Dr. Larry Snider is Distinguished Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Akron in Akron, OH. He holds a bachelor's degree from Illinois State University and a master's degree from the University of North Texas as well as a Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance from the University of Illinois. Voted by his colleagues at the University of Akron as "Distinguished Teacher of the Year," Larry has built a strong percussion program whose graduates consistently achieve professional success as performers and educators throughout the world. The program's most visible and widely acclaimed component is the University of Akron Steel Drum Band, which helps students gain valuable experience in teaching and playing ethnic music and Latin accessory instruments. Founded in 1980 by Larry as one of the nation's first and foremost collegiate panorama-style ensembles, the steel drum band performs locally and throughout the United States.
An accomplished performer, Larry is Principal Percussionist of the Akron Symphony Orchestra. He has premiered more than 20 contemporary music compositions in international venues, including those by such noted composers as Marta Ptaszynska and Stuart Smith. He is also a researcher and clinician on performance anxiety and hypnosis as it applies to performance and teaching of music. In this role, he traveled to Athens, Greece in 2000 to present performance anxiety lectures for visual artists, writers, dancers and musicians. Larry is also responsible for bringing the internationally acclaimed Sylvia Smith (New Music Archives) to the University of Akron to serve as an invaluable resource for musicians from around the world.
Long active in the Percussive Arts Society, Larry is on the organization's Board of Directors and is among the founding members of the New Music Research Committee. He has charted the New Music Research Day for Percussive Arts Society conferences throughout the United States for more than 15 years. Larry is a percussion clinician for Yamaha Corporation of America, Sabian Cymbals and Pro Mark. In 2000, he was invited to Poland to serve on the performance and teaching faculty of the International Marimba Competition in Warsaw.
