Dr. Dave Gerhart, Assistant Marketing Manager, Education for the Yamaha Corporation of America and Lecturer of Percussion at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU, Long Beach, is a nationally recognized performer, composer, and educator. Dr. Gerhart, originally from Fairfield, California, holds a D.M.A. from the University of Southern California in Percussion Performance with a secondary emphasis in Music Education, Ethnomusicology, and Music Industry & Technology. He received a M.M. in Percussion Performance and Instrumental Conducting and a B.M. in Music Education from California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Gerhart has been featured on CDs with the Robin Cox Ensemble, Steven Hartke, and Gabriela Ortiz.
As a freelance musician, Dave has performed under Gustavo Dudamel, Zubin Mehta, Carl St. Clair, Enrique Diemecke, Mehli Mehta, and has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, Michael Kamen, Liam Teague, Yefim Bronfman, Ray Holman, Robert Greenidge and the Blue Man Group. His principle teachers include Dr. Michael Carney, Erik Forrester, Brad Dutz, and Raynor Carroll, principal percussionist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His steel drum ensemble, the Island Hoppin’ Steel Drum Band, performs throughout Southern California.
Dave serves on the Board of Advisors and the World Percussion Committee for the Percussive Arts Society. An advocate of using technology in the classroom, Dr. Gerhart was featured in Technology and Its Use by Percussion Educators in the 21st Century (Published in Percussive Notes – January 2012) by Tracy Wiggins and part of the case study Using Technology to Enhance Performance Pedagogy in the Postsecondary Brass Studio by Adam Snider. In 2010, Dave co-founded DrumChattr.com and currently curates percussion related content for PercussionEducation.com.
Dave’s compositions and arrangements for triangle, timpani, percussion ensemble and steel drum orchestra are published by Bachovich Music Publications, Boxfish Music Publishing and Living Sounds Publications.
Updated January 2021