About Transylvania

“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again. Fear must be overcome again and again.” —Abraham Maslow

Greg Strouse is a triple threat.

As an educator at Transylvania, he wears two hats. He is an adjunct professor of music, conducting the percussion ensemble, coaching the University Concert Band percussion section, and teaching private percussion lessons and percussion pedagogy.

He is also the coordinator of the university’s Learning Skills Program, where he teaches classes, conducts workshops, and provides individual academic coaching to help students "learn how to learn.” Topics include time management, test taking, note taking, reading speed and comprehension, concentration, memory, procrastination, test anxiety, and motivation.

Finally, Strouse has also proven himself a legitimate threat in yet another form of expression: martial arts.

He is a former karate instructor and competitor and has studied shotokan, tae kwon do, judo, kung-fu (wu shu), boxing, and jui jitsu. He holds a third degree black belt in Tang Soo Do (from the American Fighting Arts Federation) and a first degree black belt in Chun Kuk Do (from Chuck Norris's United Fighting Arts Federation).

When the demands of these wide-ranging activities and responsibilities threaten to upset his natural equanimity, Strouse can regain that elusive balance through the practice of Tai Chi, for which he is also a certified instructor.

Strouse obviously is open to a variety of interests and pursuits. That approach carries over into his musical career as a performer, teacher, adjudicator, studio musician, conductor, event promoter, and clinician.

He enjoys performing with diverse groups covering all musical genres, including pop/rock/R&B bands, jazz ensembles, chamber ensembles, theater/show productions, drum corps, orchestral groups, and salsa bands. Locally, Strouse has performed with The Lexington Brass Band, Central Kentucky Concert Band, The Lexington Community Orchestra, and Saxton's Cornet Band.

Throughout his career, he has studied with numerous percussion educators, but his primary teachers and greatest influences are Frank Oddis, Dennis DeLucia, and John Roy. He has performed extensively throughout the United States and has studied and performed in Europe, Brazil, and China.

What are the common denominators in all of these pursuits? Discipline, dedication, and a commitment to achieve while opening oneself to all that is possible—skills that his students can certainly adopt to seek success in whatever field they pursue.