paramount Park” for Grade 2 Band, was the winner of the first Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB) Composition Contest. His compositions have been performed at the Midwest clinic and the Texas Music Educator’s Association Convention. With Ralph Hicks, Mr. Rath is co-author of the Percussion Ensemble Collection “Beyond Basic Percussion: Developing Independence Through Ensemble Performance (Tapspace Publications).”

A member of the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Rath also regularly performs with the Amarillo Opera. Active as an in-demand freelance percussionist as well as a member on the worship team at his church, he is also a former member of the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps.

Mr. Rath resides in Amarillo, Texas, with his wife, Kayla, their children Regan, Grant and McKinley. An alumnus and former chapter president of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, his professional affiliations include the Percussive Arts Society, Texas Music Educators Association, and the Texas Bandmasters Association. He is also proud to be an Innovative Percussion Artist as well as a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).