Andrew Lu (he/him) is a musician and educator from Palo Alto, CA. He currently teaches band and choir at William H. Crocker Middle School in Hillsborough, CA.
He earned his B.M. in Music Education from the University of the Pacific in 2019 with highest honors, where he studied flute with Mathew Krejci, composition with Robert Coburn, and conducting with Eric Hammer, Yejee Choi, and Peter Witte. He recently completed his M.M. in Music Education at the University of Michigan, where his research focused on creative music-making practices in middle school music ensemble classrooms.
From 2019 to 2024, Mr. Lu taught band, choir, and strings at Thomas S. Hart Middle School in Pleasanton, CA. Under his leadership, the school's ensembles received “superior” ratings at CMEA festivals, participated in trips to Disneyland, Universal Studios, and New Orleans, and collaborated with renowned musicians such as Nobuko Miyamoto and Bobby McFerrin. In 2023, the Hart Advanced Choir was featured by the California Choral Directors Association as a guest performer at the California All-State Music Educators Conference.
In 2018, Andrew founded 28/78 New Music Ensemble, a student-run chamber group at the University of the Pacific, and served as its director until May 2019. As an active conductor in the Pacific Conservatory community, he led performances with Pacific’s Choirs and Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the premieres for several student compositions. He has also conducted and music directed musical theatre productions with PEP and A Theatre Near U and served as the Choral Assistant at the Stockton Youth Chorale for two years. From 2019 until 2023, Andrew served on the board of Ninth Planet, a new music ensemble and service organization based in San Francisco, CA.
Outside of the classroom, Mr. Lu maintains a busy schedule as a composer/arranger/engraver, plays flute in the Chabot Wind Symphony, and sings with the Peninsula Cantare. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his tortie cat Shoyu and completing woodworking projects in his garage. He is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, NAfME, CMEA, CBDA, and CCDA.