A full Professor of Music at William Paterson University teaching contemporary music, percussion, composition, improvisation, and Hindustani music; and Co-Artistic director of SHASTRA, Dr. Payton MacDonald has created a unique body of work as a performer and composer. Having been described as an “energetic soloist” by the New York Times and as an “inventive, stylistically omnivorous composer and gifted performer by the Los Angeles Times, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan and at the Eastman School of Music he was awarded a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. Dr. MacDonald studied composition with Sydney Hodkinson, Robert Morris, Dave Rivello, Bright Sheng and Augusta Read Thomas; percussion with John Beck, Michael Udow, Julie Spencer, Richard Landauer and John Alfieri; tabla with Bob Becker and Pandit Sharda Sahai; and Dhrupad vocal with the Gundecha Brothers. 
His compositions have been performed by such notable artists and ensembles as: Alarm Will Sound, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Los Angeles Philharmonic, JACK Quartet, New Jersey Percussion Ensemble, So Percussion, To Hit Duo, Young Voices of Colorado, Quintet Mont Royal, Classical Jam, guitarists Mak Grgic and Eliot Fisk, tabla soloist Shawn Mativetsky, accordionist Bill Schimmel, french hornist John Clark to name but a few. And has received grants and awards from ASCAP, Meet the Composer, American Music Center, American Institute of Indian Studies, as well as fellowships from Yaddo and Ragdale. He has also composed music for the Silken Dance Company.
As a performer he was a founding member of the new-music chamber orchestra Alarm Will Sound making five recordings with them on the Nonesuch and Cantaloupe labels; and currently performs with the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble. As a solo marimbist, MacDonald has commissioned many works from such composers as: Charles Wuorinen, Robert Morris, Caleb Burhans, Don Freund, Peter Jarvis, Elliott Sharp, David Saperstein, Michael Udow, and Stuart Saunders Smith; and has released five solo marimba recordings on a variety of labels. As an improviser he has performed with Elliott Sharp, Billy Martin, Kevin Norton, Aakash Mittal, Peter Evans, Tim Feeney, Todd Sickafoose, Theo Metz, and many others; releasing several recordings and YouTube videos of his improvisations. From 1994-2004 Dr. MacDonald performed with the flute and percussion duo Verederos, a flute and percussion duo Verederos recording two CDs under the Equilibrium label. He has also appeared as a soloist in England and Croatia, performed with Present Music, toured Japan with Keiko Abe and the Galaxy percussion group, and performed and recorded with acclaimed singer/songwriter Noe Venable. He has been a featured performer of his own music at festivals in Montreal (Voyages) and Minneapolis (Electric Eyes); and was a TEDx speaker at Elevate and TEDx Bozeman.
As a Dhrupad singer he has performed at concert halls, yoga centers, and universities in India, the U.S., Europe, and Canada; at the Dhrupad Mela in Varanasi, India; and at festivals in Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, the Ragas Live Festival in New York City, the Brooklyn Raga Massive and the Dhrupad Days of Seattle and Wayne. He was awarded a Senior Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship where he spent nine months in India studying with the Gundecha Brothers. And has performed with pakhawaj and jori drummers Pandit Akhilesh Gundecha, Roman Das, Dibyarka Chatterjee, Peter Fagiola, Dnyaneshvara Deshmukh, Tejas Tope and Shawn Mativetsky.
He has also endeavored into making films and music videos that focus on the extreme and the avant-garde. His first documentary film, “Sonic Divide” won Best Documentary at the Helper Utah Film Festival and “Honorable Mention” at the Backpackinglight.com film festival. Currently he is finishing his second feature-length documentary film, “Ringing Changes, 50 Years of New Jersey Percussion Ensemble.”
When did you begin studying music?
I started learning organ and piano when I was eight years old. Initially I wasn’t too enthusiastic about it, but my Mom made me take the lessons. After about a year I was having some trouble with the rhythms in one of the pieces so my teacher suggested to my Mom that she get me a practice pad and some sticks. As soon as I started tapping away I knew that was what I wanted to do. I then studied with a local drum set teacher, but by middle school I met Richard Landauer, who had been trained as a jazz drummer and concert percussionist. He really got me started on developing proper technique and how to read music better.
What made you choose percussion?
Partly the sound of the instruments, partly the diversity of the instruments, and partly the physicality of the instruments. There’s just something so satisfying about holding sticks and making contact with another surface. The feel of drumming and percussion really resonates with me. I’m a very athletic and energetic person, and I crave the visceral, physical experience of drumming.
Who were your primary teachers?
Richard Landauer up to my junior year of high school. Then I went to the Interlochen Arts Academy for my senior year of high school where I studied with John Alfieri. I followed that with four years at the University of Michigan where I studied mostly with Michael Udow, but I also learned timpani from Sal Rabbio and marimba from Julie Spencer. After that I spent four years at the Eastman School of Music where I studied with John Beck and earned my MM and DMA degrees. During that time I also started learning tabla from Bob Becker and eventually from Pandit Sharda Sahai. I’ve been very blessed to work with so many of the world’s best percussion teachers. I’m forever in their debt for their generosity and deep musicianship. I just try my best each day to live up their legacy.
Pandit Sharda Sahai passed away in 2011 and for a variety of reasons I decided to switch over to Hindustani vocal music. Since then I’ve been learning Dhrupad vocal from the Gundecha Brothers. Dhrupad is a 700-year old tradition of classical music from India and is extremely complex and difficult. Turns out I have a great voice for it and the music really sits well with me. Nowadays I spend as much time practicing my singing as I do my percussion playing. They complement each other very well and there’s no question that all the singing has made me a far better percussionist in every way. My concentration is much better, my pitch sensitivity is much higher, and my ability to phrase and breathe is much better. I highly recommend singing to any serious percussionist.
When did you decide to pursue a career in music?
Basically by the time I was about 14 years old, though it took me a while to figure out the exact path. I eventually set myself up to become a full-time college professor because the music I’m most passionate about (experimental and world music) doesn’t have much commercial value and I needed a way to support myself. And of course I love teaching and being in an environment with so many creative and interesting people. I was lucky to get my job at William Paterson University, which is one of the centers of percussion playing in the United States. I’m now a tenured, Full Professor there.
Did you have a specific goal: teach, compose, etc.?
At this point my career is very idiosyncratic. I’m performing regularly as a percussionist: mostly experimental music at festivals and concerts, and everywhere from Carnegie Hall to remote places in the wilderness. A lot of my projects as a percussionist are ones I dream up myself. I don’t do much free-lance playing any more, though I did earlier in my career; at this point I’m more focused on my own creative projects. But I also have a parallel career singing North Indian Hindustani Dhrupad Classical music. Last year I actually did more concerts in that capacity than I did as a percussionist! That is a totally different world, with completely different aesthetics and community, and I love it. And then I also maintain a life as a composer. Sometimes I write music on commission and sometimes I compose things that I want to do, it just depends on the situation. Sometimes these different activities connect (like in my Sonic Divide project www.sonicdivide.com) and other times they are completely separate. Just this week, for example, I performed two concerts of percussion music and I sang three concerts of Dhrupad music, with completely different audiences in each situation.
And then I have a new life as a filmmaker which is connected to all this. I’m super busy, but every day is an adventure. I’m just grateful to be alive and healthy and creating new music every day. A life in music is a wonderful life.
Do you focus on a specific area of percussion, if so, did you always?
I am a specialist in contemporary classical music. But my undergraduate degree was in jazz and I also studied orchestral percussion. I’ve also played in West African drumming ensembles, Trinidadian steel bands, and I studied tabla for 10 years. So I’m very well-rounded and able to handle a lot of different kinds of students with different interests, but to some extent my specialty is contemporary classical music.
As far as instruments, I can play everything and I’ve had extensive instruction in all the areas, but I tend to gravitate towards the mallet percussion instruments – especially marimba. In fact, I have released 5 solo marimba recordings. I also still enjoy practicing rudimental and concert-style snare drumming.
Who impacted your musical growth the most?
Well, it is a mixture of all my great teachers and also many of the great performers and composers of the past.
What teaching positions have you held?
When I first finished my doctorate, I landed a tenure-track job at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. I was there for three years and then I got my present position at William Paterson University.
What percussionists have inspired you the most and why?
There are too many to list! All of the great jazz drummers have impacted me, of course my teachers, and of course many of the great tabla drummers.
Is there a specific genre you enjoy performing the most?
I enjoy doing a mixture of improvised and non improvised music. As long as the level of musicianship with my colleagues is high and the music is focused on creativity and exploration I enjoy it. I’m not interested in commercial music.
I also have a parallel career as a North Indian Hindustani Dhrupad singer. I’m very passionate about that music. It’s the most pure and beautiful form of music I have ever experienced.
What composers do you identify with and why?
Again, there are too many to list. But if I have to pick a few I would probably say Machaut, Victoria, Bach, Beethoven, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Bartok, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Thelonius Monk. I guess I am partial to composers who were also first-rate improvisers and performers.
Do you get nervous before you play – if so, how do you deal with it?
I used to really struggle with getting nervous before I played, but over the years I have been able to master that. It is primarily a matter of preparation. It took me a long time to understand what I really needed to do to be properly prepared for a concert. And, for many years I was trying to play repertoire that was far too difficult for me.
My advice for younger players who are struggling with nerves is to work with their teacher and make sure they spend a long time learning simple repertoire really well before trying to play hard pieces. Also, there are a lot of things you can do to get ready for performances that will replicate the situation, such as recording yourself playing, videotaping yourself playing, and running your pieces in suboptimal conditions, such as when your hands are cold, the instrument is at the wrong height, the lighting is poor, or you just did 20 push-ups and you’re out of breath and your adrenaline is high. These techniques are good for helping you deal with the adventure of performing. But, nothing substitutes for proper preparation and decades of experience!
Do you ever make a mistake while performing? If so, how do you go about resolving it?
Ha ha! I’ve built my career on making mistakes! Of course! But what’s important is knowing what kinds of mistakes are important and what kinds are not. Of course, we want to play clean and perfect every time, but so long as you’ve prepared to the best of your ability, no one can rationally criticize you for missing a note once in a while. That’s forgivable. What’s unforgivable is coming unprepared. And even worse, not giving your heart and soul to the audience. As long as you give every ounce of your emotional being to the music and you come prepared then you are in good shape.
Has your practice regimen changed from when you were a student? And how do you keep your technique fresh on all primary percussion instruments?
When I have more open time like during the summer I have technique routines that I use every day when I practice. I also work on various etudes to keep my technique clean and fresh. When I’m really busy in the middle of the semester I often practice with my students several times a week, leading them through technique sessions. This teaches them how to practice (and pushes them), and also keeps my playing in good shape.
How do you define a good musician and a good teacher? And has your definition of both changed from when you were a student to the present?
For me it boils down to musicianship, which means a lot of things, but basically a deep passion for music, a child-like wonder and fascination with the power of good music, a sense of lyricism, a love of the art form, coupled with mindful attention to the techniques needed to support musicianship. A good teacher has that, plus is organized, and can identify and solve the particular struggles of each student.
Do you think that performing and teaching are intrinsically intertwined? If so, how and why?
Yes. They are both different ways of advancing the art form, of communicating the wonders of music to other people.
Has teaching made you a better musician, if so how and why?
Yes, because my practicing has become more disciplined. As I’ve gotten better at helping my students organize their practicing, I’ve gotten better at organizing my own practicing and coming up with solutions to my specific problems.
Knowing what you know today, would you change anything about how you prepared for your career? If so, what and why?
The only thing I would have done differently is perhaps gotten an undergraduate degree in Music Education rather than Performance, just so I could have learned some tips on teaching that I had to figure out on my own. But otherwise I’m very happy with the trajectory my career has taken.
What words of wisdom would you share with a student who aspires to make a career as a performer and as an educator?
Ask yourself if there’s anything else you’d be happy doing. If there is something else, then do that thing and pursue music as a hobby. But if there’s nothing else, then give music everything you’ve got. Live a life of austerity and complete dedication (what we call Sadhana in Hindustani music) to the art form, and it will all work out. What you give to music will be given back to you. So give it everything, and you will get everything.
If you would like to learn more about, and/or contact Dr. MacDonald, please visit his website at: https://paytonmacdonald.com
