Dr. Eric L. Harris is the program director for the new Live Audio Arts & Sciences degree option in the School of Music at Tennessee Tech University. Dr. Harris is a tenured, full professor with a teaching career spanning over thirty years. In addition to having taught courses in music education, music history, and music theory, Dr. Harris conducted university bands at Tennessee Tech for fourteen years.
        Over the past three years, Dr. Harris has worked collaboratively with chairs and faculty from the departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and the School of Music—as well as with leading sound engineers in the live audio industry—to develop the curriculum for the new Live Audio Arts and Sciences degree option in the School of Music.
        Prior to his music teaching career, Dr. Harris mixed front–of–house sound for the country show at Carowinds theme park for four years. During this time he also worked as a member of the house crew for the park’s 10,000 seat amphitheater, The Paladium, supporting national touring artists. During his junior and senior years at Winthrop University, Dr. Harris served as the technical director and mixed sound for the Winthrop Singers and the Winthrop Jazz Voices. He also mixed for the university Jazz Ensemble (big band) and provided audio support for a wide variety of special faculty recitals, theatrical productions, and campus events.
        Dr. Harris has twice served on the Wattenbarger Auditorium Renovation Committee (in 2007 and again in 2022) and has mixed sound for numerous concerts in the School of Music and for visiting guest artists. In 2018, Dr. Harris began providing new audio and technical support for the Golden Eagle Marching Band—including system design, front–of–house mixing, and training of student crews. Dr. Harris holds degrees from Winthrop University (B.M.E.) and the University of Southern Mississippi (M.M.E. and D.M.A.).