Tomm Roland holds bachelor and master of music degrees from California State University, Sacramento and a doctor of musical arts from SUNY Stony Brook. His principal teachers have been Ronald Holloway, Daniel Kennedy, and Raymond DesRoches. In addition, he also studied South Indian drumming under the auspices of the Fulbright Scholar program with T. H. Subashchandran and N. Ganesh Kumar. He has performed in 41 of the 50 states and on 4 of the 7 continents (saving Antarctica for last!). Tomm has given clinics, masterclasses, and conference presentations throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. As a studio musician, his recording credits include the Omaha Symphony, Eric Revis, Billy McGuigan, Moses Prey, The Kevin Keller Ensemble, and an anthology—a collection of true to the original Beatles songs that he executive produced as well as played drums. He most recently appeared on the 2021 release from California dark pop band The Bitter Elegance.
Dr. Roland is a professor of music at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, where he teaches distance education courses and assists the percussion and commercial music performance areas. He teaches courses on world music, rock history, and The Beatles. His textbook, The Beatles: A Magical History Tour in 15 Songs was published in 2019 and his most recent textbook, Timeless Wavelengths: A Rock History, was published in 2024. When not being professorial, he can be heard hitting things around the Midwest, freelancing regularly with touring Broadway shows, area orchestras, and various rock tribute/cover bands. Tomm is an artist for Zildjian cymbals and Vic Firth sticks and mallets.