A Musical Beginning:
Christopher Lawhorne was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia in 1990. He has lived, performed, and taught in El Paso, Texas, and is currently residing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama while obtaining his Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree. Music has been a part of his life since he was eight years old.
Chris' musical journey started when he watched an episode of Arthur the Aardvark. The episode was about Arthur overcoming his stage fright while practicing the piano for his school's talent show. During the performance, Arthur played a wrong note in Beethoven's "Für Elise." The whole scene stopped, but Arthur continued to play and was greeted with a standing ovation.
Inspired by Arthur's bravery, Chris went to his garage and found an old 80's Korg keyboard his father had collected from a dumpster. He began teaching himself how to play the piano and started with "Für Elise." His elementary music teachers allowed him to stay after school to practice on a real piano, where his knowledge of the instrument grew, and his interest in creating music grew along with it. Little did Chris know that music would become his vocation.
The Formative Years
During his elementary school days, Mr. Lawhorne received guidance in reading music and honing his skills at the piano from two music teachers, Ms. Alison Cornett and Mr. David Savage. He would spend his afternoons with them while he waited for his mother after school. At the same time, his older sister Christin had just started taking flute lessons. These initial exposures to music were crucial to his growth as a musician.
As he grew older, he was able to audition for his middle school band program, but unfortunately, the piano was not used as an instrument for the band. However, his training allowed him to become proficient at mallet instruments and develop the dexterity to play percussion instruments. His percussion mentor, Mr. Tim Christian, and band director, Ms. Barbara Jones, provided Chris with opportunities to become more disciplined and aware of music.
One of his fondest memories was making copies of scores to read, study, and arrange in notation software. His middle school band program experience exposed him to several statewide contests in music-making. One contest qualified him for All-State Band for Middle School, and another contest awarded him a first-place medal in musical composition. This first piece of music was a tribute to his first musical experiences and was written for solo piano.
Defining the Fundamentals
Chris had a strong interest in music since he was young. While in high school, he was part of the Sequoyah High School Band, which was directed by the late David Harrison. Jefferson Doyle was his drum instructor. Chris was involved in the marching arts and concert programs for four years. In addition to playing with the bands, he also performed with the orchestras, choirs, and even tried his hand at Music Theatre. His love for music was so intense that his grades suffered.
Despite being the only 9th-grade percussionist in the top band, Chris tried out for several extra-curricular ensembles, including Pariah Indoor Percussion. However, his greatest achievement came in his senior year. He assumed section leader positions in all the ensembles he was part of, and began to focus on his capstone project. Chris wrote his largest work for full symphonic band, strings, and choir, depicting the Biblical book of Revelations. The Concert Band premiered the piece, which received a perfect rating on his project.
Chris struggled with his grades, and it was difficult for him to find colleges that would accept him. Fortunately, he met the director of Bands at Reinhardt College, who was willing to give him a chance.