Becca Baggenstoss

Becca Baggenstoss is the principal percussionist for the Lake Union Civic Orchestra and has performed with the Tacoma Symphony, Seattle Philharmonic, and Octava Chamber Orchestra. She also performs with an experimental percussion ensemble Seattle Percussion Collective and a marching jam-band Titanium Sporkestra. She has arranged and performed music with the multi-media performance art company Manifold Motion and various other independent artists/projects.


Since arriving in Seattle a year ago, Becca has created solo marimba gigs through various art walks, public schools, coffee shops, and nursing homes. She has accompanied other musicians on recitals and accompanies school dance classes with the Pacific Northwest Ballet “Discover Dance” Educational Outreach Program. She has worked closely with several elementary schools throughout Seattle, including: Maple Elementary, Stevens Elementary, Orca Elementary, and Hawthorne Elementary, to create after-school music programs through percussion, world music, and ‘found instruments’.


Before moving to Seattle, Becca taught percussion and AP Music Theory in Abilene, TX for three years (grades 6th-12th). She received a bachelor of music education degree from Oklahoma State University where she studied with Wayne Bovenschen, and a master of music performance in percussion degree from the University of New Mexico where she studied with L. Scott Ney. She has also received lessons from Arthur Lipner, Nancy Zeltsman, She-E Wu, and Momoko Kamiya.


Becca currently teaches at the Seattle Drum Schools and independently throughout the Seattle area. She has taught private lessons for 15 years to a variety of students, ages ranging from 4 years to 76 years of age. She is qualified to teach solos and ensembles of classical, orchestral, rudimental, and contemporary music; and has recently found a new interest as an elementary and pre-elementary educator.


She was a front ensemble member of the 1993 Black Gold drum and bugle corps; and a section leader for the 1995 Delta Brigade drum and bugle corps, and the 1996-97 Americanos drum and bugle corps, where she also won honors for being the ‘Most Outstanding Percussionist’.


Becca has performed with the Oklahoma State University Symphonic Orchestra, the University of New Mexico Symphonic Orchestra, the Fort Smith Symphony, and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. It was under the direction of Jorge Perez-Gomez with the UNM Symphony Orchestra that she had the opportunity to travel to Mexico and perform the music for a puppet show, written but never premiered by Silvestre Revueltas at a Revueltas Festival in 2004.


Becca performed as a member of the front ensemble, bass drum and snare drum lines for the OSU Cowboy Marching Band and was a member of the OSU Wind Ensemble for five years under the direction of Dr. Joseph P. Missal, during which she had the opportunities to play for various conventions such as Collegiate Band Directors National Association and WASBE. Also, she performed with the UNM Wind Symphony for two years under the direction of Eric Kendall-Rombach. Becca has performed with the OSU Theatre Department, the Oklahoma City Ballet, the Albuquerque Children’s Theatre, and was the principle percussionist for the Cooper High School musical for two years.


She has also organized and participated in various percussion ensembles including UNM African Drumming Ensemble, UNM Mexican Marimba Band, New Mexican Marimba Band (under the direction of the founder: Steve Chavez), Abilene Percussion Ensemble, and both classical and contemporary ensembles.

“My passion lies in music… Everything about it. I love to discover, experience, teach, research, compose, perform, and share music with others. It is my dream to spread that passion forward: to share the joy of expression and creativity. I am intrigued by the blurring of boundaries between art forms and enjoy creating multi-media experiences. I am also enthralled by the concepts and philosophies which make up so much of today’s contemporary music.”

Becca teaches at the Mercer Island Music Store location, 3631 82nd Ave SE, 98040.

To inquire about lessons with Becca, click here!