With 鈥渁 shortage of job ads for marimba players,鈥� Pittsburgh-based interdisciplinary artist (MM 鈥�05) re-invents herself鈥攁nd her career鈥攃ontinuously.听
鈥淚鈥檝e never followed a traditional path in music,鈥� says the award-winning percussionist, writer and storyteller focused on social impact, who鈥檚 designed and teaches marimba classes to people with Mild Cognitive Impairment. 鈥淚t was always clear to me that I would pursue my interests entrepreneurially and I鈥檝e been so impressed by what the Entrepreneurship Center for Music did for me.
鈥淚 love the empowerment that comes with thinking like an entrepreneur.鈥�
Specifically, according to Dorris鈥攚ho studied marimba with Professor of Percussion and Jazz Douglas Walter鈥攖he Entrepreneurship Center for Music provided her 鈥渢he nuts, bolts and resources, on a logical level, for how to create opportunities for yourself, and build and manage a collaborative career to bring music to people鈥檚 lives.鈥澨�
鈥淎t the same time,鈥� she adds, 鈥淚 was gaining technical proficiency on my instrument and learning a musical philosophy. Doug Walter put me on a journey of seeing life through a musical lens鈥攁 beautiful path where studying your instrument is just the beginning of a long and meaningful journey.鈥澨�
She further credits Associate Professor Michael Theodore, who teaches music composition and technology and interactive media at CU Boulder, for honing her knack for drawing connections among diverse disciplines. 鈥淲hat I learned from these influencers was how to adopt an emergent, creative way of thinking that attracts opportunities to develop and implement programs that activate your audiences. I鈥檓 always thinking, 鈥楬ow can I apply my musical way of knowing the world for good?鈥欌�澨�
Turns out, Dorris鈥攚hose undergraduate degree from Drake University combines music and journalism鈥攊s answering that question in a dizzying variety of concurrent endeavors. She鈥檚 on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University鈥檚 Preparatory School as its percussion instructor and teaches courses in Creative Expression, Community Engagement and Percussion Ensemble. And she pioneered a musical storytelling performance technique that she鈥檚 performed across the country, and that鈥檚 now used in schools, nonprofits, even cancer centers. In 2016, she received a Best of the Creative Industries Award for the top Art + Technology project for and鈥攁 year later鈥攕he was named 鈥淲ho鈥檚 Next鈥� as a musician defining the new Pittsburgh sound.听
Additionally, Dorris鈥� multimodal Telling Stories program鈥攄eveloped in 2008 for the Denver School of the Arts鈥攚as recently featured on 鈥淔rom the Top.鈥� Her podcast series, 鈥淭elling Stories,鈥� which mixed music and personal stories from students at The Neighborhood Academy, was named a finalist for the 2017 Media and Entertainment project of the year.听
Currently鈥攂uilding on her initial research studies on the effects of music on Mild Cognitive Impairment鈥擠orris is a research associate at Carnegie Mellon University, studying music鈥檚 effect on the aging brain. She started a marimba program at the University of Pittsburgh鈥檚 , where artists and scientists work together to create effective programming for people experiencing changes in their cognition. Previously, she鈥檚 given innovative artistic performances and built education programs across the country; she鈥檚 now focused on developing research techniques and refining her music pedagogy to benefit adults with memory loss.听
鈥淚 believe that, for true artists, there is no straight or narrow path,鈥� Dorris continues. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always going to be lots of opportunities to improve and expand your skills鈥攁nd to generalize your knowledge outside of music.
鈥淓specially, you have to know who you are as a person so that鈥攚hen those opportunities arise鈥攜ou鈥檒l recognize them and be able to engage with them.鈥�
For Dorris, locally in Colorado, such opportunities have included a teaching gig at CU Boulder, developing coursework for the University of Denver, and teaching positions at Red Rocks Community College and the Community College of Denver. She was named a 2010 Westword Mastermind, and she鈥檚 been featured as an artist in a host of local and national newspapers and publications.听
Dorris herself has written for Pittsburgh Magazine Entrepreneur, Real Simple, 5280 Magazine, Colorado Biz Magazine, Boulder County Business Report, Mountain Sports + Living, Rocky Mountain News, Daily Camera and a number of other media outlets. Her feature 鈥淭he Audition鈥� for Boston Magazine was a finalist for a City and Regional Magazine Association feature-writing award and aired on NPR鈥檚 鈥淎ll Things Considered.鈥澨�
Additionally鈥攊ncredibly!鈥攕he鈥檚 a founding member of the Steeltown Songbirds, a classical-folk trio comprised of marimba, violin and bass. Dorris further performs with Pittsburgh鈥檚 Hip Hop Orchestra, while teaching at its inaugural summer academy. She also performs with Resonance Works, Alia Musica, Guardians of Sound, the Seraphic Singers and Shelter Music Boston; as well as with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra鈥檚 Notes in the Neighborhood program, New England Philharmonic, Mercury Orchestra, Colorado Ballet, Colorado Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Music Festival, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Boulder Philharmonic, Fort Collins Symphony and Greeley Philharmonic, among others.听
Concludes Dorris, 鈥淚 can鈥檛 help but be optimistic for music majors. I feel so enthusiastic about the different paths my life and career are taking me. There were never any jobs for me, but I鈥檝e always had more than enough work.
"It鈥檚 a way of thinking鈥攁nd being鈥攖hat I learned at CU and that continues to guide me through what I consider a really beautiful, artistic life.鈥�
