About Josh Gottry

Josh Gottry (b. 1974) earned his Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance at Northern Arizona University, his Master of Music in Composition at Arizona State University, and has successfully established himself as a respected educator, an accomplished percussionist, and an internationally recognized composer.

Mr. Gottry currently serves as adjunct music faculty at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, teaching courses in music theory & composition, percussion, and music humanities. Additionally, he works with ensembles and students at all grade levels as a clinician and within his private lesson studio. His performance record spans over 25 years with experience including professional orchestras, musical theater, worship teams, jazz combos, community and chamber ensembles, as well as solo performances and recitals. In 2011, he was selected to serve as a teaching artist with the Arizona Commission on the Arts, presenting clinics and residencies on percussion and composition for schools and after-school programs. In 2021, his book FREELANCE: 10 Commonsense Keys to Making YOUR Music YOUR Business was published by C. Alan Publications

For more than two decades, Mr. Gottry has been creating innovative, pedagogical, and engaging new compositions and arrangements. During that time, he has been selected for numerous ASCAP Plus awards and has created over 100 published works. Having come to composition through his musical pursuits as a performer and educator, he is uniquely able to create brilliantly creative and idiomatic works that have been performed throughout the world at schools, festivals, and international conventions.

Josh Gottry is a member of the Percussive Arts Society and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers and has been published in Percussive Notes, Rhythm! Scene, and The PAS Educators' Companion. He is a past president of the Arizona Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, a former PAS committee chair for the PAS Composition Committee, and contributed several years as a new literature reviewer for Percussive Notes and as the editor for Rhythm! Scene. Mr. Gottry is a clinician/endorser for Balter Mallets, Meinl Percussion, Remo Drumheads, Vic Firth Drumsticks, and Yamaha Percussion and has presented clinics at the Arizona Music Educators Association Conference, multiple state PAS days of percussion, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.