Biography

Trumpet and Cornet Player Master Gunnery Sgt. Susan Rider of Cedar Falls, Iowa, joined
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in July 1997.
Master Gunnery Sgt. Rider began her musical instruction at age 10. Upon graduating in
1985 from Northern University High School in Cedar Falls, she earned a bachelor’s degree
in music in 1989 from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in Cedar Falls. She continued
her studies at Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington, where in 1991 she earned a master’s
degree in music and in 2000 earned a doctorate of music in brass pedagogy. Her trumpet
instructors were Keith Johnson and Randy Grabowski of the UNI, and Charles Gorham and
Edmund Cord of IU.
Master Gunnery Sgt. Rider has appeared as a Marine Band guest soloist with various
groups including the Louisville Male High School Symphonic Band from Kentucky in 2001,
and the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony in 2005, both at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. She
has performed with Monarch Brass seven times, including appearances at the Midwest
Clinic and International Trombone Festival in 2016, the 2015 International Trumpet Guild
Conference, and four times at the International Women’s Brass Conference since 2010. In
addition to her musical duties, Master Gunnery Sgt. Rider has served as a Tour Coordinator
since 2003, advancing and serving as on-site manager during the band’s annual concert
tour.