JOE HAMM
Musician ★ Composer ★ Educator ★ Film Maker
STORY
Performer, Citizen Artist, Educator, Composer, and Film Maker, Joe Hamm has dedicated his music career to the dynamic intersection at socially equitable music education and original music making.
He has and continues to perform, teach, and write music for rock, indie, and jazz groups. In 2008 Joe's career skyrocketed with the MTV-U Woodie Award nomination and appearance on the nationally televised show with his band Chasing Arrows at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. That experience lead them to a Bronx based management deal with Nicon Entertainment Group and subsequent independently released recordings. Joe has produced, written, performed, and recorded with Lux Nova, Jake Hull, Junto, and independently. Joe has also performed with interdisciplinary ensembles in conjunction with glass artists, DJs, visual artists, and dancers.
Joe has collaborated with Rey Ramirez and Anne Henry to build Soundscapes, the 4th United States program inspired by the El Sistema philosophy beginning in the fall of 2009 into an internationally recognized leader in the El Sistema movement.
 MagicEddie Bernard mixed glass making and magic for an unforgettable night! A hat made of glass from a Third Thursday at the Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio. |
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 Radient IntensityJoe and Suzanne Peck collaborated to bring a vision to life. Thermal impressions are as real as the people we love. Learn more about Suzanne's work by clicking the link. |
 Hamburger ApocalypseTom Moore. Evil hamburgers destroying the city. Plants are alive and have places to go. |
 Music supporting Tom MooreChrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio directed by Charlotte Potter welcomed Tom Moore from Australia. Joe and Rich Soup collaborated to enrich the live storytelling of an evil hamburger working to destroy a city. |
 Joe Hamm and the SPD-SXThis was an all electronic music show with original sound design supporting the fantastical intersection between nature and industry imagined by Tom Moore. Renowned conceptual glass artist Charlotte Potter directed Third Thursday at the Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio and is always evolving. Learn more about her work by tapping the link below. |
 Rich SoupRich Soup and Joe Hamm wrote music and sampled urban and natural environmental sounds to trigger, supporting the vision of Tom Moore and intersection of nature and industry. Learn more about Rich's projects by clicking the link. |
 Collaborative CompositionJoe leads Collaborative Composition exercises with 45 student musicians between 3rd and 8th grade. |
 Student LeadersWhen students lead, classes benefit from peer mentorship on another level. |
 Dan Trahey and Joe HammCreative Collective Composition at Take a Stand Symposium 2017 at the LA Philharmonic in Los Angeles. #laphil #TAS2017 Photo: Larry Ho Photography. |
 Weapons of ChoiceCreative Collective Composition at Take a Stand Symposium 2017 at the LA Philharmonic in Los Angeles. #laphil #TAS2017 Photo: Larry Ho Photography. |
 Songwriting CoachingWorking with a team at a Canon International symposium to write music as a professional development experience. |
 2018 El Sistema SymposiumCo-presenting an interactive introduction to techniques in creative collective composition in addition to performing at the culminating event of the 2018 El Sistema USA Symposium at Duke University. |
MUSICIAN
Music has the power to transport audiences to fantastical worlds, inspire political action, tell stories, and ignite the imagination. I love mixing styles, combine and invent instruments, repurpose, blast, sample, drone, belt, and improvise. Reach out! Let's collaborate.
Photo Gallery
 Trading with Victor Wooten |  Performing at Virginia Beach |
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 35th Street Stage |  JUNTO Jazz Band |
 JUNTO |  Chasing Arrows @ the NorVa |
 Back Stage |  Instrumental Conduction |
Trading with Vic Wooten
Previous Video
Joe proudly launched a new studio in 2020 in celebration of 20 years of drumming. The Be Plus Studio is a a generative songwriting hotbed. 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 special projects, to collaborations with partner organizations and recording studios,
the Be Plus Studio is dedicated to making something new. Visit www.BePlusStudio.com.
Educator
Joe's 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. Not to mention learning the fraternity of what it means to be a musician.
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Teaching Artist
"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
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 Artist
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 over 1,000 students in his local area, and impacted over 20,000 students throughout the United States through his work with El Sistema USA.
FILM MAKER
Joe's advocacy films have aided Soundscapes in raising over three million dollars since 2012, and helped make the story of this innovative non-profit organization accessible to the world. Documentary films are an excellent tool for any individual or organization with a story to tell. Testimonials and footage reveal the authentic perspective of institutions, events, people, and concepts that write the arc of a film.