Tom McGrath 
Educator & Percussionist
Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Here are some snippets of my story...
For almost three decades, I resided in New York City, where I performed in a variety of musical settings, from theatrical stages, small bars, showcase studios to Arts & Education venues and premier music clubs. As a freelance percussionist, I have performed the music of John Cage, Lou Harrison, and other noted composers at the Bang on a Can and A Day of Percussion music festivals in New York City. I have also performed both live and/or in the recording studio with numerous singer/songwriters and instrumentalist from contemporary folk to the pop music songbook, jazz and contemporary percussion (see About Tom). Creating original music has been a focus in my life. The audio for my two original music releases: “Ten Shades of Blue" and “Pictures at the Family House," can be found on the Music Page.
Outside of my private teaching studio, I have held teaching positions at Hartnell College, Salinas, California; Drummers Collective (aka thecollective), NYC; Master classes at Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland; SUNY ESF, Syracuse, NY; Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY; SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY; and Hamilton College, Clinton, NY.


tom tom

Recording Studio

From 1985 to 2005, I engineered, owned, and operated Tom Tom Recording Studio in New York City. I was very fortunate to have engineered and recorded with such artists as violinist Shankar; composer John Cage; drummers Ginger Baker, Shawn Pelton, percussionist Michael Pugliese, Bernard Purdie, Max Roach, Marvin “Smitty” Smith; guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli; pianists Franni Burke, Rusty Cloud, Paul Greenwood, Barry Levitt, Andy Monroe, Louis St. Louis and Jeremy Wall; songwriters/vocalists Walter Egan, Carmin Turco, Minus Ted and Steven Keene, Art Garfunkel and son James; cellist, composer and vocalist Dawn Avery; vocalists Dottie Burman, Bob & Cindy Coffin, Claire Pellegrini, and solo artist, composer, vocalist, Catherine Russell; guitarists Jeff Mironov, Richie Naso, Oz Noy, Marc Shulman, Dan Wray; and bassists Steve Count, Mark Egan, Rob Glick, Mark Lupone and Jay Ward.
As an engineer, I also attended and consulted on the final mastering sessions with Greg Calbi, Ted Jensen and Bob Ludwig to complete the record projects.
As a percussionist, I have toured nationally and internationally with the Manhattan Ballet Company, the Mimi Garrard Dance Company, and The David Parker Dancers.
In addition, I was commissioned by the Mimi Garrard Dance Company to compose music for two dance works entitled “Reflections on an Ecuadorian Jungle” and “Animal Spirit.” Both pieces were premiered in New York City. A third dance work “Tactile,” was added to this suite and performed at The Kitchen in New York City.

Dance Companies

MUSIC FOR

FILM & PODCASTS

My credits include composing incidental music for the film short “Casting Call” by Andy Hudson, and I was one of three composers to contribute music to the Rich-Heape film release, "Our Spirits Don’t Speak English: Indian Boarding School.“ You can also hear my theme music and sound design for 40 episodes on the PBS podcast "Funky Foodies," which was nominated for a Webby Award in 2026.

Producer

While residing in NYC, I was very excited to produce and/or co-produce the recordings of numerous songwriters, singers, and instrumentalists, including Sandy Smyth, Minus Ted, Carmin Turco, composer/pianist, Andy Monroe, mandolinist/composer Terry Pender, the cello/percussion duo Cellovision, and vocalists Patrick Arena, Dottie Burman, Cindy Coffin, Barbara Lowin, and Elaine St. George.
Copyright © 2026 Tom McGrath, Educator & Percussionist. All Rights Reserved.