Andrew Martin Smith, D.M.A.

About Andrew

Andrew Martin Smith (b. 1984, Sharon, CT) is a composer, clarinetist, and music educator based in Western New York. Through his music, he explores the sonic ramifications of interdisciplinary influence and inspiration, drawing connections between seemingly disparate disciplines, artistic endeavors, and stylistic trends. His compositions have been performed at contemporary music festivals and conferences throughout the United States and Europe, including the Society of Composers, Inc. National Conference, the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, Electronic Music Midwest, and the International Computer Music Conference. Recordings of his music are available on the SEAMUS and Beauport Classical labels, and his chamber work for voice, clarinet, and alto saxophone was featured in the SCI Journal of Music Scores.

Smith holds degrees in music composition and clarinet performance from the State University of New York at Fredonia (Mus.B.) and composition from Bowling Green State University (M.M. and D.M.A.), where he completed his doctoral studies in Contemporary Music in 2014. His primary composition instructors have included Mikel Kuehn, Elainie Lillios, Burton Beerman, Andrea Reinkemeyer, Donald Bohlen, and Karl Boelter.

An active advocate for contemporary music, Smith is a member of the ADJ•ective New Music Composers' Collective and co-advisor for the Ethos New Music Society. He is a Lecturer at the Fredonia School of Music, where he teaches Theory, Aural Skills, Composition, and Arts Advocacy and Leadership. Smith also serves as a faculty member at Interlochen Arts Camp and Interlochen Online, where he brings his commitment to fostering creativity and musical literacy to the next generation of composers and performers.

As an educator, I value the process of learning. Striving to instill this value in every student that I teach, I encourage self-reflection, intellectual honesty, the synthesis of multiple perspectives, and critical, creative thinking. Making students aware of how they learn, instead of simply focusing upon what they learn, offers them an opportunity to develop skills beyond what Lev Vygotsky called the zone of proximal development (ZPD). Students may only become life-long learners if they are able to acquire, synthesize, and reflect upon new ideas and skills while outside the presence of an instructor.