Rate My Professor David Harrison

David Harrison serves as Senior Teaching Fellow in the Music programme of the School of Performing Arts within the Humanities Division at the University of Otago. He earned his MusB (Hons) and MA from the University of Otago. With over 40 years of professional experience as a musician, music educator, and producer in the New Zealand music industry, Harrison specializes in contemporary performance, electric guitar, vocal performance, and music production. His approach integrates practical industry knowledge with a dedication to fostering student musical development through innovative teaching methods.

Harrison's academic interests encompass electric guitar performance, music technology, pop music production analysis, group performance education, pop vocal artistry, and electronic music production. He coordinates and teaches several courses, including MUSI 135 Songwriting, MUSI 234 Contemporary Composition, MUSI 201 Materials of Music 2, MUSI 233 and MUSI 333 Electronic Music Production, MUSI 269 Popular Music 2, and Instrumental or Vocal Performance papers at levels 1, 2, and 3 (MUSI 143, 243, 343). Key publications include his book Music by Numbers: The Impacts of Music Technologies on Pop, published by Lambert Academic Publishing in 2011, which examines the influence of music technologies on popular music. He also contributed to Stan Hawkins' Queerness in Pop Music (Routledge, 2016). Harrison's professional portfolio features extensive performance credits, such as guitar and vocals in DSO Plays ABBA (2024), Heathers the Musical (2021), Mama Mia (2014), Hairspray (2013), Jesus Christ Superstar (2012), Dusty (2010), Buddy (2009), The Full Monty (2008), Cats (2008), and Grease (2007). As a producer and mix engineer, he has worked on singles and EPs for artists including EmilyAlice, Black Sale House, Downsideup, Kate Ella, Sylvie Harper, Sammy Alixander, Salmon Crocs, Tom Frop, and Sienna Baker between 2022 and 2025. His recordings with Subject2Change include Neuros Atmos Cosmos (2009), Soundtracks and Inventions (2011), and Artiste (2015), demonstrating his impact in contemporary music production and performance education.