About Swirl Five

Matt Altmire earned a DMA in music from UCLA, where he studied with Mitchell Peters, Raynor Carroll, and Theresa Dimond. As a freelance percussionist, he has performed with groups such as the Los Angeles Concert Orchestra, Swing Inc., and the contemporary percussion ensemble GLANK. Having an interest in all areas of percussion, he instructed and arranged for the UCLA drumline for many years while also teaching applied percussion and percussion ensemble at both Santa Monica College (CA) and Mt. San Antonio College (CA). Matt has also served as the concert percussion director at Long Beach City College (CA), Thousand Oaks HS (CA), and Diamond Bar HS (CA), in addition to teaching or doing clinics here and there at numerous other schools in SoCal. Outside of California, he taught for two years at Towson University (MD) where in addition to his duties as the Assistant Director of Athletic Bands, he resurrected and directed the university’s steel drum ensemble.
 

In the world of marching percussion, as a performer in the Velvet Knights, Santa Clara Vanguard, Riverside Community College, and UCLA drumlines, Matt has performed quite literally all across the U.S. and the world – including tours to Japan, Australia, England, Scotland, Italy, Spain, and France. He has been fortunate to be a part of a DCI championship drumline, the first ever tenor ensemble at DCI’s I&E, and to have his original DCI solo for tenor drums published by Tapspace Publications in their landmark book 'Violent Tenor Cream.' Matt’s original percussion arrangements for marching band and drum corps have been sold by KeyPoulan Music, JKS Music, and Center X Productions, and his percussion arrangements for the UCLA marching band and pep band have been performed on national television for the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, NCAA tournament, and numerous other collegiate events. 

Outside of UCLA, Matt has instructed and/or arranged for a number of other notable high school, college, and DCI drumlines including Etiwanda H.S. (BOA finalist), Thousand Oaks H.S. (2 time WGI Scholastic World drumline finalist and 2 time BOA semi-finalist), William S. Hart H.S. (BOA semi-finalist, and multiple full-band and high percussion winners at California's SCSBOA Championships), and Riverside Community College. He has been the Percussion Caption Head and Arranger for Yamato Drum & Bugle Corps (based in both the U.S. and Japan) and Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps (CA), and has done various percussion clinics across the U.S. and abroad for high schools and drum corps, including International Marching Clinics, Calgary Stampede Drum Corps, System Blue, and Yamato Japan. Matt is a PAS member, and endorses both REMO and Vic Firth (as a part of their Education Team).

Matt currently resides in Los Angeles. When not working, he enjoys watching baseball, running, trying out new Japanese or Italian restaurants, and browsing through local record stores.