Percussionist, clinician, and educator, Andy Smith has performed in the national spotlight for over two decades. A former resident of Nashville, Tennessee, Andy taught as Adjunct Percussion Instructor at Middle Tennessee State University from 1999-2008. He is a regular clinician in a variety of settings for all ages across the country, including the 2010 Kentucky PAS (Percussive Arts Society) Day of Percussion, the Georgia PAS Day of Percussion, the North Alabama PAS Day of Percussion, the Indiana Percussion Association State Day of Percussion, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Mars Hill College in North Carolina, and the University of North Alabama where he also served on the faculty from 2007-2008. He is the percussion instructor for the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, a state sponsored program for elite college-bound musicians.

Andy has studied drum-set and Afro-Cuban Music with Michael Spiro, Lalo Davila, Ed Uribe, Victor Mendoza, Ian Froman, Alan Hall, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Richie “Gajate” Garcia, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Jesus Diaz.  He also traveled to Ghana, West Africa where he studied West African drumming and dance with Paschal Younge, Johnson Kemeh, and others. He studied gyil and West African drumming and dance with Bernard Woma in the United States. Andy’s orchestral teachers include John Tafoya, Peter Tanner, Jim Ancona, Thom Hannum and Kevin Bobo.

Andy has performed with Lalo Davila, Mat Britain, Mambo Blue and The Canadian Brass. He has been recorded on numerous albums and instructional videos and has performed at Tanglewood, the Hollywood Bowl and Lincoln Center. Currently living in Bloomington, IN, Andy performs with regional orchestras, including the Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra and the Carmel Symphony Orchestra. His Brazilian Jazz Quintet has been featured at local Jazz festivals and on WFHBs Local Live program. In 2010, Andy led the Indiana University Bateria at Carnaval festivals in Bloomington and Indianapolis, and performed as a special guest with Nation Beat at the Lotus Music Festival. A versatile composer and arranger, Andy is published by Row-Loff Publications. His music is regularly performed all over the country. He is endorsed by Pearl/Adams, Evans drumheads and Innovative Percussion.