Retired principal timpanist of the United States Navy Band, Dr. Guy Gauthreaux, has performed at the White House, and in five Inaugural parades for every United States president from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush. Moreover, he has been a part of countless military ceremonies and concerts at the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the US Capital, the Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall. Dr. Gauthreaux’s extensive travels with the Navy Band included annual tours throughout the 48 contiguous United States, as well as Mexico, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, the Azores, and Russia. Currently, he performs with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and.is a proud endorser of Cooperman, Zildjian, and Grover Pro Percussion.
Dr. Gauthreaux studied under the tutelage of Stan Finck, Al Wojtera, Terry Applebaum, John Raush, and Roland Kohloff. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe (formerly NLU), a Masters in Percussion Performance from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. 
Prior to joining the United States Navy Band, he taught at Northwestern State University of Louisiana in Natchitoches, Louisiana. He also served as a faculty member at the Shenandoah University Conservatory of Music in Winchester, Virginia, The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. And since 2008, he has taught at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana.
Dr. Gautheraux has performed in the orchestras of such musicals, operas, and ballets as: Rent, Hairspray, South Pacific, The Assassins, City of Angels, Les Miserables, Madame Butterfly, Samson and Delilah, Salome, The Marriage of Figaro, Pagliacci, Carmina Burana, Hansel and Gretel, Marie (Antoinette), Cendrillon, the Nutcracker, Video Games Live, and Zelda!. He has shared the concert stage with such notable entertainers as: the Beach Boys, Michael Bolton, Ernest Borgnine, Charlotte Church, Tony Curtis, Paquito D’Rivera, Bella Fleck, John Forsyth, Larry Gatlin, Cathy Lee Gifford, Vadim Gluzman, John Goodman, Denise Graves, Lee Greenwood, Marvin Hamlisch, Milt Jackson, The Jets, Jack Jones, Patti Labelle, Yo Yo Ma, Johnny Matthias, Liza Minnelli, Randy Newman, Chuck Norris, The Modern Jazz Quartet, and Lou Rawls. Dr. Gautheraux has also performed under the baton of such respected conductors as: Warren Benson, Col. John Bourgois, Dinos Constantinides, Eugene Corporon, Col. Charles Erwin, Frederick Fennel, Capt. Ralph Gambone, Richard Hayman, Carl Husa, Glenn Langdon, Anthony Maiello, Francis McBeth, Timothy Muffit, James Paul, John Paynter, Carlos Miguel Prieto, John Rutter, Clauspeter Seibel, Leonard Slatkin, Robert W. Smith, Christian Tiemeyer, and Garwood Whaley.
He can be heard on numerous recordings with the United States Navy Band and the Washington Winds; as well as on the educational CD recordings included with Garwood Whaley’s Primary Handbook for Snare Drum, Concert Solos for the Intermediate Snare Drummer, and Primary Handbook for Timpani. It was in 1999 that Dr. Gautheraux released his first solo snare drum CD, Open-Closed-Open: American Contest Solos for Snare Drum – which has become the world’s best selling solo snare drum CD for the past 20 years. And in 2004,with the beginning and intermediate snare drum student in mind, he recorded the 40 PAS rudiments, entitled: Rudiments! Rudiments! Rudiments!.
As a composer, his work has been performed around the world, receiving multiple honors at the annual Percussive Arts Society’s Composition Contest. It was his American Suite for Solo Snare Drum, which won 1st place in 1989; in 1998 he won 3rd Place for his Capriccio for Solo Timpani; and in 2002 he won 2nd Place for his multiple percussion work, Time To Remember. Along with founding the publishing company, Pioneer Percussion, Dr. Gauthreaux’s compositions are published and distributed by Studio 4 Productions, William Allen Music, Meredith Music Publications, Hal Leonard Corporation, and MostlyMarimba.com.
When did you begin studying music?
I began studying in elementary school music classes when I was in fourth grade.
Did you always study percussion?
I started playing the drums when I was 11, and haven’t stopped yet!
What made you choose percussion?
When I was in the fifth grade, our band director asked everyone what instrument they wanted to play, and then gave each person a short musical test. Since I wanted to play the drums, my test involved clapping the same rhythms he clapped to me. It was no problem for me, and I was in!
Who were your primary teachers?
I grew up in a small town, and other than a couple of local band directors, there was no one giving drum lessons. I took a few lessons from Mr. Billy King (a band director), and he mostly helped me with performing rhythms and correcting my grip. I tried to study with a couple of college drummers in town, but as I recall, they rarely showed up for my scheduled lessons. What I believe helped me the most, was when I got a copy of Frank Arsenault’s recording of drum rudiments and rudimental snare drum solos. And despite not having a percussion teacher, I excelled in the school band program, and I was fortunate enough to make it into the local District Honor Band, and the Louisiana All-State Honor Band. I got into college on a music scholarship and studied with Stan Finck, Al Wojtera, Terry Alpplebaum, and John Raush. I was also able to get a few lessons with Marty Hurley, Gordon Stout and Roland Kohloff.
When did you decide to pursue a career in music?
I guess I decided late in high school that I would major in music. Again, living in a small town, I was not exposed to very many career choices, so I saw what my band director was doing and I thought that would be fun!
Did you have a specific goal: teach, compose, etc.?
At first no, but during my studies in college, I decided I would like to teach percussion at the collegiate level.
Do you focus on a specific area of percussion, if so, did you always?
Currently, I am playing orchestral percussion with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans, and timpani at local cathedrals, touring shows, etc. Back in high school, I was only focused on snare drum. While in college, I was active in marching percussion, drum set, percussion ensemble, wind ensemble, musicals, and orchestra. During my career in the Navy Band, I was first involved with concert and marching percussion, and then just timpani. While in DC, I also played cymbals, and then snare drum extensively in recording sessions on educational reference recordings for most of the major music publishers.
Who impacted your musical growth the most?
All of my college percussion teachers had a profound effect on my musical growth. Al Wojtera was instrumental in preparing me for my percussion experience at Northwestern University. Dr. Terry Applebaum, my percussion teacher at NU, was always focused first and foremost on playing music, not just the notes and rhythms. He had the most impact on my musicality. The late Dr. John Rausch, my percussion teacher during my doctoral studies at LSU, was ultimately responsible for my successful transition from university teacher to a professional player.
What teaching positions have you held?
I was a high school band director for two years at Wossman High School. At Northwestern State University, I was assistant band director and an instructor of percussion, and for a year I was director of bands. I also taught as an Adjunct Professor of Percussion at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, The Catholic University of America, George Mason University, and Southeastern Louisiana University.
What percussionists have inspired you the most and why?
This is easy. They would be the four seasoned percussionists who greeted me when I joined the Navy Band back in 1987: Bill Thomas, Guy Leslie, Greg MacDonald, and Leonard Cuddy. All ended up in the Navy Band, and made it a career, after either enlisting, or being drafted during the Vietnam-Era. I like to call them the “Gatekeepers.” For decades, they had learned all the ins and outs of performing in a military band, and would eventually pass their knowledge on to all of us younger players. But what I remember the most was how they played so well together as a section; despite what they often saw on the podium. When I first listened to the Band, I realized there was something extra I could hear and feel: it was the musical “soul” of the Band. You can hear this in most bands and orchestras that have played together for decades. You hear it, you feel it, and when it’s not there, you notice its absence. I felt like a sponge when I joined this section; eager to absorb everything they knew. Throughout my musical career, I would have to say these four percussionists inspired me the most, for they instilled in me all the things I really needed to know to become a successful performer.
Is there a specific genre you enjoy performing the most?
Yes, any orchestral setting: concerts, opera, shows, etc.
What composers do you identify with and why?
My favorite orchestral composers are Peter Tchaikovsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov for their excellent use of percussion scoring; Pratt, Wilcoxen, and Hurley for their rudimental writing; Colgrass and Benson for stretching the possibilities of how a snare drum sounds and techniques to perform it; Markovitch for improving and attempting to standardize our snare drum notation; and John Williams for his movie scoring, especially his timpani parts!
What motivated you to start composing?
I probably started playing rhythms in my head (and on school desks!) during junior high and high school. This led to writing drum cadences for our drum line. This continued and flourished through college. In the ’80’s, I started to write snare drum solos while teaching at a university. I saw an ad from Studio 4 Productions, in the PAS magazine, soliciting composers to submit snare drum solos for possible publication. I sent one in and it was accepted: “Technical’s 9.”
What inspires you to compose, and do you usually have a specific grade level in mind when you do?
The urge to be musically creative probably motivates me the most. I have always been more interested in difficult music, but I did dabble in easy and intermediate snare drum solos for a short period of time.
How do you feel when someone performs your work differently than you intended?
I strive to be as clear as possible with my own notation so the end product is close to what I intended. This was rather easy with my snare drum and timpani writings. I did write a four mallet marimba solo, “Aeolian Fantasy”, which is often performed. There is a middle section that is supposed to be “dream like.” Apparently my notation was not as clear as I thought, and this section is not always played as I had hoped. I do find many performers often play my snare drum solos faster than marked, or rush through them without understanding, or expressing its rhythms and musical lines. But I always enjoy listening to performances of my music, either in person or on the Internet.
What would you like others to know about your compositions?
First, I hear rhythms, melodies, patterns, etc. in my head. Much later, I began to write down what I heard in my head. So my goal for any performance is that it should sound exactly like what I heard in my head. And sometimes it does. I always compose at the instrument, not at a desk. I basically write what I hear, which was especially important for my timpani and marimba compositions.
What is Pioneer Percussion and why did you create it?
Pioneer Percussion is a small music publishing company I started back in 1989, right after I had won 1st place in the PASIC Composition Contest (with American Suite for snare drum.) I started PP to help publish difficult percussion music, first my own music, and then music from friends and colleagues. In the late 80’s it was not easy to get difficult music published unless you were a well established composer. Many of my rejection letters from publishers said, “…write junior high stuff, it sells.”
Do you get nervous before you play – if so, how do you deal with it?
Not as much anymore. Over the decades, I developed a regimen that helps me to be completely prepared, and thus not nervous. Just knowing I’m prepared before the first rehearsal makes a huge difference. I would also say that the majority of my anxiety while performing occurs when playing from memory, especially mallet parts. Wearing glasses with progressive lenses has complicated things, especially when reading mallet parts.
Do you ever make a mistake while performing? If so, how do you go about resolving it?
I do make mistakes, but after so many decades of playing, it is much less now. One thing I learned in the Navy Band was to always make a specific notation on my part if I made a mistake in rehearsals. This reminded me to work on that section, or to pay more attention to it so that I correct the problem. I still do this today!
Has your practice regimen changed from when you were a student? And how do you keep your technique fresh on all primary percussion instruments?
Yes. As a student, I had plenty of time to practice. I spent all of my time learning new techniques, new excerpts, etc. I was a sponge. As a professional player with a busy schedule, my practice time has become limited and more maintenance oriented. Thus, maintaining my skills, and preparing difficult music is my daily routine.
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?
I define a good musician by his/her overall sound quality, and how true he/she stays to the “music.” Saul Goodman once said, “Always be subservient to the music.” I think he was saying, don’t rely on your own opinion, or a conductor, or even what a composer notated – just play the music. Always! When I was a young percussionist, I was obsessed with improving my technique. As a teacher, I have always tried to teach my students with Saul’s comments in mind: time, taste and technique, in that order.
Do you think that performing and teaching are intrinsically intertwined? If so, how and why?
Yes I agree that teaching and performing complement each other. However, I think performing has made me a better teacher. I now teach completely from personal experience, and not from what a teacher told me decades ago.
Knowing what you know today, would you change anything about how you prepared for your career? If so, what and why?
I would not change a thing. I have learned everything I know from good and bad teachers, good and bad conductors, colleagues, and my own decisions. I always had a long term outlook on what I wanted to achieve; this kept me focused when making important career decisions.
What words of wisdom would you share with a student who aspires to make a career as a performer and as an educator?
Today, the professional teaching and performing scene is extremely competitive. Study at different universities as you work your way through your degrees. Study with as many teachers as you can, especially those currently doing what you want to do. When I was breaking into the professional playing scene, there were far less people competing for a particular job. Go to PASIC and see who is playing; to play on new instruments; and to buy new instruments, music and mallets. Soak up everything that’s at PASC, for that is your competition and your future.
