Dr. Andy Harnsberger is a Professor of Music and Coordinator of the Percussion Department at Lee University. He earned his Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University, and went on to receive the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music.
Respected as a performer, composer, and educator, Dr. Harnsberger has been invited to be a performing artist and clinician with Malletech Instruments and Mallets, Remo Drum Heads, Sabian Cymbals, Ltd.,
and Grover Pro Percussion. He has appeared several times on National Public Radio, both in interviews, and live performances; has presented over 700 recitals and clinics across the globe; and his compositions have garnered him multiple ASCAP PLUS Awards for his contributions to American Concert Music. He was also an Artist/Faculty Member at the Sulzbach-Rosenberg/Interharmony International Music Festival in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018. Moreover, he appeared numerous times as a featured solo artist and presenter at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), and also as a guest clinician at Percussive Arts Society Days of Percussion.
In addition to recording four solo CDs, Dr. Harnsberger has also performed with the contemporary music ensemble Currents, and has toured extensively as a percussionist and xylophone soloist with The Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band. As an orchestral percussionist, he has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Richmond Ballet Orchestra, Key West Symphony Orchestra, Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, Macon Symphony Orchestra, Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra, Hilton Head Symphony, Long Bay Symphony, Gainesville Symphony, and the Carroll Symphony Orchestra.
When did you begin studying music?
I began having a strong interest in percussion (drumming) at an early age. I used to get in trouble in elementary school for drumming on my desk at school, and I was always drumming on things at home. I joined the beginning band in seventh grade, as a percussionist, and my parents enrolled me with a private teacher at that time.
What made you choose percussion?
As I mentioned, I was always drumming on things. My parents bought me a drum set when I was in sixth grade and I started playing along with my favorite songs. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I would just copy what I heard.
Who were your primary teachers?
My first teacher from seventh grade through high school was Jody Boyd. He did his undergrad at Virginia Tech and studied with Dr. John Floyd, who also became an influential person in my early development. They were both amazing teachers and encouraged me to audition for Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where I would end up going to study with Donald Bick, and received a BM and MM. Both John Floyd and Donald Bick were Eastman graduates, and I always wanted to study there, so I ended up earning a DMA from Eastman, where I studied with the one and only, John Beck.
When did you decide to pursue a career in music?
I remember thinking at one of my lessons in ninth grade with Dr. Floyd that music is what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know exactly what. In fact, for a long time, all I wanted to do was play drum set. It wasn’t until college that I started really expanding my interests in different genres of music and percussion. I didn’t have very much experience with mallets or classical percussion in high school. It was mainly drum set and drum line. When I got to VCU, I was introduced to marimba and orchestral percussion (Bick was principal percussionist with the Richmond Symphony). I started playing with the Richmond Symphony as a sophomore and remember thinking, This is what I want to do. Later on, I started accompanying modern dance classes at the VCU dance department and with the Richmond Ballet. Then I thought, No…this is really what I want to do. Later on, I was taking jazz vibes lessons, and I thought, This is really what I want to do. Then Leigh Stevens came to VCU and played an amazing concert, and I was blown away. So I thought, THAT is what I want to do! But my teacher said, You can’t make a living playing marimba. Anyway, so I continued to play with the Richmond Symphony, played dance classes, taught drum lines, and did as many other things as I could.
Did you have a specific goal?
When I went to Eastman, I did not have a goal of teaching when I was done, like most people getting a DMA. My main goal was to study timpani and orchestral percussion with John Beck. I thought that maybe I wanted to be a timpanist or win a percussion job. When I graduated, no orchestral jobs were available and there were no teaching jobs to apply for, so I moved to Nashville and just started playing marimba at as many places as I could. I did children’s concerts, played in museums, libraries, and parks – wherever I could. That eventually led to playing at universities and concert series, doing an average of 40 marimba concerts per year.
During that time in Nashville, I was fortunate enough to join the Jack Daniel’s Original Silver Cornet Band, which was a production show featuring music from the early 1900s with contemporary arrangements (I played xylophone, vibraphone, and glock). I joined in 1997 and played with them for about 10 years.
Do you focus on a specific area of percussion?
For the last 25 years or so, people have known me as a marimba artist. However, I didn’t always focus on marimba. When I was a student, I tried to get involved in as many things as possible: orchestral percussion, hand drums, drum set, jazz vibes, multi-percussion, and timpani.
Who impacted your musical growth the most?
One of the great things about studying with Don Bick at VCU, was that you were sort of forced to be self-motivated. The same can be said for John Beck at Eastman. They both kind of let you grow as a musician by letting you do your own thing. The more you gave them, the more they gave you, in terms of advice, encouragement, and ideas. Both teachers were huge advocates of listening to music – not just percussion music, but many different genres. This is one thing that is greatly missed by many students today. How many percussionists can say they have studied Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, or Lang Lang? Or know the works of Keiko Abe, Bob Becker, or countless influential drum set artists? How many students have watched Steven Schick’s performance of Psappha on Youtube, or even know the piece? Listening to other music and other musicians is how you really grow, and this was one of the greatest lessons that was ever taught to me.
What teaching positions have you held?
I have been teaching at Lee University since 1997. I started as an Artist in Residence which was part-time due to my performing career, and accepted a full-time position in 2012.
What percussionists have inspired you the most?
The percussionists that inspire me the most are the ones who never give up, who never stop pursuing excellence; even after they had a percussion position in an orchestra for years; or even after they had a teaching job at a university and got tenure; or even percussionists who continue to practice, perform, and grow as musicians – though they are accomplished. Therefore, percussionists who continue to push the boundaries of performance and excellence in teaching are who inspire me to do that exact thing. And it might not be professionals, or those who are highly regarded in the industry who are the most inspirational. Sometimes it is the student who never gives up, or someone who is just starting out in the business who will not take no for an answer; it is the one who works harder than anyone else. That’s inspiring to me.
Is there a specific genre you enjoy performing the most?
Most of my performing career is still centered around solo marimba. However, I do also really enjoy chamber music settings, and still enjoy being in the percussion section of an orchestra.
What composers do you identify with?
Everyone from Beethoven, Ravel, Stravinsky, Rush and Van Halen too! This list can go on and on. Because of the different settings I am fortunate enough to play in, I get exposed to a lot of fantastic music. I grew up listening to Rush and VanHalen, among others, and some of that style has worked its way into some of my own compositions.
As far as percussion-specific composers go, I am a huge fan of Gareth Farr’s music. I have commissioned three pieces from him: a composition for solo marimba, a composition for solo marimba and trio (which I premiered at PASIC 2019), and one for two marimbas with percussion trio. His pieces are extremely virtuosic, but also musically rewarding. Being able to collaborate with him has been amazing. He just gets what I do!
Lately, the Harnsberger/Jones duo has been playing Bossacatta by Gordon Stout, and we really love this piece. It was written in 2013, but nobody played it (that I am aware of) until we premiered it in 2023. His Mexican Dances have always been one of my favorites, and lately going back and listening to more of his music has been resonating with me. Four Dances is another great one! There are just too many to list, but being a composer too, I can only write what is in my vocabulary. So, it is extremely important to keep listening to different composers AND genres to increase my vocabulary and compositional options.
Do you get nervous before you play?
In my career I have given well over 700 solo performances, and I get nervous every time! I have come to accept that nerves are going to start kicking in 10 – 15 minutes before the performance. It is a natural part of being a performer, so I don’t try to fight it. I take deep breaths and try to keep my mind clear of negative thoughts and try to channel that nervous energy into my performance. The more prepared I am, the less nervous I will be. But I find that being a little nervous helps to keep me focused.
Do you ever make a mistake while performing?
Is there ever anyone who doesn’t have something unusual happen in a live performance? I don’t know many people who don’t make mistakes while performing. Things rarely go the way they do in the practice room. I think the key is to stay focused and not let the mistake bother you. Once you have made the mistake, it is over. Don’t dwell on it. Stay focused and keep moving forward. Then once you get back to the practice room, you can analyze what went wrong and figure out how to keep it from happening again.
Has your practice regimen changed from when you were a student?
Most certainly! When I was a young student, I always felt like there wasn’t enough time. So, my sessions were often note-cramming sessions, or performance sessions. If I was playing a five-minute piece and I had 30 minutes to practice, I would run the piece six times. I think this is somewhat natural – we want the piece to sound good. But beyond that, we want everyone else who is listening outside the practice room to hear us sounding good! The key is to leave your ego at the door.
My practice sessions now are spent doing a lot of SLOW practice. Slower is faster. Learn it right the first time, so that you don’t have to unlearn it to relearn it. Even after I have learned all the notes to a piece, most of my practice time is slow work. By practicing slowly, I can focus on all the things I want to accomplish: musicality, technique, body positioning, sound quality, etc. I can engrain good habits instead of bad ones. I am also reinforcing my mental game, training my ear, and not solely relying on muscle memory. If you play things up to tempo all the time, you rely just on muscle memory, and many things go by too quickly to make any kind of musical decisions. Furthermore, practicing slowly is beneficial because the first thing to happen when you get nervous is the loss of muscle memory. Therefore, if I have 30 minutes to practice, I am focusing on fundamentals and technique. Technique is key! This is the most important thing we have for longevity as percussionists.
What inspires you to compose?
Almost all the pieces I have written were inspired by life events, people, places, or things. I am always trying to elicit the imagination of the listener by telling a story through music.
How do you feel when someone performs your work differently than you intended?
I think that one of the jobs of a performer is to communicate what is written by the composer to the listener. We have to translate what we think the composer wants and then transfer that to the audience. This is why I am always appreciative when someone reaches out to me to get some background on any of my compositions.
That being said, everyone is affected differently by music. If someone has a different interpretation of my music, it could be based on their own life or musical experiences. I think there is some wiggle room regarding interpretation, and I am generally open-minded when it comes to my music. I would encourage performers to reach out to the composer for any insight regarding their music. It is always great to collaborate on interpretation. I have heard many interpretations of my music by students and professionals that weren’t necessarily the way I would play it, but were very moving.
How do you define a good musician and a good teacher?
There is an old saying I’m sure we have all heard: Those that can’t do, teach. I’m sure Sometimes this is true, but I would guess it is not very good. In my opinion, there is a big difference between a good performing musician/teacher, and a teacher who plays a gig or two now and then on the side.
The main difference between the two is the countless hours the performer/teacher spent PRACTICING, but also learning about pedagogy, learning styles, teaching styles, psychology of performance, mental processes, practice methods, motivational techniques, and so much more. Thus, would you rather study with someone who plays really well, or with someone who plays equally well AND can also show you how to do it?
My main teachers did both: excellent performers, excellent educators, and that translated into great lessons. They were patient, hard-working, creative, curious, empathetic, and open-minded. As a student, I didn’t always understand the goal of the lesson. But now, as a performer/teacher, I am reminded constantly of just how brilliant they were.
Has teaching made you a better musician?
Yes, of course. As teachers we are constantly talking to students about what they should be doing in the practice room: keeping a practice journal, slow practicing, developing a daily routine, fixing technique, etc. All of this translates into our own practice sessions. You have to practice what you preach. Along with that, students are always bringing in new music, so our musical vocabulary is strengthened, and it forces us to keep our technique sharp.
Knowing what you know today, would you change how you prepared for your career?
My teacher at VCU encouraged me to get involved in as many different styles of music and to learn as many different types of percussion as I could, because you had to be able to say yes to any gig that was offered. At Eastman, the environment was so encouraging and supportive. We were pushed to be the best we could be, in the most positive ways. I fully believe that I am where I am for a reason. I am extremely thankful for all the opportunities that got me here and I don’t think I would change a thing!
What words of wisdom would you like to share with students?
Get involved in as many musical, and as many percussion opportunities as you can. Don’t limit yourself to one style. Everything you do musically helps your next musical opportunity. You don’t know where your path leads. Most students don’t know where they’ll be in 20 years, so it is really important to keep all doors open, and keep an open mind to all musical experiences.
If you would like to learn more about Dr. Harnsberger, please visit his website at: www.andyharnsberger.com
