Thomas Briggs

Thomas Briggs is a distinguished percussionist and educator based in Centerbrook, Connecticut. He studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, graduating Summa Cum Laude. After a 30-year tenure with the United States Coast Guard Band, he retired in 2009. During his service, he served as the principal percussionist, arranger/composer, and musical director of the Coast Guard Masters of Swing jazz septet. Briggs is also an award-winning composer and has written and arranged numerous works for various ensembles .

Currently, he serves as the Director of Percussion at the Community Music School in Centerbrook, Connecticut, where he teaches piano, percussion, jazz improvisation, composition, and music theory. He also directs the jazz ensemble at the school.