David Ratliff is the Director of Bands at Madison Southern High School in Berea, Kentucky. Previously, he was the Associate Director of Bands at Madison Central High School also in Kentucky. During his tenure with MCHS, the concert Percussion Ensemble performed at the 2002 KMEA State Convention as well as performed at the 2006 BOA National Percussion Ensemble Festival. The marching drum line was invited to perform with the Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps in 2004, 2005 & 2006 as part of the marching band track of the BOA Summer Symposium. 

David holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in Music Education from the University of Kentucky where he studied with James B. Campbell and also holds a Rank I certificate in Music from Eastern Kentucky University. He currently serves as Secretary of the Kentucky Chapter of PAS, and is the KMEA All-State Band and Orchestra Percussion Coordinator. David has published articles in Percussive Notes and the Bluegrass Music News as well as contributing study guides to the band reference series Teaching Music Through Performance in Band volumes 5 & 6 and Beginning Band volume 2. With over 200 musical works to his credit, his arrangements and compositions have been performed by groups across the country and have been published through Advantage Network, Marching Show Concepts, Tapspace Publications and the Yamaha Sounds of Summer instructional booklet.  He, along with IP Artists Rob Parks and James Campbell, helped compile and composed pieces for “The Blue Book”, a collection of marching percussion solo pieces published in 2011 by Tapspace, Publications. He was on the faculty of the BOA World Percussion Symposium and taught numerous Yamaha Sounds of Summer camps since 1992. He presented percussion clinics at the 2006, 2007, 2009 KMEA State Conventions. 

He has performance experience with the Boston Crusaders and the Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps, including performing in the batterie in 1991 – winning the DCI High Percussion award and performing in the front ensemble in 1993 – winning the DCI Percussion Ensemble Championship, as well as teaching experience with the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps. He was also co-section leader of the 1993 BOA National Champion and PAS Runner-Up University of Kentucky indoor drum line. 

He is an endorser and clinician for the Yamaha Corporation of America, Evans drumheads, Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets and Tapspace Productions. Professionally, he is a member of KMEA, NAfME, PAS and Phi Beta Mu.