After 25 years as Professor of Percussion at the UNC School of the Arts, John Beck became the University Coordinator for Arts & Health Partnerships. He is the principal percussionist of the Winston-Salem Symphony and performs with the Greensboro Symphony and Brass Band of Battle Creek.
As president of the Percussive Arts Society, Beck began facilitating drum circles in healthcare settings in Indianapolis and has received Excellence in Community Service and Arts Transforming Environments awards from the League of American Orchestras and the National Organization for Arts in Health for his community drumming activities in North Carolina. His research has included studies using interactive group drumming with stem cell transplant recipients and hospitalized behavioral health patients and a partnership with the new Wake Forest University Neuroarts Lab in 2026.
Beck earned degrees at Oberlin Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music and is a former national tour soloist with the US Marine Band. He also performed regularly with the National and Baltimore Symphonies and Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra before moving to North Carolina.