Dr. Darci Wright, who holds a doctorate in percussion performance, was creating music long before she ever picked up a pair of drumsticks.
As a 3-year-old in Waldron, Arkansas, she would sing worship and country songs at the top of her lungs in her mother’s van. While at home, she would be found with her Walkman blasting music or hitting anything within reach to create a beat. Her parents quickly realized the most effective form of discipline was taking away her music.
“When I got in trouble, my parents grounded me from those devices [my Walkman or the radio],” Wright admitted. “Not the TV or my cell phone.”
Wright’s older brother first introduced her to percussion in the fourth grade. What started as a casual hobby for him quickly became a passion for her. By seventh grade, competitions, honor bands, camps, and private lessons had turned the childhood interest into a serious pursuit.
As Wright continued to grow as a musician, so did the people who shaped her path. Among the most influential was her undergraduate professor and mentor, Dr. Tommy Hobbs.
Wright credits Hobbs with changing the trajectory of her life, not only as a musician but as an educator and leader.
“He became not only an incredible musical mentor, but also someone I continue to look up to as a person, educator and leader,” Wright mentioned. “I hope that I can become even a fraction of the person and educator that he is.”
What kept Wright loving the world of percussion was its endless versatility.
“It is almost like a huge, tasteful, lifelong experiment,” Wright said. “You are constantly discovering something new.”
Her journey in music, however, has not been without detours. Though raised in the church, Wright found her faith tested during college and graduate school. Disillusioned by people who did not live according to what they professed, Wright eventually pulled away from Christianity altogether.
“I made the mistake of associating God with people,” Wright stated.
Instead, she channels her focus directly into her career, finding comfort in music because it offered structure she could measure and control.
Her perspective shifted in 2024. Through a relationship with someone who challenged her understanding of God and modeled authentic faith. A few months later, she was baptized.
Today, Wright does not describe herself as having everything figured out, and she does not want to be that way.
“Faith is not about having every answer,” she commented. “It is about continuing to turn toward Him and trust Him.”
That outlook ultimately drew her to SNU. After stepping onto campus for the first time, Wright felt a genuine sense of community. During her interviews, Wright explained how she loved the opportunity to work in an environment where she could openly share her faith while also teaching music.
“I was deeply drawn to the idea of being able to integrate my faith, musicianship and teaching in a way that points students toward something greater than themselves,” Wright explained.
She hopes to bring that same philosophy into the percussion studio, encouraging students to pursue excellence not simply to check a box, but because of the people they are becoming.
“If they take anything from what I teach, it is that doing something simply to check a box should never be the goal,” Wright stated. “We should pursue excellence in everything we do.”
For Wright, that pursuit extends beyond music. It is about becoming better people, investing in others and remaining faithful to whatever God places in front of her.
“I just have to be faithful with the step I am standing on,” Wright commented.
As she begins this new chapter at SNU, she is looking forward to seeing where that next step leads, even if it means leaving the master plan up to God. “I’m learning to hold my plans with open hands and trust that wherever God leads me is better than anywhere I could have planned to go myself,” Wright said.
Photos provided by: Dr. Wright