Joe is a versatile artist with a passion for music. He's a performer, educator, and composer, exploring various genres like rock, pop, punk, alternative, Americana, American Roots, and Jazz.
His musical journey is an energetic and expressive experience, involving live performances, teaching, recording, and writing across a wide range of styles. Joe is always engaged in creative pursuits!
Joe plays drums for The Jonah Ross Band, The Jacob Vanko Band, and in his jazz band The Hamm Hawks.
Joe proudly launched a new studio in 2020 in celebration of 20 years of drumming. The Be Plus Studio is a a generative songwriting space. We write, record, collaborate, and guide musicians to write great music. We're dedicated to the creative music writing process, and growing songs from theme of the imagination to reality.
From in house creations and workshops to collaborations with partner organizations and recording studios, the Be Plus Studio is dedicated to making something new.
Go to www.BePlusStudio.com.
Educational Philosophy
People of all ages, colors, and cultures, deserve the resources and opportunity to develop musical skills and apply them to both interpretive and expressive outlets. Musicians at any stage of growth can learn resilience in the face of failure, and the freedom of experimentation. Intensity, dedication, and fun are major keys to making progress over time. Through the musical practice, students become technically proficient and artistically experienced.
Teaching Artist
Teaching Artist Mentality
"A teaching artist is a practicing professional artist with the complementary skills, curiosities and sensibilities of an educator, who can effectively engage a wide range of people in learning experiences in, through, and about the arts." -Eric Booth
Joe approaches education from an active and engaged artist perspective. Always studying, and participating in new music projects, Joe offers a professional musicians perspective to the classroom environment. is It is both a pleasure and my duty to pass on the musical tradition that was passed on to me by my musical mentors. Musicians are a global community, and when we share knowledge and support each other, we all succeed.
Citizen Artists’ initiatives place both aspects at the forefront: they are artistically excellent and impact driven, employing artistic innovation to create social or civic impact. Joe has worked to create opportunity for thousands of students Coastal Virginia, and impacted over students throughout the United States through his work with El Sistema USA.