J. Andrew Porter joined the West Point Band at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York in May 2005. He was appointed as a rudimental drummer in the band’s field music group, known as The Hellcats. The West Point Band is the oldest continuous military band in service, with history dating back to the Revolutionary War period, and the musicians attached to General Washington’s Continental Army. The drummers of The Hellcats strive to honor tradition, engage the present, and look to the future of rudimental drumming. This was the central premise of The Hellcats’ 2008 PASIC clinic presented in Austin, Texas.
Prior to his appointment with The Hellcats, Andrew was an assistant band director at Barren County High School in Glasgow, Kentucky. Andrew also served two years as percussion specialist for the J.J. Pearce High School cluster of bands in Richardson, Texas, and was part of the instructional staff for Nite Express Drum and Bugle Corps in 1996. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Western Kentucky University, and a Master of Music in percussion performance from Louisiana State University. His primary teachers include Dr. Christopher S. Norton, Dr. Michael G. Kingan, Timothy K. Adams, Jr. and Conrad Alexander. As a concert percussionist, Andrew has performed with the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Natchez Opera Festival Orchestra, the Dallas Wind Symphony, and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra. As a rudimental percussionist, he has performed in the snare line of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps from 1993-1995, and was the snare line section leader for the 1996 WGI Independent World Class Champion Music City Mystique. In addition to freelance performance opportunities in the lower Hudson Valley area, Andrew frequently performs with the West Point Concert Band, West Point Percussion Ensemble, and the West Point Steel Band. As a clinician, Andrew presents clinics and master classes covering marching and concert percussion techniques for university and high school students. In his free time, Andrew enjoys spending time with his wife and son, cycling, and woodworking.
