Sun City INDEPENDENT Staff

Thomas Sparling is a full-time visual designer and percussion educator based out of Cincinnati, Ohio.  He received degrees in Music Education, Music Performance, Music Composition and a minor in Arts Management from Miami University in 2009.  Since graduating, he has served as a percussion instructor at William Mason HS, Centerville HS, Bellbrook HS, Kettering Fairmont HS, and Percussion Director at Northmont HS, and La Salle HS.  He currently teaches percussion at Kings HS in Cincinnati.

He has worked on the percussion staff at the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps (2012), Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps (2015-2016), Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps (2019-2022), Matrix Performing Arts (2013-2023), and Cap City Percussion (2013-2014, 2019-2022 and present) where he currently serves as the Visual Designer.  Since pursuing full-time design in 2016, his influence has expanded to organizations in Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Italy.

Thomas marched bass drum with the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps (2006), and Rhythm X (2006-2009).  He has given clinics on show design and rehearsal techniques across the Midwest as well as Taiwan and Italy.  Thomas is an endorser of Mapex & Majestic percussion, Remo drum heads, and Vic Firth sticks and mallets.