Dante Harris — Rooted Drums · Gospel & Worship Drummer

Watch

IN THE CHAIR

Real services. Real rooms. The job as it happens.

THE ASSIGNMENT

ON TAPE: "THANK YOU" — WALTER HAWKINS

Follow the music director
Support the vocalist and the congregation
Keep the transitions clear
Handle clicks, cues, charts, and tracks
Play the room, not the camera

Sundays, live

The 11 AM service, as it happens — East Washington Heights Baptist Church.

WATCH LIVE — EWHBC

At a glance

THE SNAPSHOT

CURRENT CHAIREast Washington Heights Baptist Church

BASED INFort Washington, Maryland

PRIMARY STYLESGospel · Worship · R&B · Funk · Jazz

ALSO WORKING ASSession drummer — live & remote · Percussion instructor · Hybrid-rig operator

AVAILABLE FORChurch + worship · Live + session · Events + percussion · Lessons + remote

The rig

PLAY THE ROOM. RUN THE SYSTEM.

The setup changes with the assignment. Acoustic when the room needs air. Hybrid when the service needs clicks, cues, samples, and tracks. Electronic when the house needs control. The gear is there to solve the room — not become the show.

ACOUSTIC

Full-room feel.

SJC Navigator · Ludwig brass · Zildjian

HYBRID

Clicks. Cues. Samples. Tracks.

Roland SPD-SX Pro · triggers · iPad playback

CONTROLLED VOLUME

Same spacing. Less room volume.

RTOM · Roland · direct-out configurations

CAPTURE + PLAYBACK

Clean mobile audio and service-ready playback.

iRig · Logic Pro · Final Cut workflow

EXPLORE THE FULL RIG

A quick tour of the gear corner — the rig as it actually sits on a Sunday. The full corner-by-corner breakdown lives on the rig page.

Gear in use

THE INSTRUMENTS AND TOOLS CURRENTLY IN MY SETUP

INSTRUMENTSSJC Custom Drums · Yamaha · Ludwig · Zildjian · Roland · LP

HEADS / PRACTICEAquarian · EVANS · RTOM

HARDWAREDW · Pearl · Roc-N-Soc

MONITORING / CAPTURESennheiser · iRig Pro Duo I/O

WORKFLOWLogic Pro · Final Cut Pro · iPad Pro

Brand names identify gear currently used by Dante Harris and do not imply sponsorship or endorsement.

From the chair

DANTE IN THREE

WHAT DOES "POCKET FIRST" MEAN?

The song decides what belongs. My job is to make the band feel better, keep the transitions clear, and give the room something steady to stand on.

WHAT DOES A MUSIC DIRECTOR GET WHEN YOU TAKE THE CHAIR?

Preparation, communication, controlled dynamics, and somebody who can handle clicks, tracks, charts, and changes without making the technology everybody else's problem.

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR STUDENTS TO CARRY FORWARD?

Strong fundamentals, dependable time, musical judgment, and the confidence to serve the music before showing everything they know.

Story

RICHMOND RAISED. DMV ROOTED.

01 — RICHMOND RAISED

Dante Harris came up drumming in Richmond, Virginia — jazz band, concert band, orchestra, marching band, theater pits, gospel choir, and the Gospel Music Workshop of America. He reads charts and full percussion parts.

Archival photo — a young Dante Harris at the kit

02 — THE CHAIR

First church chair: 1998. Nearly three decades of Baptist church service since — currently the livestreamed 11 AM chair at East Washington Heights Baptist Church, Washington, DC.

Dante Harris playing drums on a large stage

03 — PASSING THE STICKS FORWARD

Private students since 2015. Since 2021, a weekly youth percussion classroom in Washington, DC — about fifteen students, ages six to twelve, first grip through advanced technique.

Lessons

PERCUSSION LESSONS

Private and small-group instruction for kids and adults, from first grip through advanced technique — fundamentals, time, reading, groove, and musical judgment on acoustic and electronic percussion. In-person lessons across the DMV; virtual lessons anywhere, taught live with clean, direct kit audio.

ASK ABOUT LESSONS

Practice pads and sticks on classroom tables

Available for

THE WORK

CHURCH + WORSHIPSub datesRecurring chairsSpecial servicesHomegoing services

LIVE + SESSIONArtist showcasesLive sessionsStudioTheater / orchestral percussion

EVENTS + PERCUSSIONWeddingsCorporateAuxiliary percussionControlled-volume setups

LESSONS + REMOTEPrivate instructionVirtual lessonsCustom drum tracksPercussion overdubs

Booking

CHECK AVAILABILITY

1 — SEND THE DATE

Include the location, service or event time, and rehearsal details.

2 — AVAILABILITY + QUOTE

Dante responds with availability, scope, and private pricing.

3 — CONFIRM THE CHAIR

The date is secured through agreement, invoice, and deposit when required.

Press kit

EPK

SHORT BIO — COPY-READY

Dante Harris is a DMV-based gospel and worship drummer, percussionist, and educator with 30+ years behind the kit. Raised in Richmond, Virginia, he currently holds the drum chair at East Washington Heights Baptist Church in Washington, DC.

His work moves between acoustic, hybrid, and electronic setups for church services, sub dates, recurring chairs, events, lessons, and remote tracks. Through Rooted Drums, Dante brings the full job from the chair: pocket, preparation, clicks, cues, tracks, gear, and a setup that fits the room.

DOWNLOADS + CONTACT

RESUME (PDF)

PRESS PHOTOS (ZIP)

Booking, press, artist relations:
[email protected] · (571) 639-6654 · @rooteddrums
Fort Washington, MD · Current chair: East Washington Heights Baptist Church

Web + media systems

BUILT LIKE A SYSTEM

This site is part artist page, part EPK, part booking workflow, and part media system. I build the same kind of clean digital infrastructure for musicians, churches, ministries, and community organizations — clear on the surface, structured underneath.

ASK ABOUT A SITE LIKE THIS