Band Directors

Matthew Harris is the current Band Director here at Rochester Adams. He has been at Adams since November of 2020. Prior to coming to Adams he was the assistant director at Rochester Adams and the band director at West Middle School. He also taught high school and middle school in Albuquerque New Mexico. Matt received his Bachelors in Music Education at Central Michigan University (2010), and his Masters in Music from the University of New Mexico (2012). Matt has performed with such musicians as the Temptations, Bobby Shew, Jeff Coffin, and Terri Lynn Carrington. He is currently in two groups Klezundheidt, a klezmer band out of metro detroit, and the Cass Quartet a saxophone quartet. 

 

Since coming to Adams the band program has continued to grow and thrive. In 2023 the Highlander Marching Band performed in the Detroit Thanksgiving Parade for the first time in school history. In 2025 the Adams Jazz Lab 1 performed at the Detroit Jazz Fest for the first time in school history. He has also taken the band to perform in Nashville, Chicago, and New York City. The bands have consistently received Superior ratings at festivals. The bands have also premiered new works by such composers as Andrew David Perkins, Chris Evan Hass, and others. 

 

Matt lives in Sterling Heights with his family. He and his wife Melissa have two children Avan (7) and Ethan (5). In their free time they enjoy outdoor activities and playing with their dogs. What Matt enjoys most about teaching is seeing how much growth the students have over the course of their career at Adams