Music Department

Dr. Allen Carter

Dr. Allen Carter has a diverse background as a drummer/ percussionist/ composer/arranger/educator. Born and raised in Ellinwood, Kansas, he received his Bachelor of Music degree from Kansas State University, and his Master of Music and Doctor of Arts degrees from the University of Northern Colorado. Throughout his school years, he won numerous awards in the areas of performance and composition/arranging.

As a drummer/percussionist (he began “gigging” with local groups at age 11), Dr. Carter has performed with the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra, the Joffrey Ballet, Les Brown’s Band of Renown, the Los Angeles Jazz Workshop and numerous other Los Angeles area big bands. He has worked with such vocalists as Nancy Wilson, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, Melissa Manchester, Harry Connick Jr., and Glen Campbell and has been involved in numerous recording sessions for records, films, and commercials. Appearances as a featured artist have taken Dr. Carter across the United States as well as to concert stages and jazz clubs in many foreign countries.


A member of the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers and the Film Music Network, Dr. Carter’s work as a composer/arranger includes CBS Television’s Motown Records specials, the cable television series Humonos, the Tournament of Roses Parade, the Miss America pageant, commercials, and documentaries for the department of Health, Education, and Welfare. In addition, he has written extensively for instrumental and vocal jazz groups at all levels.

At the current time, Allen serves as Assistant Professor of Music at Minnesota State University, Moorhead where he teaches music theory, drum set, and courses in the jazz studies and music industry programs. He has lectured internationally to educators and students on a wide range of jazz education and percussion topics and is a member of the resource team for the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) Performing groups under his direction have been awarded recognition at the national level and he has directed numerous honor groups for educator associations throughout the western United States. Along with his ongoing work teaching, playing, and writing, Dr. Carter heads his own company, ACMuzik, developing interactive CD-ROM teaching tools for use by jazz educators and their students.

To hear some of Dr. Carter's work as both an arranger and a percussionist, please listen to the following Realplayer streaming files:

Eldon, John and the Boys Big Band
Silly Little Song Vocal Jazz
From "Cues in Search of a Producer":
1. Retro 70's Main Title
2. Inspector Klutzoe
3. He's in There
4. The Ant Colony
5. Pastorale		 Scoring