WELCOME!

I am Paul Buyer, Professor of Music and Director of Percussion at Clemson University. I am a writer, speaker, musician, and author of five books including World Music, Drumline Gold, Working Toward Excellence, Marching Bands and Drumlines, and co-author of The Art of Vibraphone Playing. My mission is to help others grow and get better through leadership, excellence, and culture.

I hope you find the content here valuable, useful, and inspiring!

 

Working Toward Excellence

Coming September 2025!

Working Toward Excellence 2nd edition features over 60% new content, fresh stories, and 10 nonnegotiables for achieving excellence in work and life including simplicity, hunger, sacrifice, effort, process, quality, consistency, leadership, time, and perseverance. Packed with inspiration and wisdom from high performers in business, sports, education, and the arts, this book will help you—and those you lead—work toward excellence in any endeavor.

 

World Music

“I clearly do not have words to express my absolute amazement with World Music: Diversity in Styles, Instruments, and Culture. I spent many hours reading every chapter and watching/listening to the video/audio links and repeatedly said, out loud to myself, “Wow!” His concept for organizing the book and chapters is beyond impressive. He must have spent hours and hours researching and studying materials, and then to present them in such a clear and engaging manner, I find truly remarkable. Paul Buyer is an amazing author and he should be very proud.”

Gary Cook, Professor Emeritus of Music, University of Arizona; Adjunct Instructor, University of Nevada-Las Vegas; Author of Teaching Percussion

 

World Music

“I clearly do not have words to express my absolute amazement with World Music: Diversity in Styles, Instruments, and Culture. I spent many hours reading every chapter and watching/listening to the video/audio links and repeatedly said, out loud to myself, “Wow!” His concept for organizing the book and chapters is beyond impressive. He must have spent hours and hours researching and studying materials, and then to present them in such a clear and engaging manner, I find truly remarkable. Paul Buyer is an amazing author and he should be very proud.”

Gary Cook, Professor Emeritus of Music, University of Arizona; Adjunct Instructor, University of Nevada-Las Vegas; Author of Teaching Percussion

DRUMLINE GOLD

 

“Paul Buyer has provided a resource that is informative, educational, beautifully written, and significant to everyone who teaches a marching percussion ensemble. It is a must-read for students and members of any drumline and provides insight into how these leading educators think and what they expect.”

Dennis DeLucia
DCI, WGI, and PAS Hall of Fame

DRUMLINE GOLD

 

“Paul Buyer has provided a resource that is informative, educational, beautifully written, and significant to everyone who teaches a marching percussion ensemble. It is a must-read for students and members of any drumline and provides insight into how these leading educators think and what they expect.”

Dennis DeLucia
DCI, WGI, and PAS Hall of Fame

 

The Art of Vibraphone Playing

“An exceptional method book for the student vibraphonist that bridges the gap between existing materials for jazz vibes and classical instruction books for marimba and xylophone.”

Christopher Dean
Posthumous Emeritus Percussion Faculty, University of North Texas

 

The Art of Vibraphone Playing

“An exceptional method book for the student vibraphonist that bridges the gap between existing materials for jazz vibes and classical instruction books for marimba and xylophone.”

Christopher Dean
Posthumous Emeritus Percussion Faculty, University of North Texas

WORKING TOWARD EXCELLENCE

 

“Working Toward Excellence is an exceptional book about what it takes to stand out and achieve uncommon success in your industry. By breaking down values critical to achieving at a high level such as hunger, effort, leadership, time, and others, this book literally shows you how to work toward excellence and achieve it.”

Craig Duswalt
Speaker, author and creator of Rockstar Marketing and Rock Your Life

WORKING TOWARD EXCELLENCE

 

“Working Toward Excellence is an exceptional book about what it takes to stand out and achieve uncommon success in your industry. By breaking down values critical to achieving at a high level such as hunger, effort, leadership, time, and others, this book literally shows you how to work toward excellence and achieve it.”

Craig Duswalt
Speaker, author and creator of Rockstar Marketing and Rock Your Life


MARCHING BANDS AND DRUMLINES

“The research and insights in Marching Bands and Drumlines might just be the next great resource for marching music educators.”

James Voss Grumish
Founder, TripletDiddle.com


MARCHING BANDS AND DRUMLINES

“The research and insights in Marching Bands and Drumlines might just be the next great resource for marching music educators.”

James Voss Grumish
Founder, TripletDiddle.com

The 10 Attributes of Quality Rehearsals

In the marching percussion activity, the secret to success on the field or in the gym is how you rehearse. To master their craft, excellent drumlines value rehearsals and never take them for granted. They show up every day with the mindset, “it’s an opportunity to improve.” In contrast, low performing drumlines go through the motions and have the mindset, “it’s just rehearsal,” slowly deflating the group’s commitment, productivity, and progress.

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