Melinda A. Leoce, D.M.

About Melinda

Melinda Leoce, D.M., is the Assistant Professor of Percussion and Music Business at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado. Before joining the faculty at Adams State, she served as the Instructor of Percussion and Director of Athletic Bands at Graceland University in Iowa. She is also an active performer and has appeared with the Des Moines Symphony, Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps, and on the John Psathas Percussion Project’s newest release, Volume I (2019; Navona Records).

Recent highlights of Leoce's career include in-person appearances at the University of Central Florida Percussion Summer Institute, University of North Florida Spring Showcase, and P.A.S. Virginia/D.C. Day of Percussion, as well as virtual appearances at the Kansas P.A.S. Virtual Drum Days, Shenandoah Conservatory, Boise State University, and McNeese State University. She also serves as the Secretary of the Colorado chapter of the Percussive Arts Society.

Leoce received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Central Florida, her master's in Percussion Performance and certificate in World Music from The Florida State University, and her doctorate in Percussion Performance and Literature from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington.

In her free time, Leoce enjoys skiing, reading, art, teaching Zumba, and hanging out with loved ones. She is also an animal lover and enjoys spending time with her Australian Cattle Dog, Hudson and her tuxedo cat, Johnny Utah, and volunteering at the local animal shelter.

I believe in respecting and cultivating my students' past and present musical endeavors while also exposing them to new genres, instruments, and experiences that illuminate future paths of study. I believe that the music classroom should be vibrant, collaborative, and diverse.