Zo Harris—musical director, composer and educator—collaborates with big names in the music world such as rapper Pitbull and singer-songwriter H.E.R. Photos by Leslie La Barre
Alonzo “Zo” Harris spoke virtually Oct. 29 with a group of about 20 students and members of the Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College about his higher education experience leading to a career in the music industry.
The lecture, hosted by Eckerd’s music discipline, was one in a series of Masterclass events at the Roberts Music Center on the College campus.
Harris is a musical director, composer and educator with a background in creative music technology. He collaborates with big names in the music world, such as rapper Pitbull and singer-songwriter H.E.R., along with major labels and networks.
Not only was Harris the first African American to arrange the national anthem for the Olympics, but he also has musical expertise in several genres of music—including R&B, classical, rock and traditional Indian music.
Harris explained to the crowd how he learned about all aspects of music to strengthen his own engineering. For example, he spoke to audio engineers to know more about the power of sound placement and amplification. Observation helped him understand how things came together.
The lecture series was designed to inform students about the art of music through experts in the field.
“Theories and practice are sometimes backwards,” Harris explained.
Composer Leslie La Barre, DMA, Eckerd’s assistant professor of music and music discipline coordinator, makes it a priority to show students careers in music across the industry. That’s what prompted her, with the help of Alex Harris, co-founder of the Arts Conservatory for Teens, to coordinate this Masterclass Series.
“Networking and spawning growth for students to try new interests” was an objective for the program for La Barre, in addition to building a platform and interface.
Alex Harris, co-founder of the Arts Conservatory for Teens, hosted the presentation.
The Masterclass Series is intended to inform students about the art of music through experts in the field. This year, it started with performing arts management with Alex Harris—who also hosts these events. Alex Harris is currently leading a class on the music business for passionate performing arts students looking to learn more about all aspects of the industry.
Psychology and human development sophomore Max Garr, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, participated in La Barre’s Musical Ecology of New Orleans course last spring. He says he enjoyed his learning experience attending the October event.
“I found it to be fascinating,” Max explains, “how Alonzo Harris emphasized ‘keeping a bag of tricks’ up his sleeve after immersing himself in all aspects of music and sound before participating.”
Max found Zo Harris’s words to be valuable, especially his advice to educate yourself before considering yourself an expert in the field.
Eckerd’s music discipline hopes to provide broad opportunities for students to interact with professionals in the industry. Professors are seeking alumni and community mentors with expertise to share their experiences with students to build those one-on-one connections with professionals. Faculty efforts are aimed to impact students’ growth and journeys as artists and professionals, shaping their future to be successful.
