Robby Burns is a music educator, freelance percussionist, and technology specialist residing in Ellicott City, Maryland.
Robby's teaching experience ranges from elementary school through university ensembles. He is currently an employee of the Howard County Public School System where he teaches band and general music at Ellicott Mills Middle School and has directed the HCPSS Middle School GT Honor Band.
Robby maintains a thriving private percussion teaching studio out of his home with students who have gone on to pursue music degrees, perform professionally, enter varying roles in the music industry, and participate in state and district honor ensembles. He is frequently invited to serve as an adjudicator, arranger, and clinician for schools and music organizations throughout the region.
Robby is the recipient of the 2025 Mike Kovins Technology in Music Education (TI:ME) Teacher of the Year award.
Robby has presented sessions at music education conferences all over the country on the subject of band and orchestra directing, music production tools, productivity software, and their connection to productivity and creativity in the music classroom. Robby's first book, Digital Organization Tips for Music Teachers, published by Oxford University Press, is available now. He writes and speaks about music, education, and technology on his blog and podcast, Music Ed Tech Talk.
As a freelance percussionist, Robby is comfortable with all styles, specifically including orchestral, musical theater, opera, chamber, rock, and jazz. He has performed with the Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, Opera Camerata of Washington, D.C., and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under such conductors as Marin Aslop and Lorin Maazel. Robby has also worked with a variety of local music projects including rock cello quartet, Primitivity, and nine-piece funk band, The Superland Stage Band.
Robby holds a Bachelor of Music Education and Masters of Music from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he studied orchestral percussion with Tony Ames (NSO) and timpani with John Tafoya and Benjamin Ramierez (both former NSO). He has also benefited from the instruction of Steve Fidyk (Army Blues Band) and Janis Potter (solo marimba artist). During his time at UMCP he also devoted attention towards orchestration, theory, conducting, and jazz arranging.
Robby is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher. He is a member of the National Association for Music Education, the Percussive Arts Society, the Maryland Music Educators Association, and TI:ME, the national organization for Technology in Music Education.
He serves as a Member-At-Large on the TI:ME Board of Directors and as Technology Chair for the Maryland Music Educators Association’s Executive Board.