Lifelong musician Michael Barnett holds the doctor of musical arts degree in music composition from the University of Colorado, Boulder. A composer, performer, recording artist, and producer, he has worked as a drummer in many bands and performed as a studio musician on numerous recordings. He balances this work with serving as a faculty member at the University of Colorado, Boulder where he teaches courses in rock, American popular music, and songwriting techniques. Most recently Dr. Barnett has been working with his current band, Terminal Degree, which fuses elements of heavy metal, progressive rock, and classical music.