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Born in Traverse City Michigan, Andrew Wheelock began his professional performance career at the age of twelve. By the time he had graduated high school, he had begun working to develop his craft and his place in the music scene. He went on to study percussion and music education at Central Michigan University where he learned from Michigan greats like Billy Hart, Keith Hall, Andrew Spencer, and Rob Smith. He then went on to earn both a Master’s and D.M.A. in Jazz studies from the University of Illinois where he served as the Jazz drum Graduate Assistant. While at UofI, Wheelock studied with Joel Spencer, Larry Gray, Chip Stephens, Chip McNeil, Jim Pugh, Tito Carrillo, William Moersch, and Ricardo Flores. At UofI, Wheelock’s passion and understanding of Jazz flourished alongside of his love for Afro-Cuban and popular music within the African Diaspora. Wheelock held the drum chair for the UofI Concert Jazz Band under Chip McNeil as well as the drum chair for Tito Carillo's Latin Jazz Band.
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Wheelock accepted the Percussion Area Coordinator position at the University of Wyoming in 2018. Since starting at UWYO, Wheelock has greatly expanded percussion in the department as well as the state through outreach and interdisciplinary projects, including hosting the annual Wyoming Day of Percussion. Under Wheelock's direction, the UWYO Percussion studio is developing into a nationally recognized studio that focuses on developing musicians and educators that are bullet proof in their fundamentals, innovative in their musical approach, and well versed in the styles and technologies required of tomorrows artists.
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"My teaching philosophy is based on the pedagogical theory of progressivism; in that I believe students’ interests must be a driving force of their learning experience. Once a student truly understands their interests and goals, I believe passion follows. Once the 'fire' has been lit, I strive to inspire my students to find new limits within themselves and encourage them to explore and develop their own unique musicality. I do this by emphasizing strong fundamental techniques as well as honest and specific self-assessment. Music as an art and industry, is constantly changing and I believe that understanding this is key to providing students with a viable musical education. I try to expose my students to as many musical styles, experiences, practices, and theories as possible in an effort to prepare them for such an industry."
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