Murray Gusseck is currently the percussion caption head for the 6-time World Champion Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps, from Santa Clara, CA. Murray started his tenure with the Vanguard in 1988 as a marching member, aging out in 1992. He was on staff as a percussion instructor in 1994, 1996 through 1999, and again from 2002 to the present.

During the early 1990’s Murray attended San Jose State University where he studied world music systems and drumset. Some of Murray’s friends, mentors, and teachers include Royal Hartigan, Dan Sabanovich, Ralph Hardimon, Glen Crosby, Curt Moore, Ed Barguiarena, and Dennis Aquilina. He has taught and arranged percussion music for many high schools in country, including Amador Valley (which placed 2nd at the 1997 WGI Winter Percussion Finals in Phoenix, AZ), Richland Hills (TX), Lassiter (GA), and Beyer High School in Modesto, CA.

In 1997 Murray teamed up with long-time friend and peer Jim Casella to form Tap Space Publications, now based in Portland, OR. Tap Space specializes in producing forefront percussion literature in the areas of marching, concert, and drumset percussion. The company continues to ramp up its list of publications, one of the newest of which is a sound sample library containing a multidude of Santa Clara drumline samples, called “Virtual Drumline.” Murray uses percussion products by Vic Firth and Remo.

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