by Lauren Vogel Weiss

Kenneth Harold “Ken” Green, an accomplished rudimental drummer and percussion educator, died at age 64 on July 4, 2025 after a diagnosis of glioblastoma in 2024.

“Not only did the world loose a truly gifted musician and educator, but I lost a friend and mentor,” stated Mark Reilly, President/CEO of The Washington Tattoo and former Drum Group Leader of the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. “Rest easy, dear friend, as you join that incredible drum line in the sky.”

Ken Green was born May 26, 1961 into a musical family in West Point, New York. His father, Harold D. Green, was a member of the famed Hellcats field music group at the United States Military Academy, where the elder Green served as a drummer for more than a quarter century (1956–1982). Harold was also very involved in the drum corps activity in the Hudson Valley throughout his life, having joined the Continental Fife & Drum Corps in 1948, before later serving as the corps’ instructor and director.

“I grew up in the Hellcat room,” Ken Green recalled in a 2025 interview. “I remember attending reveille with my dad.” Harold was nicknamed “Bear,” so Ken was called “Cub.”

PAS Hall of Famer Dennis DeLucia first met both Greens when DeLucia joined the Hellcats in 1967. “Harold was a terrific drummer who took me under his wing. Young Kenny was a terrific kid, about six years old, full of energy and with a passion to play like his dad and other members of the Hellcats. As he grew up, Ken was as full of talent and energy as anyone could be — always inquisitive, always willing to contribute. His passing is a huge loss.”

The younger Green joined his father at various fife and drum corps competitions on weekends. “One year, during a jam session at the Deep River Ancient Muster in Connecticut,” Ken shared, “I was standing between Les Parks and Bill Pace, two monster players, and I thought, ‘This is what a clean snare line sounds like!’ These guys might have been competitors on Saturday, but on Sunday, they were friends who loved one another.”

In addition to his father, the younger Green also studied with such rudimental legends as Nick Attanasio and PAS Hall of Famer John S. Pratt. And like his father, Ken played in several Hudson Valley Fife and Drum Corps, including the Civil War Troopers, the Connecticut Rebels, the Regulators, and the Rough Riders. One of Ken Green’s favorite snare drum solos was “Crazy Army,” written by Ed Lemley, the father of Harold Green’s best friend, Kenny Lemley.

After graduating high school from the Newburgh Free Academy in 1979, Ken Green attended the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree and studied with Jim Petercsak, now SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus. “Not only was Ken a talented student,” Petercsak recalled, “he was idolized by his students, and he greatly supported their efforts after they graduated. John Pratt even dedicated one of his snare drum solos to Kenny.” “The Conquering Legions of Rome” was published in The New Pratt Book: Contest Solos for Snare Drum (Permus Publications 1985).

Green received his master’s degree from the University of Kansas, where he was a student of George Boberg. While in Lawrence, Kansas, Ken met his wife, Cinda, and they were married in 1990.

In 1993, Ken Green joined the faculty at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where he served as the Associate Director of Bands and Professor of Percussion. In addition to being an educator, he was a performer (including timpanist of the Rapides Symphony Orchestra based in Alexandria, Louisiana), conductor, arranger, clinician, consultant, and adjudicator. Green also served as the President of the Louisiana PAS Chapter and was a longtime member of the PAS Marching Percussion Committee.

Troy Breaux, Coordinator of Percussion Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, played alongside Green in the Rapides Symphony. “Ken was a first-rate musician and percussionist. He always sounded great and was a terrific colleague, as well as a positive force in the music and percussion education community in Louisiana. We bonded over our love for rudimental drumming. Over beers, he often shared stories of growing up with his dad in the Hellcats, or studying with Jack Pratt and Nick Attanasio. Those conversations were history lessons in American rudimental drumming.”

Mark Reilly recalled his former college professor at NSU. “Ken Green, a fellow student of Nick Attanasio, gave this cocky New York kid a chance to get his act together. I never in a million years thought that I would move from New York to Natchitoches, Louisiana, but that move shaped my life in profound and revolutionary ways. Ken pushed me, shaped me, and inspired me to always strive for excellence and never be satisfied with the status quo. He allowed me to lead, make mistakes, grow from hard lessons learned, and improve.”

Reilly continued, “As we grew closer and older, we became dear friends and worked together for numerous years on the PAS Marching Committee. We would explore, debate, and strategize how we could help support the idiom. We both grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley, loved our fife and drum community, recognized how special it was when our students ‘got it,’ and stewarded the amazing lessons Nick passed on to us, which in turn we passed on to others: ‘It’s never been ours to keep, it’s only ours to give’ — a classic Nick Attanasio quote.”

Jeff Prosperie, a current member of the West Point Hellcats as well as the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame, described Ken as “such a positive, supportive person who lifted you up. He cared deeply about his students and colleagues, and you could feel that. I’ll miss our conversations. And Ken was a hell of a great rudimental drummer! I always learned from him. When I was trying to decide if I should take the Hellcat position almost 20 years ago, Ken was the first person I called. His fond memories of his dad being a Hellcat drummer and their family lifestyle at West Point convinced me. I’m thankful for his friendship and he will be greatly missed.”

Dominick Cuccia, both a former student and former member of the Hellcats, recently posted a picture of the Ancient Mariners Fife & Drum Corps marching in a 2004 Muster Parade. The snare line consisted of Cuccia, his wife Therese, Jerry Whitaker, Vincent Czepiel, and Ken Green. “It was the single best performance I have ever been a part of,” Cuccia remembered. “We had a lot of great days making music, but none better than that one.”

One of Green’s former students at NSU, Dr. Cherissa Legendre Vitter, Associate Professor of International Baccalaureate Education at Southeastern Louisiana University, shared her memories. “Ken Green didn’t just teach us how to play percussion instruments, he taught us how to be successful in life. His students have taken many different paths, but the skills he taught us were transferable. We find ourselves at the top of our respective fields because Mr. Green taught us how to succeed. 

“His students have been fondly remembering the ‘Green-isms’ we heard while studying with him,” she continued, “like ‘all the way away.’ Many of us are parents now and use that with our own kids! It’s not enough to put things away, they must be all the way away.”

In 2022, Green retired from NSU and was installed in the Ring of Honor for the NSU “Spirit of Northwestern” Band. On May 4, 2025, the NSU Percussion Ensemble, now under the direction of Dr. Oliver Molina, hosted a concert featuring more than 40 alumni, who joined current students to celebrate the legacy of Ken Green.

 “Ken was the best colleague and mentor anyone could have asked for,” said Molina, Director of Percussion Studies at NSU. “He built up the percussion program here at Northwestern State, which allowed me to join and teach alongside him. Ken was a great pedagogue, but more importantly, a great human being who saw the best in every person he met. His legacy lives on through his students, friends, and family.”

During a recorded video shown during the May 4th concert, Green said, “I’m so glad that you’ve taken this opportunity to come together again and reflect on the very special times that we all shared at NSU. They were certainly very productive and truly unforgettable. I cherish the memory of every lesson, every rehearsal, and every performance, but most importantly, each and every one of you.

“We were so blessed to have the best students imaginable,” Green continued, “each of you bringing something uniquely special to the table. It was tremendously humbling and a great honor to be a part of your lives at that time, helping make each of your individual dreams come true and to watch the continuous growth of the program. For me, it was always about the people and passing the torch to very capable hands. As I watch you all achieve great success in your lives and careers, it brings me such joy to now see you passing the torch and lovingly touching the lives of your families, friends, students, and communities. It is obvious that God had His hand on this the whole time, granting us a great university, with the finest administrators and colleagues that I’ve ever met, and a community that gave us unlimited support.

“Of course,” Green added, “I couldn’t have managed any of this without the constant love and support of my amazing wife, Cinda, and our two wonderful sons, Kenny and Kevin. Cinda’s deep understanding and appreciation for musical excellence, along with her unwavering commitment to our family, and the NSU percussion family, cannot be understated. And to this, she remained dedicated her entire life. May God bless you as you continue on this magnificent journey of life and always know how much I love and appreciate the honor of calling you friends.”

PAS Immediate-Past President Julie Davila recalled her dear friend. “Ken was just such an amazing person. He was cheerful, smart, and passionate about his students and music. He was a friend to all.”

Brendan Mason, another former NSU student and rudimental snare drum champion, was at a loss for words. “Ken’s passing is another reminder that life is all too precious. All I can say is ‘thank you.’ Thank you for taking a chance on a New England kid down in Louisiana. Thank you for opening my eyes to the entire world of percussion. Thank you for always supporting and encouraging me to be better and to do great things. We were all impacted by the legendary Ken Green.”

Ken Green’s beloved wife, Cinda, passed away on May 6, 2021. Ken Green is survived by his sons, Kenny Green and Kevin Green. Ken’s funeral will be held on July 18, 2025 in Vails Gate, New York, followed by a reception where everyone is encouraged to bring fifes and drums! In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Company of Fifers and Drummers at https://companyoffifeanddrum.org/about/donations.

Author’s note: I first met Ken through PAS and immediately added him to my “percussion family.” We were both chapter presidents and members of the Marching Percussion Committee and had a lot in common. Ken always had the bearing of a military musician, standing straight and tall, even when he didn’t have a rope snare drum slung across his shoulder. Family was so important to him — especially his parents and wife, whom he cared for until their deaths — and he never missed an opportunity to talk to a former student or colleague about another one of his loves, drumming. We should all be so lucky to have a Ken Green standing next to us in the snare line of life.