TODD COLLINS
Todd Collins is an associate professor at County College of Morris (CCM) located in Randolph, New Jersey where he established, develops, and coordinates the Music Recording Program. At CCM he has assembled and conducted numerous workshops, seminars, talks, and concerts that included the annual event in April for several years, "Day of Bluegrass". He teaches the popular American Roots Music class and has taken students on many trips to New Orleans and walking tours of Greenwich Village in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Todd was added to the adjunct faculty at Lafayette College in Easton, PA, to teach lessons on mandolin and banjo. He also gives workshops for guitar and mandolin in the States and abroad. Todd was the mandolin instructor for the "Bluegrass Masters Workshops" at the popular Big Apple Bluegrass Festival in New York City. His first book of Bill Monroe transcriptions titled "Monroe Instrumentals", was a best seller for Mel Bay Publishing and has released three other books for Mel Bay Publishing, "Classic Bluegrass Solos (of Bill Monroe)" (2007), "Fretboard Studies for the Improvising Mandolinist" (2013), and "Modes on the Mandolin: Improving Your Improvisation" (2013). He also released "Absolute Beginners Mandolin" (2007) by Amsco Publishing. Collins has been commissioned to compose works for modern dance companies in the New York/New Jersey area, including Beyond Dance, Inc., the Montclair State University Dance Department, and the County College of Morris Dance Department. Todd earned a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Music from Montclair State University.