Darrin Duff just completed his fifth year as the Assistant Band Director and Percussion Director at Azle High School. During his tenure the Azle Band has grown from 130 members to now over 270 strong. The percussion program has also flourished earning high marks at numerous marching band invitational contests and his percussion ensembles have received first division medals at the state solo and ensemble contest. Last summer the Azle Percussion Ensemble was named a winner of the Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition, one of the highest honors a percussion unit, high school or college, can receive. They were one of three ensembles nationwide invited to perform a showcase concert at the 2007 PAS International Convention in Columbus Ohio. His concert bands have earned consistent sweepstakes awards.

Mr. Duff hails from Salina, Kansas where he began his musical career studying percussion with Dean Kranzler. He then studied at Kansas State University with Dr. James Strain where he graduated in 1996 with a Bachelors degree in Music Education. He soon moved to Texas as an assistant band director at Cross Timbers Middle School in Grapevine, Texas under the tutelage of honor band director, Jolette Wine. At CTMS, Mr. Duff started an award winning jazz band that evolved into an everyday class whose members went on to be Texas All-State Jazz Band Members, National Grammy Band Winners and University of North Texas 1 O’clock Lab Band Members. Mr. Duff currently performs with a swing band based out of Southlake. While at CTMS, he also instructed the percussion at Grapevine High School, making it to finals of the State Marching Band Championships twice during his tenure. Darrin has also instructed band and percussion in the Keller and Birdville school districts as well. While working on his Masters degree at the University of North Texas he studied with Dr. Bob Schietroma, Mark Ford, and Ron Fink. Darrin is also a former member of “America’s Corps” - The Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps. Mr. Duff has been a freelance percussion teacher and music arranger for many of the top marching bands in Texas, including: Grapevine High School, Fossil Ridge High School, Richland High School, Robert E. Lee High School (Midland, Texas), Killeen High School, Birdville High School and of course, Azle High School. He is a member of Percussive Arts Society, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Texas Music Educators Association. The Azle Band program has twice been to the state marching championships during his tenure and the bands under his direction have won Sweepstakes Awards consistently during four of those five years.

Mr. Duff is married to LaRae Duff, a band director at Harwood Junior High School in Bedford, Texas. In his spare time Mr. Duff enjoys snow-skiing, reading, playing fetch with his golden retriever Morgan, and watching Kansas State Football.