Founder; Director of Education; Percussion Instructor

Menzie brings a forty year musical experience to Contemporary Music Center. His father Willis Pittman was a highly regarded saxophonist and Washington area musician. After a twenty three year performing and teaching career, Menzie founded Contemporary Music Center (while continuing to teach) in 1989, and became sole owner in 2001. He has been Contemporary Music Center’s only Director of Education, and is responsible for coordinating the phenomenal staff of educators CMC has today.

Menzie’s reputation both as a drummer and as a drum instructor is in a class few attain. His work with La Jazz, and the Virginia Rangers (both featuring renowned guitarist Michael Fath) received multiple accolades, and Menzie’s drumming can be heard on the respective CD’s.

Before deciding to dedicate his focus solely to overseeing the operations of Contemporary Music Center, Menzie carried an average of ninety plus students a week, simultaneously being the percussion clinician for three award winning high school drum lines, and served as percussion clinician for the Franklin summer music camp while playing drums in two performing groups and adjudicating for multiple district festivals. One of the more gratifying moments in his career was the opening of a second location for CMC in Haymarket VA.

In 2007 Menzie attended his first NAMM “Fly-In” on Capitol Hill advocating to congressional leaders the importance of maintaining strong music programs in the schools. Having this special opportunity to work beside Secretary Richard Riley, Menzie has continued this important advocacy every year. He also serves on the steering committees of SupportMusic and F.A.C.E.

Appointed to NAMM’s Board of Directors in 2012 Menzie continues to speak at the NAMM show’s Idea Center and had been invited to speak at the Whitman School at Syracuse University in NY. Music Inc. magazine awarded Menzie the cover story “King of Rock Camp” in November of 2012.

Menzie’s greatest joy is his daughter Summer, who herself is a budding musician, studying piano, guitar and voice at CMC.