Just wanted to say thank you so much. I haven't played in 5 years, and having that chance again now is so amazing. I'm truly grateful to you.

Adam Willoughby, Fitchburg, MA

Really appreciate the service you provide as a whole. My son is now touring the US with Gold Drum & Bugle Corps after practicing for countless hours on your marimba.

Eric Schweitzer, Parent, Temecula, CA

I think this is such a great service that you provide for students who otherwise wouldn't be able to achieve the experience playing these instruments.

Janie Wright, Parent, Peoria, AZ

We will definitely be contacting you again down the road! This has been a lifesaver and well worth the money! So appreciated!

Courtney Robart, Parent, Granada Hills, CA

THANK YOU so much. I was in a bit of a panic since I no longer had access to the marimba I had planned to use. You're a lifesaver.

Jamie Gunther, The Park School, Brookline, MA

THANK YOU for being so great to work with and for being the answer to our prayers!

Amanda Davis, Parent, South Bend, IN

Thank you for providing me with such a difficult-to-find instrument at such a great price! I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to advance in my expertise of the vibraphone during these past few months. I have definitely appreciated not having to drive 12 miles out of my way to a university in order to practice. I will recommend your business to anyone I know of who may need percussion equipment.

Aku Adjibolosoo, San Diego, CA

[My son] has LOVED practicing the vibes. I think he will try and do vibes or marimba's next season and I will be sure to get in contact with you again and rent whichever he ends up with. Having these vibes has been so helpful and he plays on them constantly at home! Certainly have gotten my money's worth out of them!

Tanja Romney, Parent, Gilbert, AZ

I was accepted into four great grad schools: California State University Long Beach, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of Washington, and University of Colorado at Boulder. It has a lot to do with the fact that I rented your marimba. I cannot thank you enough!

Emerson Wahl, Los Angeles, CA

I just wanted you to know that I made marimba 3 in Pulse Percussion and it would've obviously never happened if I didn't have an instrument to work on. So thank you so much for everything!

Emalee Judeh, Los Angeles, CA

The [Adams field frame] marimba is beautiful and sounds amazing and will definitely contribute to making our show even better Again thanks for this opportunity. I will definitely and with the most gratitude recommend your company to anyone in the market for this kind of service.

Aric Whitley, Percussionist in Temecula Valley High School front ensemble, Temecula, CA

Thank you for filling our home with lovely Marimba music daily!

Kristine McIver, Parent, Phoenix, AZ

Thanks so much for the vibes rental a few years ago. So helpful until we found a Vibraphone to purchase. My son was accepted to The New School in NYC (his 1st choice) in their jazz program and is a thriving freshman. Thanks for being a part of his story!

Kerry Weddington, Parent, Corte Madera, CA

Great service Brian! Your business saved us big time!

Carol Mekailian, Parent, Arcadia, CA

Thank you for your great service, and I know I can speak for my son when I say that having the marimba here at our home was a lifesaver for him!! He was able to put in a lot of productive practice on it. Yes, I'll keep you in mind for future possible rentals!

Jessica Gonzalez, Parent, Phelan, CA

I love this [Deagan] 872! I didn't realize how much I had missed having a xylophone in the house, and a great old Deagan especially. The vibraphone has been cool too. I'm really glad you had them available. It's made preparations [for my Phoenix Symphony audition] go so smoothly!

Ben Irons, Percussionist, Phoenix, AZ

The 4.3 [octave marimba] that I'm working with is a fantastic instrument, and I really appreciate the service that you provide.

Joseph Nelson, Percussionist, San Diego, CA

I recently rented a marimba from Brian Harris to practice on for an upcoming concert. It has been a wonderful experience. The rental procedure was very easy, he had it delivered right on time, the marimba was a quality instrument and the rental price was very modest. I highly recommend Brian for any of your rental needs. Brian was very friendly, was very available for any questions or needs and truly offers great customer service. I will definitely use him again for any of my rental needs.

Bo Wagner, Percussionist for Starbuck, Los Angeles, CA

After 5 years of working with Brian J. Harris, it's great to be able to continue to refer students from Arizona School for the Arts to him for all their percussion rental needs. Not only does he make sure he provides them with quality instruments at excellent prices, but he also delivers amazing customer service. As a percussion educator, it's so great to know that my students will always have access to equipment whenever they need it!

Liz Guzman, Percussion Specialist, Arizona School for the Arts, Phoenix, AZ

Was an absolute pleasure doing business with you, thank you for the usage of the fantastic instrument! I'll absolutely pass your information along to anyone interested in an instrument rental.

James Waterman, Composer, Los Angeles, CA

Within months of renting the marimba, [my son] Rudy did his first-ever solo performance of "Sea Refractions" at the AZPAS Fall Festival of Percussion at Hamilton High School, and received a "Superior" rating. Without the use of the marimba at home, he never would have performed a solo, let alone receive the highest rating you can get, superior. We are so proud of him for all his hard work and practicing, sometimes 6 hours a day. Renting that marimba has given him confidence in himself and his musical abilities, it was the smartest thing we've ever done.

Thank you,

Dawn Cater, Parent, Phoenix, AZ

After graduating from college and moving out of state for the last two years I've been thoroughly missing playing the marimba and lacking my need to express myself through music. I thought back to when I used to take lessons from Brian Harris when I was younger, and thought about how in college I was able to rent a marimba through him. After hours searching online and realizing that there was no such thing out in Los Angeles, I discovered that Brian Harris was now renting to the Los Angeles area! It was great, I was able to go pick it up almost the same day I signed the contract and it took a half hour drive and I now had a marimba back in my apartment. Not only was it an easy process, but the cost to rent is very affordable and I would recommend his service to anyone interested in learning percussion.

Julie Mutnansky, Grammy Foundation, Los Angeles, CA (former Tucsonan)

We have been renting a marimba from Brian for the last 4 years. Brian personally delivered and set-up this beautiful marimba and it has been a welcome addition to our home ever since. He has always been available for questions with an immediate response and offered great customer service. We still have one daughter who is actively playing the marimba at Arizona School for the Arts. And we looked forward to at least 4 more years of enjoying this lovely marimba in our home. Thank you Brian for great service and care.

The Lufkin Family, Phoenix, AZ

Thanks to Brian's fast, affordable service, we have a set of four timpani and a xylophone! The instruments we rented are in excellent condition and have greatly enhanced the sound of our instrumental ensembles!

Jeanie Pierce, BASIS Scottsdale Music Director, Scottsdale, AZ

Thanks so much. The marimba was in great condition, you're super easy to work with, and your rates are unbelievable. Hopefully, someday I'll come back and rent something again!

Andrew Palumbo, Alhambra, CA

We rented a vibraphone from Brian for an event at our church. Brian was very professional in all our interactions, and the vibraphone was a wonderful addition to our musical weekend. We'd definitely work with Brian again!

Christopher Frith, Acting Sponsor, Saint Germain Foundation "I AM" Temple, Tucson, AZ

Brian Harris was very good about communication and preparation with his business. He was prompt with his delivery, even though I was not, and was willing to work with me in terms of making sure that I received the instrument at a later date. He is easy to get in touch with and is just as easy to get along with (from a professional standpoint)! This was my first encounter with Brian, and I know that I will be using his services in the upcoming years for both my own personal musical endeavors as well as for my classes.

James A. Sharp, Percussion Instructor, Arizona Conservatory of Arts and Academics, Phoenix, AZ

The Snare Drum Plays The Zoo--Reviews and Testimonials

My son is 14 and playing since he was 10. He has special needs and never was able to grasp the reading part of drum music. However after just one lesson with our teacher and your method, he could already read pigs [quarter notes], tigers [eighth notes], and caterpillars [sixteenth notes]! He was so proud of himself!

Jeanine Jansen, Parent, El Portal, FL

I literally just wrapped up my first lesson using your book and wanted to thank you for taking the time to put this method together. I was prompted to seek out a youth method specifically for this student who JUST turned 4 last week. I just wanted to take a moment and reflect on the immediacy with which my student was able to read simple rhythms and the ease the book affords in providing home practice goals for both the student and parent. Thank you for taking the time to put this method together.

Brandon Runyon, Private Percussion Teacher, Chicago, IL

Thank you for The Snare Drum Plays the Zoo method book. I have had such great success with my percussion students--they are learning to read music and play quicker than any other method I have used so far! Great job on this book and methodology idea.

Laura Lee Crandall, Private Percussion Teacher, Kansas City, MO

After teaching for several years in public schools, I started my own private percussion studio this year and your book has been an invaluable resource for my beginning percussionists of all ages. They are progressing much faster than beginning students that I have taught in the past using traditional counting methods. One of the best benefits to this book is that I don't have to "twist my students' arms" to get them to count out loud because your approach is fun and engaging. In addition, your unique method for vocalizing rhythm helps students transition more easily to traditional counting.

Keith Kassner, Private Percussion Teacher, Chandler, AZ

Before your book, I used to dread lessons with 5 year olds. Now I can easily teach very young children something they really enjoy while having a great time doing it! Your book has been a highly valuable tool, and it has increased the size of my studio.

Aric Stack, Phoenix Music Lessons, Phoenix, AZ

Through my "trials" of teaching younger kids (under 10), I've been noticing that most kids under the age of 10 don't like to count. I'm not sure what it is...........one of my students indicated that it reminded of her of being in school learning math.

With that, I went searching for beginner books specifically aimed at kids of this age group that had some element of fun included in teaching. I've learned that kids in this age group need to feel that learning an instrument should be fun at first.

The Snare Drum Plays the Zoo, by Brian J. Harris has brought the fun aspect of teaching counting to younger students by incorporating animal words as a method of counting: http://www.brianjharris.com/animals.htm

I know some instructors may disagree with this type of teaching because it doesn't "burn in" the traditional way of counting and may confuse the student. I haven't experienced this yet and it was actually easier to transition the student into counting as he/she got older and more involved in drumming. In fact, I've used some of the animal words with my older students (teenagers and adults) when they had problems with certain rhythms. At first, they felt kind of silly saying them but indicated the words made it easier for them to execute the problem rhythm(s).

Another cool part of this book is that at the end of every lesson (7 exercises - 1 for each day of the week), the student can compose his/her own piece using any rhythm, dynamic, repeats, etc.

The book also comes with a CD, and from his website a DVD is also available. I highly recommend this book to any instructor who teaches young kids. It will truly make lessons fun for the student.

Christian Canalita, professional drum teacher and drummer, San Francisco, CA

Brian, not only is your book brilliant, it's fun beyond any adult imagination. Congratulations on creating a book that will support drumming education for the young and old alike, an imaginative and thoroughly original work of drumming literary art.

Jonathan Haas, director of the Peabody Conservatory Percussion Studio, faculty artist of the Aspen Music School, virtuoso timpanist, and principal percussionist of the American Symphony Orchestra

Lots of illustrations, a logical progression, and a clear presentation make this book a great resource for beginning students and their teachers. (Rated 4 out of 5-drum rating!)

Modern Drummer Magazine

Everything about this product, from the content to the graphics to the printing to the associated website with its "book-owners" only area is first rate.

Eric Stuer, rhythmweb.com

I have three students (one is my daughter who turns four next month, the others are age seven and ten) working in your book. All three wrote and performed a snare solo at my studio recital a couple weeks ago and all of them started percussion within the last two to three months. The book is working tremendously well, and they are all enjoying playing and writing music.

This is by far the best book I've found for young percussion students. It is specifically encouraging how well the book focuses students on rhythmic groupings rather than individual notes.

Josh Gottry, Gottry Percussion, Phoenix, AZ

Lavishly illustrated...

Young students who follow Harris's suggestions and conscientiously pursue his system should enjoy a successful and enjoyable learning experience.

Percussive Notes Magazine

I like this way of thinking because it is focused. The biggest problem with young (new) learners is their general lack of focus. And with this approach, they are naturally enticed to a state of focus with the ulterior theme of the zoo animals. The text is well planned out, and it progresses quite naturally for the student. Nice job, Brian.

Dr. Dean Gronemeier, Yamaha Endorser and Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Dear Brian:

Thanks for the prompt service! My fifth grade son is taking percussion lessons from a student at the University of South Dakota here in Vermillion, SD. The student's professor, Dr. Darin Wadley, had given him a couple pages from your book to use in the lesson yesterday. My son Taylor had instant success with the Caterpillar and Tiger lesson. In fact, within ten minutes they had covered and successfully completed the lesson. This was only my son's second lesson and he has had no prior experience with drum sticks. Needless to say, he was very excited and pleased with himself and so was I. We are both looking forward to the lessons in your book!

Carol Geu, Vermillion, SD

I like The Snare Drum Plays The Zoo very much and it is a hit with my students both young and old!

Jim Sharp, private teacher, Southbridge, MA

I have researched this subject extensivly for five years and have written three books myself. [This is] one of the best pure "phonetic" approaches I have ever studied.

You have the best illustration of Full, Down, Tap, and Up strokes I have seen. Conceptualization of rests is outstanding, this is where most youg musicians have trouble anyway.

Your illustrations are outstanding, and I love the composition element you use. I also like the theory utilization having students do written assignments to reinfore "right hand lead." I am also very impressed with the well thought out incremental advancement of the rhythm curriculum and technical skills.

Thank you for your time and hard work. I truly understand the degree of work and effort you have put into to such a master and well thought out system.

Richard Moon, band director, Summerville, SC

Snare Drum Plays the Zoo is Genius!

Brian,

I just wanted to give you a quick email of praise and thanks. I tried out The Snare Drum Plays The Zoo on my youngest son who is eight so that I could start formulating a lesson plan for the new book and my new students. He was impressed to say the least. He has been in the studio almost all night working on the book and with just a few pointers, has already worked up to page 25. He had gotten bored and frustrated with normal drum methods. I wanted to cross check it and so I switched a regular drum method book and he was able to play the rhythms there as well, as he had already memorized the animal names to help him.

Way to go!

Dennis McLaughlin, private teacher, Boise, ID

I am teaching a learning disabled student and decided to see if your book might help. The system you have going is great. My student completely understands and is picking things up quite rapidly. Thank you very much.

Cody Harris, private teacher, Williamsport, PA

I got the book in a day ago and I played through it that day to check it out first. I am going to require all of my kids to have this book. Cannot wait to start using it this week!!!!!

Aaron Quirk, private teacher and band director, Dartmouth, MA

It is a marvelous teaching tool. I certainly would recommend you and your method to anyone interested.

Mary Woods, General Music Teacher, Tucson Hebrew Academy

I like using the names of animals!

Tim Rachbach, second grade student

Brian J. Harris Private Instruction--Reviews and Testimonials

Trevor Barroero, student

Apart from the fact that you teach music thoroughly, and to the utmost of your ability and talent given the day and the emotions of the student, you also mentor.

Alison Lee, Parent of student

I wanted to let you know that our family is moving to Northern California this summer so Evan won't be continuing with you after this spring. Losing you as a percussion teacher is one of the things that Evan is most sad about. I really appreciate all of your instruction and guidance both musically and personally that you have given Evan. He always leaves his lessons feeling good about things on many levels.

Cathy Cohen, Parent of student

There are people out there who "teach drums," but you truly teach music and I appreciate all that you do for the kids!

Don Cox, Canyon View Elementary band director

I have never met anyone with a gift for teaching like you have. You are so encouraging, positive, friendly, respectful, talented...I could go on. Your students are fortunate to have you as a teacher and mentor. It has been a pleasure to sit in your [waiting] room and listen and observe. I've never minded the journey way up north for Lydia's lessons -- I felt it was a privilege to be a bystander during her lessons. Thank you for that experience.

Victoria Khalidi, Parent of student

Your training as a percussionist has inspired me through hard times and triumphs. You have given me the skills to teach others what you've taught me. It's amazing how contagious education can be!

Brian Wagner, Former Student

[You] teach in a personable and respectful way with a sense of humor.

Becky Foreman, Parent of student

You care about Sean as a person, not just a musician.

Laurie Benjamin, Parent of student

You are superb at what you do. You are a gifted musician, with a love for percussion and an intimate knowledge of teaching children of all ages.

Jeri Jones, Parent of student

You are patient, specific in your expectations and your praise, very positive and encouraging. Couldn't ask for more!