About Melanie

Melanie Sehman is a percussionist, drummer and educator who enjoys performing in a wide variety of styles. A classical percussionist by training, she specializes in experimental and contemporary music that explores improvisation, gesture, the relationships between music, text and the physical experiences of sound. Melanie enjoys collaborative work with composers, performers, and artists in other disciplines, and exploring alternative modes of music making. She maintains a creative practice as an improviser and performs regularly with the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Northwest Opera, Bellingham Chamber Music Society, Whatcom Sound Jazz Singers and the local bands Cat Valley and Hooves and Beak.

Before joining the faculty of Whatcom Community College in 2013, Melanie served as Assistant Professor at the City University of New York, Queensborough Community College, where she taught music humanities, music theory, aural skills, and directed the percussion ensemble.

Melanie received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music where she also earned the prestigious Performer’s Certificate. She completed her Master of Music degree at Arizona State University and Bachelor of Music degree at Central Washington University. Her primary teachers were John H. Beck, J.B. Smith, and Andrew Spencer.