Artists

Walfredo Reyes Jr. 

Professional Musician, Recording Artist and Educator

“Few drummers playing today can successfully combine the rich history of Latin, Afro-Cuban and World Percussion with the drum set. For Walfredo Reyes, Jr., fusing the two disciplines has been his driving passion. In fact, by blazing this path, Reyes has challenged the technical levels of our instrument. Born in Cuba, raised in Puerto Rico, and culminating his musical style in the U.S., Wally (Walfredo Jr.) learned the traditions from the master, his father Walfredo Sr. He married those principles with his love of the drum set, coming up with his own truly global rhythmic style. Simply put, Wally is able to sound like a drummer and a percussionist at the same time. Add blistering chops and a penchant for playing unusual patterns to the mix, and you have only a small idea of what this man can do.

Not surprisingly, this “one man percussion show” has gathered an impressive list of gigs over the years, including touring and / or recording with: Carlos Santana, Traffic, Steve Winwood, Jackson Browne, Celia Cruz, Gloria Estefan, David Lindley, Ricki Lee Jones, Richard Marx, Sergio Mendes, Smokey Robinson, Robbie Robertson, Joe Sample, Boz Scaggs, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Johnny Hallyday, Khaled, Lindsey Buckingham, Chicago and many others.

Because of his versatility, Walfredo is one of the most in demand musicians in the world today. He continues to expand his talents to recording, producing, composing, education, live performance, and touring.”

Written by Rick Van Horn.

Walfredo Reyes Jr. is available to give lessons via Zoom, Facetime or in-person. Please visit www.walfredoreyesjr.com and click on "Media" for the lesson dropdown. You may also go to Wally@walfredoreyesjr.com.. Walfredo is an accomplished player, teacher and clinician and is well versed in all styles of music gained from years in the entertainment business playing with numerous musicians such as Carlos Santana, Lindsey Buckingham, Steve Winwood, Jackson Browne and currently Chicago." Tell him that One Beat Better sent you and good luck in drumming!!

Greg Hersey    

Educational Artist  

 Greg Hersey is a percussionist and educational artist based out of Jacksonville Florida and continues to make his mark in the music industry. Greg currently serves as the Director of Instrumental Music at Episcopal School of Jacksonville, cultivating successful middle and high school ensembles. He inspires students to strive for excellence and become passionate, dedicated musicians. Greg Hersey is a graduate from the University of North Florida School of Music and holds a Masters degree in Percussion Performance. He has studied with renowned instructors Charlotte Mabrey, Kevin Garry, Danny Gottlieb and Benjamin Wiseman. As an accomplished performing artist, Greg actively performs for musical theater productions, BayKings Band, local musical acts, orchestras and various schools as a guest clinician and artist. 

    Greg has competed in the Guitar Center Drum Off and was 1 of 30 semi-finalists nationwide, representing the state of Florida and southeast region. He has also been a grand finalist in the Blue Man Group Drum Off in Orlando, Florida. Greg is an active member of the Percussive Arts Society and attends the annual PAS International Convention. In addition to being a full-time educator, Greg works as a freelance percussionist in the Jacksonville area and surrounding communities. He offers private drum set and percussion instruction to students not only in the Jacksonville area, but nationally and internationally via Skype and FaceTime. He has served as an instructor and guest clinician for numerous camps and educational establishments over the years. Greg has been featured in a full length episode on the drumming podcast “Drumeogab” hosted by Seamus Evely. Greg Hersey founded a collaboration series on Instagram entitled “Complete The Beat” where drummers all over the world have participated. This series was the foundation of Greg Hersey’s Instagram following and through a display of artistry, dedication and passion, he now has over 40,000 followers.  

    Greg is immensely grateful and fortunate to be in partnership with various companies and families. He serves as an artist, endorses and supports the following; Drumtacs, One Beat Better, Big Fat Snare Drum, Rustic Percussion, Cherry Hill Custom Drums, Firehouse Drums, Sugar Percussion, Destroy A Drum, DrumDial and RimRiser. Greg has received national and international recognition from Vic Firth, Pearl Drums, Drummers I Like Podcast, Drum Gab Podcast, Drum Talk TV, Drummers Guide 2 Gear, LowBoy Beaters, The Drummer’s Database and KickPort International resulting in hundreds of thousands of views and a great deal of exposure. As an educator and performer, Greg dedicates all of his time to improving his percussive skills and knowledge. With such a strong passion for percussion, Greg finds educating aspiring percussionists to be a tremendously rewarding experience. He hopes that his instruction and love for the arts will encourage others to pursue and embrace percussion the same way that he has.

Sean J. Kennedy
Educational Artist  
American Drumset and Percussion artist Sean J. Kennedy is the drummer for The Doc Severinsen Tribute Band, featuring Jay Webb and has been principal percussionist with the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale since 2004. He is a multi-faceted musician who is equally accomplished on the stage, in the recording studio, and in the classroom. He has performed on drumset and percussion at venues such as Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall with world renowned acts like Il Volo, Roger Daltrey and The Who, Evanescence, Lindsey Stirling, The Philly POPS! Orchestra, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, The Jacksonville Symphony, The Strauss Symphony of America, The Allentown Band, and The Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. Kennedy is also the author of numerous drumset, percussion and improv books and in 2018 Kennedy was invited to present a TEDx Talk about the history of the drumset, titled: Happy Accidents: Drumming Up Serendipity. Jazz legend Dave Brubeck stated that Sean’s drumming, “… sounds like it should—it swings!”

Kennedy is the author of numerous drumset, percussion and improv books including: Help! I'm not a drummer! [...but I have some in my ensemble.], I Used to Play Drums, Improvising and Soloing In The Pocket, Sixty Second Solos, and Camp Jam: Rock Solid Drums which was nominated as Educational Drum Book of the Year in the 2011 Modern Drummer Magazine reader’s poll.

Kennedy earned a master’s degree in Percussion Performance and a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from West Chester University, and is an Artist Endorser for Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Ludwig-Musser Percussion, Casio Keyboards, One Beat Better, Grover Pro Percussion, and Evans Drumheads. He is also a member of the AFM, is a registered composer, songwriter, and publisher with (BMI), and is a voting member of (NARAS).
Mark Shelton
From the early days of his career as Visiting Artist at Coastal Carolina Community College to his current work as a soloist, clinician, and entrepreneur, Mark Shelton has created programs, products, and educational services for a variety of ages. Mark has presented his solo percussion program, The Strike, Scrape, & Shake Show ™  to thousands of students in schools and libraries. He is a teaching artist with Young Audiences chapters in Northeast and Southeast Texas, and Big Thought in Dallas.  Mark is also the author of Give Me A Groove, Give Me A Bucket, Found Soundology, Easy Buckets, Give Me A Tablet, and Flex published by Heritage Music Press. Mark’s music for keyboard percussion is published by HoneyRock and Per-Mus Publications. An active freelance musician, Mark’s performance credits include percussion work with Gateway Worship, North Carolina Symphony, Strata Big Band, TALEA, Dallas Winds, Daystar Singers & Band, and Tin Roof Tango. Mark has appeared as a featured artist at the North Carolina and West Texas Days of Percussion, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and state music educator conventions in Texas, Florida, and Nebraska. His solo albums, Music From My Galaxy and Handpan Serenade are available on iTunes, Amazon Music, and Spotify. Mark is an endorsing artist for One Beat Better and producer of Percussion Tip Tuesday, an educational series available on a variety of platforms.
 
Mark Shelton is available for solo concerts, percussion clinics, and professional development workshops for music educators.
 
Contact Mark Shelton Productions 214-507-6366 or markshelton@verizon.net