Hal Howland’s first book, The Human Drummer: Thoughts on the Life Percussive, appears on his Web site, www.halhowland.com. Howland’s master’s thesis, “The Vibraphone,” the definitive history of the instrument, is published in Percussionist (summer and fall 1977). Since 1978 he has contributed to ArtSpirit, Culture, the Key West Citizen, Key Wester, L’Attitudes, Modern Drummer, Music Retailing, Percussion, Percussive Notes, Scene, Secret of Salt, Solares Hill, Sticks & Mallets, Talking Drums, and Unicorn Times.
Howland was born on August 30, 1951, in Washington, D.C. He showed a love of music about the age of four, studied the piano from age eight, and began to play drums, guitar, and bass at twelve. He has performed and composed classical, avant-garde, jazz, rock, and folk music in America, Europe, and the Middle East. Howland received his B.A. in music from James Madison University in 1973 and his M.A. in music history from Catholic University in 1976. Among his teachers were Fred Begun (National Symphony Orchestra), Kenneth Krohn (Israel Philharmonic), and Bill Reichenbach (Charlie Byrd Trio).
Beginning in 1981 Howland presented his award-winning BMI jazz compositions (supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts) with the Howland Ensemble, whose critically acclaimed recordings include the audiophile phonorecord The Howland Ensemble (1986) and the compact discs Reiko (1995) and 10 Years in 5 Days (2003). Howland was the timpanist of the National Chamber Orchestra (recording for the KOCH International label) from its inception in 1984 through its fifteenth anniversary season. For more than thirty years he taught music at his private studio and in local schools. Today he is a busy freelance musician and an accomplished singer-songwriter.
Hal Howland plays Ludwig drums, Zildjian cymbals, and Vic Firth sticks, brushes, and mallets.
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